President Joe Biden is unapologetic about his Afghanistan withdrawal, no matter the chaos that has followed.

Similarly, when Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi visited the White House on July 26, 2021, he and Biden agreed to end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq. Many Iraqis believe not only that the U.S. military presence won’t be far behind, but that the ensuing vacuum will put them at the mercy of Iran and the Islamic State. The residual American military presence in both Syria and Somalia is also on the chopping block, much to the delight of al Qaeda and al Shabab. How ironic it is, then, that the Biden administration is determined to hold on to the one base that America should have abandoned a decade ago.