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 […]
Is this a ‘Victory’?
by Peter W. Galbraith Published by the New York Review of Books (October 23, 2008 edition) 1. We hear again and again from Washington that we have turned a corner in Iraq and are on the path to victory. If so, it is a strange victory. Shiite religious parties that are Iran’s closest allies in […]
Amidst Major Buildup, Iraq Now Seeks 36 F-16 Fighter Jets
by Travis Sharp In early September, several news outlets reported that Iraq is interested in buying 36 F-16 fighter jets from the United States. This proposed sale is the latest development in an intense push by the United States and Iraq to transform the Iraqi military into a legitimate fighting force. Recent weapons acquisition proposals […]
