On Iraq
I think it is apparent to everyone that there is no military-only solution to stabilizing Iraq. Military solutions only comprise part of the solution. The other parts are political stability in the region Right now I, as I think we all do, hope the surge is working.
For at least the year prior to the surge, Iraq was in a complete stalemate. That's a fact, as I noted in my review of the Iraq Study Group Report:
I think we need to give the surge a chance. The generals have asked until November, and that seems like a reasonable deadline to make progress.
For at least the year prior to the surge, Iraq was in a complete stalemate. That's a fact, as I noted in my review of the Iraq Study Group Report:
One thing point that the Group makes that I find compelling is that there "is no military solution" in Iraq. They cite that US forces will go in, clear an area, and as soon as they leave, it will become "hot" again. You cannot fight a hydra like that. Cleaning up Iraq's ministries as well as reforming the US State department will go much further in understanding and eradicating the Sunni insurgency and the Shi'ia militias.Michael Yon has been blogging from Iraq, and has been noting both the problems and the successes. Currently, he notes the media front:
We need a complete overhaul on Iraq policy, and more importantly, attitude, and we need it soon.
Firstly, we are losing the war in part because we are losing public support for it. We are losing public support for it in part because there are so few reports that demonstrate enough progress being made and enough reasons to continue to fight until Iraqis are able to go it alone. Secondly, the soldiers suffer because their stories are not being told. Fox News, which reaches millions, just turned down an embed simply because they don’t want their cameras and computers stolen, and they need to actually work when they aren’t guarding their gear. Unlike yours truly, Fox News has deadlines to meet.Additionally, polls indicate that Americans are not for getting out of Iraq "no matter the cost":
Also, ABCNews reporter Terry McCarthy reports that the surge is working, at least in parts of Baghdad.According to a March USA Today/Gallup poll, 61% of Americans oppose “denying the funding needed to send any additional troops to Iraq.”That poll also showed that only 20% of Americans want to withdraw the troops immediately.
I think we need to give the surge a chance. The generals have asked until November, and that seems like a reasonable deadline to make progress.
Labels: Iraq
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