Marc Lynch, a professor at George Washington University, is one of those must-read commentators on the Middle East. He’s extremely knowledgeable, has got a good sense of humor, and he doesn’t appear to harbor any particular agenda. Lynch, in a major way, has helped to shape my view of the Iraq debate. Unlike many other analysts, Lynch actually reads Arabic and has an extremely good understanding of the dynamics between various players in the region.
Recently, he spoke at the CATO Institute about developments in Iraq. I didn’t make it, but I was pleased to see that some of the video footage is up online. Lynch, quite clearly and succinctly, spells out why many of us are so skeptical of the surge and he skillfully takes on this notion of “bottom-up reconciliation.”