Hobbled by Iraq
Clive Crook, Financial Times | August 18, 2008
The war in Iraq eroded not only US strength but also its moral authority and sense of purpose. ++ Iraq strains the US army to such a extent that it is not left with forces sufficient to stabilize Afghanistan. ++ Moreover, critics of the US administration emphazise the lack of justification of the US-lead invasion and doubt that the US is still in the position to e.g. excoriate Russia. ++ But as the Caucasus crisis shows, there is no other power that could replace the US: it needs to overcome Iraq and provide global leadership again.
