Washington, D.C. — (Video) During a speech at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Congressman SethMoulton (D-MA), who has been critical of the Obama Administration’s approach to the Middle East, announced his four-part political plan to secure peace and stability in Iraq. Moulton outlined his strategy and the specific direction that he hopes to see the Obama Administration and future Administrations take in order to defeat ISIS, stabilize the Middle East, and allow our troops to return home for good.
“The fundamental problem in Iraq and Syria is political, not military,” said Moulton. “Although it’s devolved to the point where our military involvement is necessary, the only long-term solution that can allow our troops to return home for good must be political in nature.”
Moulton has made four key policy recommendations in order to implement a long-term solution: define our desired political end state, enable political reforms, condition further military support on political progress, and provide authorization and funding for Iraq’s future.
“Ultimately, our goal is to help create the environment for an Iraq that is sovereign, independent, representative of its people, allied with our interests, and able to maintain its own security against both foreign and domestic enemies. This plan will help get us there,” Moulton writes in his plan.
For the past two years, Moulton has spoken about the need to defeat ISIS and prevent its potential successors from taking root. He has conducted an extensive review of U.S. policies in Iraq, including three oversight visits to Iraq as a member of the House Armed Services Committee to meet with military generals, top foreign policy leaders, and our troops on the ground. In his recent Op-Ed in The Washington Post, Moulton argued that U.S. policies “have yet to articulate a political plan to ensure Iraq’s long-term stability.”
Moulton served as a Marine infantry officer in Iraq during some of the most difficult periods of fighting, and he later focused on the tasks of reconstruction and stabilization. In his speech at the USIP, Moulton noted how these experiences led to his clear understanding of the importance of having a clearly defined strategy – both military and political – as foundational to securing peace in the Middle East.
