Ending the mission is the right call, and the hard part now belongs to Baghdad. A sovereign Iraq has to show it can hold the line against Iran-backed militias and keep ISIS from exploiting thin security in contested areas. Handing off that responsibility is the only way an Iraqi state ever grows strong enough to stand on its own.
Two decades of blood and trillions of dollars bought one thing: a Baghdad wide open to Tehran's influence. Toppling a regime that once checked Iran, then walking away from a weak and divided government, guarantees the militias fill every gap left behind. Calling that an ending is generous when the consequences are just getting started.
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