Bangladesh, Oct. 3 -- The withdrawal of American and other international forces from Iraq comes at a particularly fragile moment for a country still working to consolidate its sovereignty, strengthen state institutions and escape the cycles of conflict that have shaped much of its modern history.

The departure of US forces inevitably raises questions about what comes next. Iraq has spent years attempting to rebuild its political institutions and assert independent decision-making after decades of dictatorship, war, sanctions, occupation and sectarian violence. The central challenge now is whether Baghdad can preserve that independence or whether the military and political vacuum created by the withdrawal will increase Tehrans influence o...