Joe Biden, 47th and current U.S. Vice President, made an unannounced visit to Iraq, his second this year, and his first since being elected to office. In Baghdad, he met with Iraqi leaders and U.S. military commanders following the pullout of American troops from the country’s urban centers.

Despite the still-elusive political reconciliation of three ethnic factions – Sunni, Shi’ite and Kurds – over regional boundaries and oil profits, Biden said that the country has relatively moved beyond intense sectarian conflict that prevailed before.

For this, Biden expressed optimism about Iraq’s future while recognizing that much remained to be done.

“I am optimistic because I do think that the Iraqis have become interested in their nationhood. They’ve become interested in the idea that they run their own lives,” the former Senator from Delaware told reporters.

Biden was appointed by President Barack Obama to assist in coordinating Iraq policy with U.S. efforts to secure a full withdrawal of forces by 2012.

Although there have still been skirmishes and pockets of resistance in the country, the level of violence has ebbed over the U.S.’ six-year stay.

In addition to meetings and consultations with President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Biden also paid a visit to thousands of U.S. troops to mark the July 4 celebration.

Biden opined that Washington considers the sentiment of Iraqis about security and violence, but claimed the country is moving beyond the danger of widespread ethnic or sectarian conflict.

As the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he had been an outspoken critic of U.S. involvement in Iraq, which he described on the Today Show, as having “no end in sight.” Criticizing the prolonged war, he had said, “The costs of staying are immense. It’s killing us.”

Now, Biden’s new role is to foster cooperation among the Iraqi factions to achieve “a stable, functioning government where there is neither sectarian violence nor ethnic violence.”

Tags: Iraq, Joe Biden