by Robert G. Gard Jr. (USA, Ret.) and Tom Andrews Published on the Huffington Post on December 1, 2008 The media obsession over who’s in and who’s out of consideration for the Obama Cabinet brings the admonition on the famous “War Room” wall of Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign to mind: “It’s the Economy Stupid!” […]
How Comfortable is the U.S.-Iraq SOFA?
by John Isaacs by Travis Sharp CONCLUSIONS IN BRIEF The agreement represents a stunning reversal in policy for the Bush administration, which until now rejected any timeline for troop withdrawals. The Bush administration has fallen in line behind the policy of President-elect Barack Obama, who has proposed removing U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 […]
New Systems Boost Iraqi Surveillance Capability
by Travis Sharp Lynx II radar system’s electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) output (General Atomics) While the election of Barack Obama heralds an impending change in U.S. policy toward Iraq, defense officials in Washington and Baghdad continue to focus on transforming the Iraqi military into a legitimate fighting force. Both the United States and Iraq seem to agree […]
NPR Interview: Galbraith Backs Ethnically Divided Iraq
by Peter W. Galbraith Ambassador Peter Galbraith, senior diplomatic fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, talked about Iraq on NPR’s All Things Considered on November 12. The transcript is below. SIEGEL: Well, our guest today has written in support of the partition of Iraq, the idea of splitting the country up into […]
U.S.-Iraq Agreement Requires Urban Withdrawal by June 2009
by Travis Sharp An English translation of the U.S.-Iraq security agreement was released this week by the American Friends Service Committee. The agreement already has come under fire in Iraq because many Iraqi lawmakers oppose it and now are seeking to reopen negotiations. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, however, said October 21 that “There is […]
