The Biden solution. Sounds great until you get into the details. The Turks, Iran, and Russia would never allow an independent Kurdistan. Would the Iraqi Sunnis want to be part of Syria? And how long would a Shi'a state remain independent of Iran?
Iraq is a viable state because of the oil which is located in the North (Kurd) and the South (Shia). The Iraqi Constitution contains provisions for a relatively autonomous Kurdish state, but the oil revenue is divided among the rest of the country as well.
And exactly how much power and influence does the US have when it comes to dividing up Iraq? Is that something we want to take on?
No, not now.
Then—Late February 1991. Long before Biden stole the idea (or plagiarized it!).
I believe we had the political capital to make it happen in 1991, as a condition to end the war. I do believe that at that time, we had the clout to make it happen despite the Russians, Turks and Iranians.
And yes, it would probably have needed some of our boys to stay and keep the peace. But still better than keeping our boys in Saudi Arabia trying to enforce a no-fly zone on an embittered Saddam and minions...while the Islamic fundamentalists went nuts...
Iraq was NEVER a separate whole country, but made up separate nations and then distinct provinces of the Ottoman Empire when the British carved it out into one country in 1921.
That was in fact a mistake.
The separate provinces should have been retained as separate nations.
By the 2000’s, especially after our 2003 invasion, it was too late to make that happen politically, from our constant refrain of only trying to remove Saddam’s WOMD.