The ongoing discussions regarding the termination of the NATO mission in Iraq serve as clear evidence of the Iraqi military establishment's maturity and the elimination of the need for foreign training tutelage. Baghdad is working to transform this relationship from
having boots on the ground into balanced bilateral partnerships based on the exchange of military expertise according to national needs determined by the Iraqi General Staff. This voluntary NATO withdrawal, which coincides with the American evacuation plan, reinforces the narrative
of full sovereignty and turns a long page of international military presence in Mesopotamia.
