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testimony

The Situation in Iraq

The premise of the United States' current strategy in Iraq — that a political solution would follow if the violence could be reduced — is false. What is underway today in Iraq is a natural and inevitable struggle for power. The American presence delays what will eventually happen anyway.

by Jessica Tuchman Mathews
published by
Testimony before the House Armed Services Committee
 on July 18, 2007

Source: Testimony before the House Armed Services Committee


The current conversation in Washington badly distorts what is happening in Iraq and what our options are. As it has from the very beginning, U.S. strategy has more to do with political needs in Washington than it has to realities on the ground – to our continuing confusion and detriment. Five key considerations provide a more clear-eyed view and may offer a new approach for the way forward.

The premise of our current strategy — that a political solution would follow if the violence could be reduced — is false. What is underway today in Iraq is a natural and inevitable struggle for power. The American presence delays what will eventually happen anyway.

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Political ReformDemocracyMilitaryForeign PolicyNorth AmericaUnited StatesMiddle EastIraq
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