[Heuristic Hiker]

There is a lot that an enduring U.S. presence could offer to Iraq and the region in general (particularly in stability/security). And if our presense there could help maintain stable oil prices that is a pretty good justification for a continued U.S. investment.

But as this article indicates the transition from Military to the State Department is not going smoothly. Hopefully, this is not the indicator of a trend...

[Truth29]

I suspect that when the US troops leave, Iran will rapidly assume a larger and larger presence in the Iraqi government and will have effective control within a couple of years.