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2 Bush given stark choices on
Iraq By Krishnadev Calamur
WASHINGTON - An eagerly awaited report
from the Iraq Study Group (ISG) calls the
situation in Iraq "grave and deteriorating" and,
among its key recommendations, urges direct US
talks with Iran and Syria and a withdrawal of US
combat forces by 2008 if security improves.
"Our most important recommendations call
for new and enhanced diplomatic and political
efforts in Iraq and the region, and a change in
the primary mission of US forces in Iraq that will
enable the United States to begin to move its
combat forces out of Iraq responsibly," said the
report, which made 79 recommendations in all.
"We believe that these two recommendations
are equally
important and reinforce one
another. If they are effectively implemented, and
if the Iraqi government moves forward with
national reconciliation, Iraqis will have an
opportunity for a better future, terrorism will be
dealt a blow, stability will be enhanced in an
important part of the world, and America's
credibility, interests and values will be
protected."
The release of the bipartisan
report on Wednesday comes at a crucial time for
the Bush administration, which is looking for new
ways to tackle the war in Iraq. Part of the
problem the administration faces is convincing a
skeptical public that it is on the right track in
Iraq amid growing calls for a fresh look at the
conflict from the newly victorious Democratic
Party, the incoming secretary of defense, Robert
Gates, and from the man he is likely replacing,
Donald Rumsfeld.
Little has gone right for
the United States since the invasion of Iraq in
April 2003. After initial successes in deposing
Saddam Hussein, US policy in the country has led
to a raging insurgency and sectarian strife that
has taken the form of a burgeoning civil war. With
mounting US military and Iraqi civilian
casualties, pressure was on the administration -
both domestically and internationally - to bring
order to Iraq. It is hoped the report by the ISG,
which was formed on the US Congress' request, will
help in the examination of the Iraqi issue from a
fresh perspective.
"Given the ability of
Iran and Syria to influence events within Iraq and
their interest in avoiding chaos in Iraq, the
United States should try to engage them
constructively," the report says. "In seeking to
influence the behavior of both countries, the
United States has disincentives and incentives
available.
"Iran should stem the flow of
arms and training to Iraq, respect Iraq's
sovereignty and territorial integrity, and use its
influence over Iraqi Shi'ite groups to encourage
national reconciliation. The issue of Iran's
nuclear programs should continue to be dealt with
by the five permanent members of the United
Nations Security Council plus Germany. Syria
should control its border with Iraq to stem the
flow of funding, insurgents and terrorists in and
out of Iraq."
The Bush administration had
previously rejected the idea of talking to those
nations, accusing them of supporting terrorism
across the Middle East and of trying to
destabilize Iraq, but ahead of the report's
release, Washington said it was open to talking to
both nations if the ISG recommended such action.
In the Middle East, however, many see the
US troop presence as the key reason for the
insurgency. Many Iraqi leaders, while thanking the
US for its help in deposing Saddam, have
maintained that foreign troops must leave and have
said their presence has added fuel to the fire of
the insurgency.
Whether the withdrawal of
foreign troops will, in fact, bring peace to Iraq
is uncertain, but the ISG report recommends the
pullout of combat forces by 2008 if the security
situation allows it.
"The primary mission
of US forces in Iraq should evolve to one of
supporting the Iraqi Army, which would take over
primary responsibility for combat operations," it
said. "By the first quarter of 2008, subject to
unexpected developments in the security situation
on the ground, all combat brigades not necessary
for force protection could be out of Iraq."
It is unclear which of the recommendations
President George W Bush is likely to take from the
report, but it is certain he will be under
pressure to make some of them policy. The ISG was
headed by former secretary of state James Baker, a
Republican like Bush, and former Indiana
congressman Lee Hamilton, a Democrat. Members of
both parties have urged a change of course in
Iraq.
"The ISG report does clarify some of
the ugly dilemmas intrinsic to Iraq and will
provide a useful reference point for the ongoing
policy debate on Iraq," said James A Phillips and
James Jay Carafano of the conservative Heritage
Foundation in Washington. "Its recommendations
comprise a sensible and realistic way forward in
Iraq, with one major exception: drawing Syria and
Iran
