"There is no military solution to a problem like that in Iraq."
- General David Petraeus, Commander, US Central Command, Former Commanding General, Multinational Force Iraq, March 2007
"Every soldier who has served in Iraq knows the 'Man on the Moon' dilemma. 'You Americans can put a man on the moon, but you can't give me electricity I had under Saddam.' And then the conspiracy theorists kick in."
- General Paul Eaton (ret.), Former Security Transition Commanding General, Iraq, December 2007
Despite modest security gains from the surge strategy in Iraq, it has not met its stated goals of creating progress on political reconciliation and rebuilding. After the loss of more than 4,200 American lives, an estimated 655,000 Iraqi lives1, and more than $600 billion, the situation in Iraq is still tenuous, and the Iraqi people view the American occupation negatively. Nearly six years after the US invasion, Iraqi electricity production meets half of demand, and only 30 percent of Iraqis today feel they have enough electricity.2 Iraqis are compelled to turn to political and religious organizations such as Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army for aid not provided by the US and Iraqi governments or the UN.3 The Iraqi government continues to be fractious and unproductive, and is still not widely seen as legitimate. The US must develop a new comprehensive strategy that addresses political, diplomatic, and humanitarian concerns to bring about stability in Iraq.
There is a steadily building consensus that the US needs this new strategy. President Barack Obama won an overwhelming victory in November's election after running on a clear promise to end the war. In an AP/Gfk poll shortly after the election, 78 percent of Americans said removing US troops from Iraq by 2010 should be an important or top priority.4 The Iraqi government sent a clear signal in negotiations in late 2008 over a bilateral agreement with the US that it wanted a hard and fast deadline for withdrawal of US troops.5 The US government has a mandate, and an imperative for the well being of our economy and security, to implement a comprehensive strategy to end the war in Iraq.
The new president and Congress should:
1. Set a timeline for withdrawal of all US troops and private contractors. A military presence is not going to help achieve the necessary political progress in Iraq. Setting a clear timeline for withdrawal will build greater trust with the Iraqi people and government and send a message that they must move forward on political reconciliation. Removing the military presence will also free up financial resources for domestic and security needs.
2. Carry out a complete withdrawal of troops, without leaving behind a provocative and counterproductive residual force. A residual force in Iraq, which analysts say could be more than 35,000 troops,6 is what military adviser Stephen Biddle calls "the worst of both worlds."7 The reduced number of troops would not be able to avoid combat, and would continue the perception of occupation that is causing increased violence. If the Iraqi people request international peacekeeping forces, the US should assist in coordinating that effort.
3. Engage in a robust diplomatic effort with regional stakeholders to help stabilize Iraq. Iran, Syria and other states in the region have a shared interest in maintaining stability in Iraq. The US must recognize the influence of these countries. Without their cooperation, securing Iraq's borders and stabilizing Iraq will be extremely difficult, if not impossible.
4. Increase humanitarian aid to address Iraq's refugee crisis. According to a May 2007 UN Briefing on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq, "2 million Iraqis are now estimated to have fled the country and nearly 1.9 million are estimated to be internally displaced persons (IDPs)."8 The US should increase assistance for displaced persons in and outside of Iraq and help resettle refugees.
5. Support Iraqi-led reconstruction and economic revitalization efforts. The lack of basic services in Iraq, along with rampant unemployment, increases resentment against the United States and contributes to instability. Rather than squandering $12 billion a month on a failed military strategy, the US should lead an international donor effort to contribute to reconstruction and economic projects. The US cannot continue to waste taxpayer dollars paying private contractors for wasteful items like monogrammed towels9; we must encourage investment in projects that are carried out by the Iraqi people.
6. Respect Iraq's sovereignty by relinquishing control of Iraq's resources and removing all military bases. A critical piece of bringing stability and cooperative engagement between the US and Iraq is respect for Iraq's status as a sovereign nation. The US must pledge that it has no intention to control Iraq's valuable oil resources, and will not maintain a permanent or indefinite military presence.
Footnotes
1. "Study Claims Iraq's 'Excess' Death Toll Has Reached 655,000," David Brown, Washington Post, October 11, 2006
2. "Iraqis measure progress with flip of switch," International Herald Tribune, November 14, 2008
3. "Iraq's Biggest Aid Agency? Muqtada al-Sadr & Co.," Ned Colt, MSNBC, April 16, 2008
4. AP-GfK Poll, November 6-10, 2008
5. "New Iraq pact rules out US troops past 2011," AP, November 10, 2008
6. "Many Troops Would Stay in Iraq if Democrat Wins," Yochi Dreazen, Wall Street Journal, February 9, 2008
7. "Iraq: Go Deep or Get Out," Stephen Biddle, Washington Post, July 11, 2007
8. "UN Humanitarian Briefing on the Crisis in Iraq", May 2, 2007
9. "Appropriators skewer Army over contracting abuse," Otto Kreisher, Congress Daily, February 27, 2008
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