US troop withdrawal from Iraq no cakewalk

The Irish Times predicts that the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq will be a rocky road: "US troops are due to leave Iraq in 2011, according to the current timetable. But it is subject to reservations on both sides, according to the security and political facts on the ground. Despite his opposition to the invasion and his desire to see an end to the occupation, President Obama accepts that these disciplines will determine if the timetable can be met. There are many sceptical voices among well-informed actors and commentators on whether it is possible. President Obama has put US disengagement from Iraq firmly in the wider regional context of deeper engagement with Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Calibrating his policies on all these fronts will be a huge task."

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