PAST EVENT  Iraq: An Assessment of Policy Options in 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Washington, DC On January 23, Brookings will host a discussion exploring specific policy questions on Iraq facing the Bush Administration in 2008. These questions include: how many U.S. forces will remain in Iraq and for how long; what strategy the Bush Administration should adopt in dealing with the Iraqi leadership; and how the U.S. can foster political reconciliation among the various Iraqi factions. RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY A New Course on Iraq December 05, 2007, Michael E. O'Hanlon, USA Today  Stating that Democrats should continue their pressure for positive results in Iraq, Michael O’Hanlon notes that the call by some for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops is not the best policy approach. O'Hanlon argues that a slow and steady troop withdrawal is the most certain means of achieving “a realistic chance, not of victory, but of….sustainable stability.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY It's Not About Iran January 14, 2008, Shibley Telhami, The Washington Post Shibley Telhami argues that the belief—reflected in President George W. Bush's speech in the United Arab Emirates during his recent MIddle East tour—that Arab states are primarily focused on the rising Iranian threat and that their attendance at the Annapolis conference with Israel in November was motivated by this threat could be a costly mistake. RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY Applying the Lessons of Bosnia in Iraq: Whatever the Solution, Property Rights Should be Secured January 08, 2008, Rhodri C. Williams, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement The division of Iraq has frequently been argued as a way to end the political violence plaguing the country. While these proposals have met with significant criticism, a largely unnoted risk is that these debates overshadow the humanitarian plight of those displaced by the violence in Iraq. Drawing connections with Bosnia, Williams argues that whatever the political outcome, the property rights of the displaced need to be protected. RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY Obama and Iraq January 07, 2008, Michael E. O'Hanlon, The Wall Street Journal Michael O'Hanlon offers ideas for Sen. Barack Obama regarding the Iraq war. He suggests that Sen. Obama needs to address "whether his Iraq views truly reflect the non-ideological, nonpartisan wisdom of the American people that he seeks to lead." RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY Iraq's Unknown Economy January 06, 2008, Michael E. O'Hanlon, The Washington Times As Iraq's security situation continues to improve, Michael O'Hanlon discusses the economic aspects of improvement in the country. While gains have been made on inflation, oil revenue and electricity production, among other areas, O'Hanlon states that we must work towards a better understanding of data to quantify progress on the economic front as well as work with international partners to better the situation on the ground. PAST EVENT A Preview of President Bush's Trip to the Middle East Thursday, January 03, 2008
Washington, DC The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings hosted a media roundtable with Senior Fellows Kenneth Pollack and Bruce Riedel to preview President George W. Bush’s trip to the Middle East. They agreed that this is a very important time in the region and that there has been little activity on the peace process since the recent one-day meeting in Annapolis. RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY Apres-Surge: The Next Iraq Debates December 31, 2007, Kenneth M. Pollack, The New Republic Kenneth Pollack discusses recent gains following the U.S. troop expansion in Iraq. While conditions continue to improve in previously troubled regions like Anbar and Nineveh provinces, Pollack argues that the progress is uneven and that the troubled country can still be lost if the U.S., Iraq, and their allies do not continue addressing the political, economic, and security problems that remain. RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY The State of Iraq: An Update December 22, 2007, Jason H. Campbell and Michael E. O'Hanlon, New York Times As 2007 comes to close, how should we understand the situation in Iraq? Are we witnessing the greatest American military comeback late in a war since Sherman’s march to the sea in 1864? Or is Iraq still a weakly governed and very violent place where sectarian reconciliation is starkly absent? RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY Assessing the Surge in Iraq December 17, 2007, Ivo H. Daalder, Diane Rehm Show Ivo Daalder joins Diane Rehm and other foreign policy experts to assess the impact of the Iraq "surge" strategy and how to maintain recent military and economic progress in the country. RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY Blackwater: The Roger Clemens of War December 14, 2007, Peter W. Singer, Wired.com Peter Singer discusses a lawsuit against Blackwater USA that claims employees in the field have used steroids and other "judgment-altering substances. RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY Iraq After the Surge December 08, 2007, Ivo H. Daalder, NRC Handelsblad Ivo Daalder argues the troop surge in Iraq has been a tactical success, but a strategic failure. He offers solutions to the the challenges facing the current U.S. military and political strategy towards Iraq. RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY The Real Challenge of Internal Displacement in Iraq: The Future December 06, 2007, Elizabeth Ferris, "Iraq's Displacement Crisis and the International Response," Center for American Progress The dire situation of the internally displaced in Iraq has been creating humanitarian and security problems for some time now. And while the situation has yet to markedly improve, the real challenge for Iraq lies in the future with the eventual return of not only IDPs, but the millions of refugees who have fled the conflict. RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY Winning the Right War Winter 2007-08, Philip H. Gordon, Survival Philip Gordon states that six years after the start of the U.S. led war on terror, America and its allies are less safe. He discusses how and where the U.S. has failed in its objectives and offers ideas to help move the war in the right direction.
What is the real aim of Turkish/US attacks on southern Kurdistan? The Kurds in southern Kurdistan are moving towards the formation of their own nation-state. The Kurds have shown that they are able to manage their own security, control their natural resources, particularly oil, and can put an effective pressure on the Iraqi government to return territories detached from Kurdistan, known as "disputed territories" in the Iraqi constitution. Moving towards a nation-state may be supported by the approved Iraqi constitution, which Kurds regard as a legal agreement between the Kurds and all the Iraqi political forces. In addition, it has the backing of the international community, in particular US and Britain. Now that the Iraqi government has been re-established - of course with Kurds as one of its pillars - all these forces purse annulling the promises that the constitution makes to Kurds. The Arab and other political forces in Iraq also want to achieve what Turkey attempts to achieve via military aggression. The weak Iraqi government is incapable to deal with the development in Kurdistan on these fronts, because, unlike Kurdistan, Iraq is to date in a deep security vacuum, incapable of containing Kurds. The Iraqi army is no match to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, who are currently, in addition to KRG, keeping the security of areas controlled by the central government such as Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk and parts of Diyala. However, using force against Kurds by the Iraqi central government may not be very far away now. The improvement of the security situation in the government-controlled areas may free the Baghdad government to adopt an aggressive policy toward the Kurds. This intention has already been expressed by Iraqi Arab forces, in particular Sunnis. One can argue that Turkey is acting on behave of the Iraqi government too. The Kurdish leadership needs to balance the pressure from Americans and regional powers against the demands of the Kurdish pubic who voted for independence in a referendum in 2004. Although the Kurdish leadership may be willing to compromise further on the core Kurdish issues, they fear that they might lose the control of the Kurdish population and ultimately jeopardize their own positions. Nonetheless, the gap between the Kurdish political leadership and the Kurdish population has extended to a critical limit. Perhaps the controversial media-control law that was recently passed by the Kurdish parliament in order to limit freedoms of press, consequently resulting in a public outcry, is the wrong way to control the population. Instead, rather than trying to control the population, the leadership must try to represent it. |
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