Iraq Study Group Does Not Go Far Enough with Solutions

The Iraq Study Group’s (ISG) recommendations do not provide a sufficient solution to solving the crisis in Iraq. It is inadequate to simply suggest that U.S. troops be redeployed inside Iraq. There is a better way to end the civil war and reach a negotiated solution. I believe we should turn responsibility for security of a region in Iraq over to Iraqi Security forces and remove 75,000 U.S. troops from the country as soon as can be practicably done. We will never know whether Sunni soldiers in the Iraqi military will follow orders from Shiite generals to fight against Sunni insurgents and whether the Iraqi government can succeed until this occurs. Only under these circumstances will all of the parties in Iraq and the region have the incentive necessary to sit down and negotiate a diplomatic solution to the civil war.

The ISG correctly acknowledges that the Administration’s policy in Iraq has failed. It also raised the right questions about our next steps in Iraq by asking how do we get Iraqi forces to take responsibility for securing their own country and how do we use that turnover to initiate a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.

The President must now take steps to change American policy by implementing the recommendations of the ISG.  Congress stands ready to work with him in a bipartisan manner to make these changes.  It is critical for the security of our nation and the world that we take any steps we can to stabilize Iraq and ensure that it does not become a failed state and haven for terrorists. 

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