The State of Iraq: An Update

NY Times ^ | June 22, 2008 | JASON CAMPBELL, MICHAEL O’HANLON and AMY UNIKEWICZ

[neverdem]

IRAQ remains a violent country plagued by high unemployment, raw wounds from sectarian conflict, extremist militias aided by Iran, more than four million people still displaced by violence, and very limited government capacity to meet the country’s core needs. There has, however, been major progress this spring on two fronts. Together they give reason for hope that the major improvement in security resulting from the surge of American forces may endure even as the surge itself ends this July.

First, the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki showed real backbone by undertaking major military operations that ultimately reclaimed Iraq’s chief southern city of Basra, the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, and much of the northern city of Mosul. Iraq’s government now controls almost all of the country for the first time since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

Second, in these recent battles the Iraqi security forces performed far better than previously. While American (and British) combat support and advisory teams remain critical, Iraqis are doing much of the fighting now. Although some units performed badly, as with the Iraqi Army’s inexperienced 52nd Brigade in the Basra operation, the reasons have been identified and addressed. The Pentagon now rates about 55 percent of the Iraqi security forces as “good” or “very good” — and for the first time, such American metrics seem accurate.

On the whole, we feel that the Iraqi government is about halfway to meeting the 11 “Iraq index” benchmarks we have laid out, which include steps like establishing provincial election laws, reaching an oil-revenue sharing accord and enacting pension and amnesty laws. (Our system allows a score of 0, 0...

[neverdem]

The State of Iraq in Numbers

[Terpfen]

Ah, here we go. The Times is sensitive to criticism, I see.

[gr8eman]

These Jackasses are keeping score? LOL...the headline should be “The Surge Worked, We were Wrong Again, Our Stock is in the Tank”!

[ishabibble]

>>On the whole, we feel that the Iraqi government is about halfway to meeting the 11 “Iraq index” benchmarks we have laid out,...<<

What’s this “we” sh#@? The NYT has undermined the war since the day it started. It is difficult to read anything from them anymore, they are the friend of our enemy. I can’t wait for the day that they run their last headline.

[goldstategop]

Its amazing the New York Times has found ANY evidence of progress in Iraq at all. That must have been a wrenching admission for them to make.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[ishabibble]

Here is another NYT piece, re the fact that CBS doesn’t even have a reporter stationed in Iraq any longer. The MSM has manipulated the news and the facts every single day of this war. And they wonder why nobody buys their lying rags.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/business/media/23logan.html

[Tennessean4Bush]

Jason Campbell is a research analyst at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Michael O’Hanlon is a senior fellow at Brookings. Amy Unikewicz is a graphic designer in South Norwalk, Conn.

Research analyst at Brookings (not my favorite think tank but plausible)...Senior fellow at Brookings (again, plausible)...graphic designer in South Norwalk, Conn????