Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

September 5, 2008 4:01:05 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

How to Transition Out of Iraq

Posted Jun 19, 08 1:37 PM CDT in World,  Opinion,  US 

(Newser) – It's time for the US to carve out a practical strategy in Iraq, David Ignatius argues in the Washington Post. At a cost of $400 million a day, the war is draining America's economy—precisely what Osama bin Laden hoped for. The solution will not be quick, simple, or easy, but rather "ambiguous, messy, occasionally in the shadows."

The US needs to scale down its presence in Iraq and cut behind-the-scenes deals with unlikely allies including Iran, Ignatius writes in laying out a plan. The soldiers that remain in the country should help train the Iraqi army and hunt al-Qaeda. "We need to focus on what General Petraeus has called 'sustainable security,'" says someone who helped write the general’s Iraq plan.

Source Washington Post

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • US Hands Anbar Province to Iraqis

    Sep 1, 08 6:30 AM CDT
    US Hands Anbar Province to Iraqis The American military is finally handing over control of Anbar province, once the center of the Sunni insurgency, to Iraqi forces today. Once one of Iraq's most dangerous regions, Anbar was transformed as Sunni militants allied themselves with the US. The transfer of Anbar, delayed several times, brings the number of provinces under Iraqi control to 11 out of 18, reports the BBC.
    More »

  • Maturing Iraqi Army Enabled US Troop Deal

    Aug 22, 08 10:40 AM CDT
    Maturing Iraqi Army Enabled US Troop Deal The US's preliminary agreement with Iraq to withdraw most combat troops by 2011 would have been unthinkable even a few months ago. Declining levels of violence, a ceasefire with the Mahdi Army, and the about-face of Sunni leaders have all helped, the Wall Street Journal reports, but for the administration, one factor trumps all others: the strengthening of the Iraqi army from ragtag force to legitimate operation.
    More »

  • Iraqi Troops: 'We're Not Ready to Go It Alone'

    Aug 6, 08 6:51 AM CDT
    Iraqi Troops: 'We're Not Ready to Go It Alone' Iraq’s army has taken strides toward independence—but it still needs the help of American forces, say Iraqi troops and officers interviewed by the New York Times. “We are too many years behind other countries. We need the coalition forces until 2015,” said one officer. But American officers are increasingly pushing Iraqi troops to go it alone.
    More »

  • Military Blocks Iraq Casualty Photos

    Jul 26, 08 5:07 AM CDT
    Military Blocks Iraq Casualty Photos Over 4,000 US troops have died in Iraq but only a handful of photographs of dead Americans have reached the media, the New York Times reports. Military regulations do not forbid taking photographs of casualties, but access to death sites is often denied. Photographers who do publish grim images often find their access to military units swiftly terminated.
    More »

  • Maliki Pegs Obama as the Most Pliant: Krauthammer

    Jul 25, 08 8:48 AM CDT
    Maliki Pegs Obama as the Most Pliant: Krauthammer Nouri al-Maliki's endorsement of Barack Obama's timetable for withdrawal from Iraq this week was "the earliest and most ostentatious absentee ballot of this presidential election," writes Charles Krauthammer. The Washington Post columnist thinks that the Iraqi PM gave Obama an electorial assist for a clear reason: between him and John McCain, "it is no mystery who would be the more pliant US negotiator."
    More »

Iraqi army soldiers are shown.   (AP Photo)
Gen. David Petraeus commands the multinational force in Iraq.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
An Iraqi army soldier is shown. David Ignatius argues that the US troop surge has created breathing room in Iraq.   (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 9)

Tags

Iraq  • Iraq war  • Iran  • al-Qaeda  • US military  • military  • Iraq exit strategy


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other US Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »