In his speech, President Obama, paid great attention to the financial and economic crises that faces the U.S. and the whole world. Some political observers see the success or failure of Obama to the extent he will be able to cooperate with other influential presidents of the world to face this big concern and its consequences.
And thus, it seems that a significant part of the plans and agendas of Obama and his administration will be addressed to the internal issues of the U.S.
We remember during the election campaign, Obama vowed to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within 16 months after his inauguration as president. In his January 20 speech, also, he said "We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people."
Besides, according to the security pact signed between the U.S. and Iraq, which has been in effect since January 1, 2009, U.S. troops must completely withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011. It seems that this speech of Obama's has come from the belief that this spreading out of the U.S. troops has led to the downfall of the economy of the U.S. and its allies.
It doesn't seem that the withdrawal that Obama is talking about will bean early withdrawal or necessarily mean that the U.S. will turn its back on Iraq, nor does it mean keeping away from Iraq's internal problems and leaving an unstable country full of conflicts, for which the U.S. expended a huge amount of blood and money.
On the other hand, I don't think that the new U.S. administration doesn't understand that nearly six years after Saddam Hussein's regime's collapse, without the help and support of the international community, including the U.S., in the current situation the Iraqis are able to solve their accumulated old conflicts and problems and establish a stable and peaceful state in the region.
Hence, whatever method and mechanism they use in Iraq, either before or after withdrawal, the U.S. administration, which is ultimately in the benefit of the Iraqis, will also be in the benefit of the security and stability of the region as well as the U.S. itself.
And how will the new administration behave in regard to the internal issues of Iraq? We might get the answer from the speech by Vice President Joe Biden, who, in a speech about the Kirkuk issue on January 13, emphasized that solving the major issues of Kirkuk is a main issue for the U.S.
Therefore, Obama's administration should have a clear stand and mechanism to solve the outstanding issues in Iraq, such as Kirkuk, terror, tribal and ethnic wars and conflicts, national reconciliation, security, stability, peace, democracy, foreign intervention?in short, the issue of abiding by the Iraqi Constitution and maintaining the federal, democratic parliamentary system in the country as it has come in the Iraqi-American Security Pact.