Mixed messages on the Surge

The Associated Press

Sure, they call themselves a unity government. But do they mean it?

Featured Topic | Posted 43 weeks 5 days ago

When President Bush announced in January 2007 a surge of five additional combat brigades to Baghdad, he said it would improve security in the capital, giving the Iraqi government the “breathing space it needs to make progress.” But one year after the plan’s announcement, measures of its success remain complicated and politically embroiled, particularly as campaigning for the presidency heats up. Despite that “breathing space,” Iraqi politicians have been slow to reach consensus on a range of crucial issues. On the other hand, there has been measurable political progress at the local level across Iraq.

So if the goal of the surge was political reconciliation, has the strategy paid any real dividends?

Ben likes: Making Iraq safe for politics

Frederick W. Kagan, Jack Keane and Michael O'Hanlon/The Washington Post

Iraq's parliament this month passed a new de-Baathification bill, which awaits only expected approval by the five-member presidency council before becoming law. Much remains to be done, but this is an important step toward political reconciliation -- and it further strengthens the case for America to remain committed to its crucial mission in Iraq in the months and years ahead.

Joel likes: Surge to nowhere

Andrew Bacevich/The Washington Post

In only one respect has the surge achieved undeniable success: It has ensured that U.S. troops won't be coming home anytime soon. This was one of the main points of the exercise in the first place. As AEI military analyst Thomas Donnelly has acknowledged with admirable candor, "part of the purpose of the surge was to redefine the Washington narrative," thereby deflecting calls for a complete withdrawal of U.S. combat forces. Hawks who had pooh-poohed the risks of invasion now portrayed the risks of withdrawal as too awful to contemplate. But a prerequisite to perpetuating the war -- and leaving it to the next president -- was to get Iraq off the front pages and out of the nightly news. At least in this context, the surge qualifies as a masterstroke.