The New Iraq Strategy
Thursday, January 11, 2007 at 10:40AM "Tonight in Iraq, the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global war on terror and our safety here at home. The new strategy I outline tonight will change America's course in Iraq, and help us succeed in the fight against terror. … It is clear that we need to change our strategy in Iraq."
With those words, President Bush began his long awaited speech about a new course for the war in Iraq. Although most pundits, and certainly the Democrat-controlled Congress, will focus on the fact that he is surging more than 20,000 troops, we are much more intrigued by the non-military strategy the President outlined -- the non-kinetics that will go along with the implied kinetic ability (i.e., use of weapons) of all those extra boots on the ground. Because this new non-traditional approach aligns closely with an approach we have been advocating as Development-in-a-Box, we (Stephen DeAngelis and Tom Barnett) decided to co-author a blog and post it simultaneously on our blog sites.
We are not certain that 20,000 new troops will be sufficient to secure the necessary stability to give the non-military strategy a chance to succeed, but we are heartened that the value of the non-military strategy we have been advocating -- very much in line also with the new counter-insurgency (COIN) doctrine published jointly by the Marines and Army -- is finally being recognized. We hope that it doesn’t come too late. The President stated:
"A successful strategy for Iraq goes beyond military operations. Ordinary Iraqi citizens must see that military operations are accompanied by visible improvements in their neighborhoods and communities. So America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced. … To show that it is committed to delivering a better life, the Iraqi government will spend 10 billion dollars of its own money on reconstruction and infrastructure projects that will create new jobs. … We will give our commanders and civilians greater flexibility to spend funds for economic assistance. We will double the number of Provincial Reconstruction Teams. These teams bring together military and civilian experts to help local Iraqi communities pursue reconciliation, strengthen moderates, and speed the transition to Iraqi self reliance. And Secretary Rice will soon appoint a reconstruction coordinator in Baghdad to ensure better results for economic assistance being spent in Iraq."
The White House posted an outline of this new strategy and highlighted some of its key points. Among the actions that the coalition will take are these:
- Support political moderates so they can take on the extremists.
- Build and sustain strategic partnerships with moderate Shi'a, Sunnis, and Kurds.
- Support the national compact and key elements of reconciliation with Iraqis in the lead.
- Diversify U.S. efforts to foster political accommodation outside Baghdad (more flexibility for local commanders and civilian leaders).
- Expand and increase the flexibility of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) footprint.
- Focus U.S. political, security, and economic resources at local level to open space for moderates, with initial priority to Baghdad and Anbar.
To achieve some of these objectives, the President announced, "We also need to examine ways to mobilize talented American civilians to deploy overseas where they can help build democratic institutions in communities and nations recovering from war and tyranny." Enterra Solutions is committed to supporting these reconstruction efforts, whether it is helping the military Provincial Reconstruction Teams or other, purely civilian, efforts to help rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure.
The President and Congress agree that Iraqis must assume responsibility for security within the country. That is a tall order. But rebuilding infrastructure must be accomplished simultaneously with achieving security. We believe that our Development-in-a-Box approach, which embraces best practices and standards, local flexibility, capacity building, and broad-based communities of practice, offers a way forward. We look forward to working with others who also embrace this approach.
Reader Comments (13)
I just hope they give you a chance to help them fix all this mess... It could not be a better time for your ideas to be put to test... Do we need to send 1000s of emails to someone? call the radios? flood the rss feeds? what do we need to do?. Good luck.
I'll be watching for that security goal to be reached...perhaps I shouldn't be so quick to categorize myself as a "talented American civilian", but I may also be looking for where to sign up.
As an American who follows this war very closely, I support the Presidents plan (though I am a Democrat). I would have sent in a few more troops just in case (better too many than too few). Basically, more troops applied to the correct areas (not Sadr city, as directly attacking this anti-establishment movement would be a political nightmare) will help to tamp down violence.
This effort must be immediately coupled with efforts to make political compromises and form alliances between parties based on common interests, also grassroots economic development (SYSADMIN!) will help keep people off the streets. I believe the key to this is to restore reliable electric power to Baghdad, as this would be symbolic and ease the establishment of other services and markets.
I believe too much emphasis has been placed on the new Iraqi Army and police. It is not possible to create a functioning, powerful army from scratch in just 3 or 4 years. Though, I support giving them any roll they can actually handle, as this will help them build loyalty to their new central government and not just their sect or clan. We must recognize however that the Americans will be needed for the hard fighting for several more years at least.
Finally, everyone must do what is necessary to prevent Iraq from devolving into three mini-states. This is contrary to Iraq's history, and it would be very bad for the whole region, where stability is based on the peaceful coexistence of many different sects and religions.
I'm hopeful that as oil prices continue to plunge, Ahmadinejad will run out of money before we run out of resolve. It's a race to the finish. Here's to leaky Iranian oil pipes.
Tom, you know there are far too few troops to ensure security. There will be no measureable development despite all the ribbon cutting photo ops.
now going to Iran...
Lutas, you recall the bipartisan support Bush got after 9-11, and how he repeatedly exploited it to partisan political advantage? I do. In fact, if half the skill with which Rove did that had been applied to the planning and execution of the GWOT, we be in a much better place than we are now. But its characteristic of the "Mayberry Machieavellis" who run things at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that the only thing they're good at is US domestic politics.
It sure ain't governance.
Or waging an effective war effort.