This is in reference to the the Declaration of Principles
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...it also includes a provision that promises to maintain the stability of Iraq's government from "internal and external threats." This sentence is raising alarms for some U.S. lawmakers.
Any such agreement would be considered a treaty by many legal experts. And under the U.S. Constitution, treaties have to be ratified by Congress.
"The declaration of principles would appear to commit the United States to keeping the elected Iraqi government in power against internal threats," says Kenneth Katzman, a Middle East analyst at the Congressional Research Service. "I leave it to the lawyers to determine whether that's the definition of a treaty or not but it certainly seems to be — is going to be — a hefty U.S. commitment to Iraq for a long time."
Such a hefty commitment would be unprecedented in the history of American foreign policy.
Treaty or Agreement?
The administration strenuously denies this is a treaty and has already made it clear that it won't take the issue to Congress.
Instead, administration officials compare the impending U.S.-Iraq military relationship to a "status of forces" agreement. The United States has about 100 of these military relationships with countries around the world.
These international agreements are typically binding from administration to administration unless renegotiated.
Should we be entering into an agreement, perhaps permanent, but at the least long term, that gives us the power and the responsiblity to protect Iraq's government for internal and external threat?