A Promise Kept, A New Beginning

As a candidate, Barack Obama distinguished himself by his anti-war stance. It was a popular move in a nation that was fatigued by a multi-year conflict with no clear end in sight.

Today, President Obama has annouced the end to the war he campaigned against, keeping a major promise and opening up a new opportunity for new beginnings in both nations. 

"As promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year. After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over," Obama told reporters.

"It's both a smart and a strategic move," explained Ploughshares Fund's Joel Rubin today on MSNBC. "It advances our interests, it respects the Iraqi wishes, and it fulfills the President's commitment to the American people."

The decision is an obvious turning point for the Iraqi nation, who will now face the challenge of rebuilding their fragmented nation. But it's also a new beginning for the United States. 

As Ploughshares Fund's Joe Cirincione wrote in a press statement released today: 

"The end to this unnecessary war presents the opportunity to reexamine our nation’s national security priorities. No longer should we be spending vast sums on unnecessary wars or unnecessary weapons. We must ensure that taxpayer dollars go to support strategies and weapons that meet the real challenges facing our nation."