As Biden Prepares to Finally Leave, Iraq Faces a New 'Existential Crisis'

The headlines coming out of U.S. President Joe Biden’s meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi last week were about the largely symbolic decision to end America’s “combat mission” in the country by the end of 2021.

For ordinary Iraqis, however, a video by 17-year-old Ali Adil, who lives in the town of Hila some 110 kilometers (70 miles) south of Baghdad, better addressed Iraq’s real problems. “Biden! Fire in hospital, the weather in Iraq is hot,” he complained, referring to a blaze at an Iraqi COVID facility that killed dozens and constant power cuts that have made this summer’s record high temperatures unbearable.

Read the full story and more from Haaretz.