Conflict Iraq

Conflict Iraq

I the midst of vastly controversial time in our nation, no issue had been overshadowed or more hotly debated then the Iraq conflict. Over the past four years, the war has been in the center of a political battle not only in the senate, but extending even to the rural fabric of America, being intensely argued in every corner of the nation. While President Bush has most justly received a large amount of criticism from senate Democrats as well as a general public that is quickly losing interest in the war, recent military changes in personnel and tactics have had a surprisingly positive effect in a region that was once thought to be unsalvageable. With these recent changes in mind, as

well as a rising positive morale among our troops, it is possible that an outcome could be reached that both the United States as well as the Iraqi people could live with. With a positive middle ground attainable, it is imperative that the current military campaign be extended into 2008. In addition, immediate troop withdrawal as an exit strategy must clearly be dismissed as an option to solving this war.

Today, in contrast to previous years, troop morale is surprisingly high. There is a sense of confidence in relatively new commander Gen. David Petraeus, and improvement in numbers and strategies of U.S. troops, as well as vast improvements in Iraqi military and security forces have greatly improved the chances of a successful outcome. U.S. troops are starting to focus on securing the Iraqi population, as well as training and bolstering local security and military units. This has greatly improved the effectiveness of a once unreliable military partner, and as a result, the Iraqis have taken a large part of

the responsibility in improving their current positions. Results have been seen to improve in many areas of a once chaotic region. In northern cities such as Tal Afar and Mosul, American troop levels now number in the low hundreds, and reliable security units now man regular checkpoints, and greatly improved military units now cover the countryside. This has freed many U.S. troops to focus on securing more dangerous areas, and has allowed them to focus on providing local communities with basic services such as electricity and clean water. The future is looking better as improvements continue to be made in many areas across the region, and the surge finally has the appearance of making progress.

In addition, Gen. Petraeus is determined to make troops hold areas until they are completely secure instead of redeploying to other areas early. They are instead working alongside Iraqi security units and improving heir tactics. This has virtually stopped insurgents from popping back up after the Americans leave. The situation I Iraq continues to look up in other areas, as many of the corrupt Iraqi commanders that infested the force have been removed. This has greatly eased tensions between American commanders and Iraqi commanders, and the Iraqis are no longer sitting idly by and putting off important jobs that had previously fallen on American troops stretched thin. It has recently been assessed that as many as three fourths of Iraqi commanders are now reliable military partners, greatly aiding the surge.

Back on American soil however,