Iraq Strategy Shifts as Warring Factions Don't Unite

[frogcycle]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14232825&ft=1&f=3

A series of recent reports have called into question the White House claim that the U.S. military surge in Iraq is strengthening security in Baghdad so that the central government has an opportunity to unite the warring factions through reconciliation.

Earlier this week, when President Bush made a lighting visit to Iraq, he bypassed Baghdad and instead went to a heavily fortified air base in Anbar province, where he met with local tribal sheiks who have been cooperating with the U.S. forces to drive Islamic extremists out of the province.

- snip -

Still, the U.S. is taking the sliver of hope in Anbar and trying to transfer it to other regions of Iraq, including Shiite areas. Judith Yaphe, a senior fellow at the National Defense University, says the central government is so inept and corrupt, that this local plan could stand a chance of working.

- snip -

Congress will have to decide if that investment is worth it. White said trying to replicate what is happening in Anbar throughout Iraq will most likely create fiefdoms, run by warlords. In turn, that would make it extremely difficult to weave together broad political reconciliation. He said the administration is not using a long-term strategy.

"The President either doesn't realize or doesn't care that it's a short term success story with a boomerang at the end. And will use it shamelessly in order to defend pretty much staying on the current course," he said.

Personally, I think fiefdoms run by warlords is the best we can hope for.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Read an article by Diane West on the conservative Townhall website

that suggested we forget trying to unite the various factions, forget trying to stay indefinitely in the cities to battle sectarian violence, forget rebuilding, and just concentrate on keeping a force presence in safe parts of Iraq (Kurdish north?) to keep the oil flowing and keep AQ from regaining a foothold. I'm not for keeping large numbers there permanently, but she's got a point, and she's not saying anything much different than Levin-Reed called for.