In the event of an American withdrawal from Iraq, who controls Iraqi airspace? Will Iraq, or will Iraqi airspace become the domain of Iran and Saudi Arabia?

I don’t think we should take American control over Iraqi airspace for granted once our troops leave Iraq; we may face a situation where the United States respects Iraqi demands that we leave treat Iraqi airspace as sovereign territory while Iraq’s neighbors gain control over that airspace against Iraqi objection. In terms of air power, it would seem that an American withdrawal from Iraq wouldn’t turn the clock back to 2003 but instead to 1991 or earlier.

It is my hope that Iraq will eventually become strong enough to control its own airspace and defend it successfully from its neighbors. In the meantime, I am not convinced that it is in Iraq’s national interest to officially acquire control over Iraqi airspace until Iraq obtains the means to successfully assert full sovereignty.