Iraq Studying

The Iraq Study Group has issued its much-ballyhooed report today. It's 160 pages, at the US Institute of Peace Website, and you need an Adobe reader to download it. No doubt I will eventually download and read it, much to SWMBO and my sorely taxed printer's chagrin, but from what I've heard so far, there are no earth-shaking surprises or magic bullets contained therein.

There's an old saw about a camel being a horse designed by a committee, and I suspect that this report will be much the same thing. If you're interested in the subject, you'd probably do better to spend your reading effort on some other fine publications, including the numerous papers prepared by Dr. Anthony "Tony" H. Cordesman for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, such as this one, here. Only 25 pages. CSIS is, in any case, one of the sponsors of the Iraq Study Group.

As for what we ought to do in Iraq, have a look at Chester, of Adventures of Chester's suggested approach, here. Also, as food for thought, have a look at "Counterinsurgency Redux" by David Kilcullen, available over at Small Wars Journal, here (hat tip: Chester, again).