US policy in the Middle East:

• Winding down a disastrous, unpopular war in West Asia fit into US’s foreign policy narrative of regaining the trust of the Islamic world and giving greater attention to other challenges. 
• The U.S. withdrawal came under major criticism only after the Islamic State (IS) took over Iraqi cities in early 2014. Critics say the withdrawal was too early and put Iraqi security at risk. 
• But such arguments overlook the fact that Iraq witnessed sectarian civil war and massive bloodshed in 2006-07 at the peak of the American invasion. So the presence of U.S. troops per se doesn’t deter jihadist violence in the country. On the other side, there are several reasons, such as the sectarianism of the Iraqi government and the chaos in Syria, that led to the rise of the IS. 
• America’s Iraq war and the rise of Shiites to power in Baghdad had made Iran’s regional presence stronger.
• The agreement and the subsequent removal of sanctions make Iran a stronger power. But it has delayed Iran becoming a nuclear country at least by 10 years, leaving Israel the only nuclear-armed state in the region. And to mollify Israel’s concerns, the administration tactically turned a blind eye towards Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinians. 

US Middle East Policies Impact on India:

• The U.S. has been actively present in the Syrian crisis from the very beginning through its proxies. The nature and extent of U.S. involvement in stabilizing the Middle East in chaos could have serious implications for India. 
• West Asia is a region of crucial significance to India as the source of employment for millions of Indians, remittances that help the Indian exchequer, defense equipment, intelligence information, terrorist security concerns, not to speak of the majority of Indian oil and natural gas imports. 
• All of these interests could be adversely affected by a failure to contain the chaos.
• The extent of American involvement might have direct implications for India-U.S. relations in terms of its possible impact on the time, energy, resources and attention that the senior-most U.S. policymakers can devote to nurturing the India-U.S. relationship. 
• India-U.S. differences on Middle East policy, for example on Iran, can affect the broader bilateral relationship. 
• Given the potential impact on Indian interests and the growing desire of a war-weary United States to share the burden with like-minded countries, there may be a growing expectation in US that India should do more to help out in the Middle East.