What would happen?

A question I often ask people from all over the world who are visiting Skypeland is, what do they think would happen if the US left Iraq immediately. Often even the most rabid Anti-American will tell me they think a blood bath will ensue. They are somewhat taken aback usually to be asked this. They just want to express their rage at the US and say the US should not have done what the US did (which I might agree with). However, when asked to predict the consequences of what these people are often demanding, they almost uniformly paint a very ugly scenario of regional war, a failed state becoming a base for terrorism, a vacuum for Iran to expand into, a civil war, a religious war, a genocide, etc. When I ask if they want this, these Skypeland callers are often bewildered as if they had never thought anyone would ask them such a question.

Once in a while, someone from a country adjacent to Iraq will suggest we just let the Iraqis or interlopers from neighboring countries slaughter each other since Iraqis are bad, untrustworthy, two-faced, blood thirsty, or stupid, or to "teach the Iraqis/Arabs/Muslims a lesson". I am not sure if this sounds too compelling to me... (I thought all Muslims were brothers?)

The question in front of us now is not whether the US and its coalition partners made mistakes or not in years past. The question is, what will happen if the US and its coalition partners leave now summarily? And amazingly, almost no one has ever thought about that question. Interesting....