Iraq War; a Fundamentally Flawed Strategy

Summary

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It was exactly three years ago that U.S. military forces invaded Iraq. In spite of upbeat predictions from Bush administration officials, Iraq has proved to be a baited trap. And late last month, the conflict underwent a transformation that has made it even more perilous. That change underscores the need for a timetable for the orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, a withdrawal that needs to be preceded by a U.S. diplomatic initiative as active and unrelenting as the U.S. military and financial commitment to Iraq.

Until Feb. 22, the conflict in Iraq could best be described as a U.S.-driven fight waged on behalf of an elected government against an insurgency dominated by Sunni Muslims and aided by foreign terrorists. The U.S. strategy was developing Iraq's political and economic institutions while simultaneously training an Iraqi security force capable of defeating the insurgency without U.S. help.

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Iraq War; a Fundamentally Flawed Strategy

On Feb. 22, however, a bomb ripped apart the Golden Mosque in Samarra, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam. The long- smoldering rage between Iraq's Shiite and

Sunni Musl...

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