Carter blames the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq for the emergence of ISIS. But even after the terror militia set up its „state,“ „the people of the region did not want invasion-sized forces to return,“ the ex-secretary recalls. Throughout his two-year tenure, Carter had to „ease [Iraqi] Prime Minister [Haider al-]Abadi into accepting more U.S. forces (which was controversial for him at home).“ The Iraqi forces, too, initially were reluctant to fight, to the open irritation of Carter and U.S. generals who had to keep prodding the Iraqis into action.