Gulf Roundtable: Gulf Power after Iraq

As U.S. military forces withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan while “pivoting” towards Asia, the United States faces a turning point. Budgetary constraints and war weariness create public pressure for a large drawdown in the Gulf, but ongoing threats related to terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and regional instability more generally mean only modest force reductions are likely. Dr. Colin Kahl of Georgetown University and the Center for a New American Security and Rear Admiral John Sigler of the National Defense University discussed current U.S. strategy in the region and contemplated several scenarios that could shape the U.S. presence in the Gulf going forward at a Gulf Roundtable at CSIS on May 24, 2012.