NATIONAL SECURITY: Questions to Consider

• What are the costs to the U.S. for maintaining a military presence in Iraq?  What are the benefits?  Does keeping American forces in Iraq make the U.S. more or less safe?
• Does the war in Iraq impact American foreign policy? If so, how?
• Does the American presence in Iraq affect our ability to address other international threats and crises?  Would the American posture towards Iran or North Korea change if our military were not deployed in Iraq?
• What kind of consequences would there be for the United States should it move to withdraw American forces from Iraq? What sort of message does that send to other nations, friend and potential foe alike?
• Determining what would actually constitute an American victory or an American defeat in Iraq is integral and should be reflected in your discussion.

The Background

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