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Analysis: Gates Offers Candor on Iraq

Council on Foreign Relations

Updated: December 6, 2006
Prepared by: Robert McMahon

Robert M. Gates is the choice of a politically weakened administration to prosecute a war increasingly seen as militarily unwinnable. But Gates met with great anticipation at his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on December 5, during which he often delivered candid comments about the challenges involved in stabilizing Iraq. Gates, designated to succeed Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary, said near the outset of his hearing that the United States is not winning in Iraq (Reuters), which seemed to clash with comments by President Bush (Editor & Publisher). Fielding numerous queries from Republican and Democratic senators on Iraq, Gates also said “all options are on the table,” although he did not spell out his preferences. He won unanimous approval from the panel and is expected to win easy confirmation (NYT) from the Senate.

Gates directed the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the administration of George H.W. Bush after a long career in the agency as well as a stint on the National Security Council. He acquired the reputation among some as “the consummate realist and pragmatist,” in the words of Gary G. Sick, an expert on Iran who worked with Gates at the White House in the 1970s. Gates cochaired a 2004 CFR Task Force on Iran that called for sustained engagement with Tehran on a range of issues.

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.