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Iraq is going to go down as one of the greatest blunders in American history.

As much as we might look for opportunities to keep Iraq together, we need to be prepared for the reality that it's not going to stay together.

The progress in Iraq is still fragile. And it could still be reversed. Iraq still faces innumerable challenges, and they will be evident during what will likely be a difficult process as the newly elected Council of Representatives selects the next prime minister, president, and speaker of the council.

We've thrown out Saddam and Saddam, dead or alive, is finished in Iraq.

Iraq is a manufactured conflict for the sake of geopolitical dominance in the area.

We are tangled in a very significant Islamic insurgency in Iraq.

The people of Iraq have suffered greatly.

The proximate cause of Iraq's unraveling was the increasing authoritarian, sectarian, and corrupt conduct of the Iraqi government and its leader after the departure of the last U.S. combat forces in 2011.

I would not be surprised to see Syria break apart entirely.