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Analysis: Talk of Amnesty and Some Withdrawals in Iraq

Council on Foreign Relations

June 26, 2006
Prepared by: Lionel Beehner

A vaguely worded reconciliation plan for Iraqi insurgents has left some U.S. lawmakers puzzled and angry. “Unconscionable,” fumed Senator Carl Levin (D-MI). “An affront…to every American," thundered Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY). A series of anti-amnesty amendments sailed through the Senate last week.

Interestingly, many of the dissenters were U.S. war vets (WashTimes), including Ted Stevens (R-AL) and John McCain (R-AZ). What’s more, the Pentagon apparently backs Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s proposal to offer an olive branch to insurgents uncompromised by terrorism, as does Iraq’s top Sunni party (CBS).” But distinguishing insurgents from terrorists is not always simple, as this new Backgrounder explains. Lehigh University’s Henri Barkey tells CFR.org’s Bernard Gwertzman the timing of the amnesty offer is also important. “You don’t offer an amnesty…when insurgents are on the rise,” he says. “The reason an amnesty now makes sense is because [Abu Musab al-] Zarqawi has been killed.”

Meanwhile, leaked reports of upcoming U.S. troop withdrawals have left the White House backpedaling somewhat and critics suspecting a political motive. The New York Times reports Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, plans to pull two combat brigades out by September, two months before midterm congressional elections.

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2006 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.