Comments on: Does Levin Believe the Surge is Working or What?

By: terryballard

terryballard — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:59:59 +0000

I doubt that Maliki is refusing to bring his country together. I suspect that he’d like to unify, but he’s in over his head. What I see happening is a future government led by Al-Sadr, who is currently biding his time. It’s Bush’s worst nightmare, but he knows it will happen after he leaves office.

By: Elrod

Elrod — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 22:51:41 +0000

casual,
I don’t understand what you mean. We need to tell the soldiers that they did a fine job just so they’ll feel good about themselves?

Michael’s larger point is absolutely right. In fact, as Abu Aardvarck has observed elsewhere, the political strategy and the military surge tactics operate at cross purposes. The surge is openly arming non-governmental Sunni militias who agree to fight Al Qaeda. The Shi’ite-led central government knows that those weapons will be used against them in a civil war (as they already do). Yet, all of this is supposed to demonstrate short-term success just because the Sunnis in Iraq turned against the Saudis in their midst. This is surreal.

By: casualobserver

casualobserver — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:40:35 +0000

As I’ve remarked here before, regardless of the fact that political reconciliation seems out of reach, I think it is very important for the country to acknowledge the tactical military success portion of COIN operations. It is the difference between 150,000 men and women coming home and getting on with their lives vs. signing them up for 10 years of mental funk.

By: Robert Stein

Robert Stein — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:27:42 +0000

The Surge is “working” toward what? While Congressman blather, a general on the ground is telling reporters on a DoD web site that our troops are dying to keep a lid on “a mixture of extremist elements and terror elements and criminal activity.” Where and how do they end that?

http://ajliebling.blogspot.com/2007/08/buying-words-with-blood.html

By: Entropy

Entropy — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:55:11 +0000

Like most vague notions of “success,” such a determination demands some specificity. WRT to the surge, it is both a success and failure. In the tactical and operational realm, it it showing some, but not complete, success. However, that has not translated into strategic success – the “political” (actually cultural) accommodation required to keep the country united.

In short the surge has done some of what it was militarily designed to do but this, so far, has not translated into strategic success.

By: Jim Satterfield

Jim Satterfield — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:42:27 +0000

Sister Toldjah would have a point if there had been any sign of political progress. But to the contrary the situation has in fact deteriorated slightly. How long should we really wait for the slightest glimmer of progress? No, given the current complete lack of political progess Sister Toldjah’s point has no validity.