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Analysis: An Appeal for Time in Iraq Amid Furious Timetable Debate

Council on Foreign Relations

September 10, 2007
Prepared by: Robert McMahon

The U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, said achieving success (PDF) in Iraq will be “neither quick nor easy.” The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, cautioned: “I do not expect rapid progress through these [reform] benchmarks.” Both Petraeus and Crocker were, in fact, upbeat about the prospects for achieving U.S. goals of a stable, democratic Iraq in their highly anticipated reports to Congress on September 10. But the long time horizons they suggested for U.S. military involvement are bound to intensify debate in a Congress already bitterly divided over Democratic demands for a troop-withdrawal timeline. Even before the Petraeus-Crocker testimony in the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, lawmakers from both parties clashed (WashPost) over the credibility of their message.

Petraeus said the security objectives of the 30,000-troop surge were largely being met, with overall violence down since last year. He outlined a troop drawdown scenario (FOX) that could result in a return to pre-surge levels by next summer, beginning with one Marine Expeditionary Unit (of about 2,200 troops) leaving Iraq later this month. Crocker expressed faith in Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other leaders to show the political will to achieve political reconciliation. He also found hope in the new engagement by many of Iraq’s neighbors—with the exception of Iran and Syria—and the United Nations in Iraq’s development.

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

Copyright 2007 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.