Well, you could call Iranian influence (backed militias) a necessary evil for now. Since nobody else can provide boots on the ground to combat ISIS right now. But I agree, Iraq needs a 'no problems with neighbours' policy. It's really at the middle of the sunnia shia thing sadly. But however it's spinned, Iran and Iraq are joined at the hip. The only shia majority nations in the middle east. If S hits the fan, it's only those two nations.People forgot to notice video's of fridges being boobytrapped in Tikrit. Once you open the door the bomb would go off, this is why some fridges were taken in trucks for detonation outside the city.
That's not true, Abadi is doing a good job by working closely with the US. There is no regional power which has a non Islamist leadership. All of them have an agenda which will turn Iraq into a proxy battleground. Only US presence can deter them from that which is why the US can be beneficial. Say Abadi allied with Iran against the US/Gulf, what do you think others will do ? Pour in arms en masse like in Syria and no one could stop it. Only the US is currently deterring them from doing so openly and on a large scale, if not for them they would do it. Iran would do so as well and the result will be hell.
Not the US, it's Obama which is not willing to intensify assistance whereas for example John Boehner from GOP states the US should do more sending forward advisors and forward air controllers. Forward advisors & forward air controllers would have a big impact as IA/PMF units lack quality battlefield leaders. You can see this with Abrams tanks being lost by being sent in area's tanks don't belong in (marshes,trenches with dense foliage making a perfect environment for ISIS ambush ) all due to poor decisions by the tank commander. Wouldn't have happened with forward advisors.
Not that everything the US did has been good, after all they're the ones imposing inclusiveness which means many terrorists in parliament in the army but to drop them and ally with a neighbor will have far worse consequences. Allied with the Arabs means the entire Iranian front becomes hostile whilst this country has weak armed forces, allied with Iran means groups like Kataib Hezbollah will grow and be used for external wars, that will allow the US and others to bomb the country. Hence i'm in favor of larger US presence, we cannot trust local politicians neither any neighbors. All of them have plans which are to use this country for further regional wars. Maliki shouldn't have kicked out the US in 2011, none of this would've happened on such a scale if he extended the SOFA. This country will need at least 10 years of foreign military presence to deter others before it can stand alone again, and I think Syria will have the same afterwards if they're left on their own they'll be kicked around by the region whoever rules it.
Now as for some practical questions. Did you read about Abadi's visit to Washington? Was he or was he NOT turned down the weapons 'wishlist' he had? F16's (why aren't they being delivered yet, it's been 3-4 years now), apaches, perhaps even leased with us pilots. Abrams or other tanks are needed. And the biggest question I have: do Iraqis have ATGM's?? I see the Kurds blowing up dozens of suicide trucks every week, but sadly the Iraqis seem to have nothing and ISIS just blows them up. I thought Iraq had tons of Kornets. Doesn't the US allow European Milans to get into Iraqi hands? Or US TOW's?