July saw the beginning of the end of the Islamic State. Iraqi Security Forces along with the Kurdish Peshmerga, and Popular Mobilization Units liberated Mosul in Iraq, and freedom is imminent in Raqqa, Syria.

Unfortunately, despite years of advanced planning, Baghdad is facing the same catastrophe the United States faced in 2003 with no day-after plan. Instead of earning legitimacy through reputation, the Baghdad government now competes with more than 30 other groups to provide basic services in post-ISIS Mosul.