July 13, 2007

In The Magazine: Iraq 'Surge' Is Not The Hardest Part

It might seem counterintuitive, but Iraq's political progress is proving a tougher row to hoe than squelching the violence there.

While the "clear, hold and build" counterinsurgency strategy seems to have had some success, particularly in the Sunni-dominated Anbar province, National Journal defense correspondent James Kitfield discovers that the "build" part is all but out of reach.

"In the new U.S. counterinsurgency strategy of clearing, holding, and building Baghdad's neighborhoods, the 'building' is by far the wobbliest leg of the stool because of Iraq's moribund economy and the abiding weakness of the Iraqi government," Kitfield reports in this week's cover story.

That weakness is attributed by many to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose efforts to build consensus in the Iraqi government have failed. Moreover, Maliki is not seen as an honest broker; he once was allied with radical anti-American cleric and warlord, Muqtada al-Sadr. One Iraqi calls the election of Maliki and the Parliament "a potentially fatal mistake."

Kitfield's report is free to non-subscribers for one week; click here to read it.

Posted at 12:26 PM
Posted to: Iraq, Middle East
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