Iraq Study Group Releases Report
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Iraq Study Group called the situation in Iraq “grave and deteriorating” Wednesday and recommended a radically different approach from President Bush’s current policy, including the withdrawal of most U.S. combat troops by early 2008.
In delivering its report to Bush and Congress, the bipartisan panel listed 79 recommendations for change in Iraq strategy, including direct talks with Iran and Syria as part of a “diplomatic offensive.”
All 10 members of the panel, chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker, a Republican, and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton of Indiana, met with Bush at the White House to present the bound report. (View the complete report — PDF)
The Bush administration has repeatedly rejected calls to seek help from Iran and Syria.
But the report states that “Iraq’s neighbors and key states in and outside the region should form a support group” to help Iraq achieve long-term security and political reconciliation — “neither of which it can sustain on its own.”
This is a much awaited and hyped report. The full text is available here. Everyone expects it to solve all the problems of the American Iraq strategy or lack therof, the report tries to do more than that, it’s members seem to think that a number of incredible goals are easily obtainable like such classics as:
-Ending Support of Hezbollah by Syria and Iran
-Return of the Golan Heights to Syria
-Recognition of Israel by Hezbollah
I really don’t know where they got the notion that this was either related or plausible goals of U.S. policy.
According to the report (from UNHCR)there are 1.8 Million Refugees from Iraq and 1.6 Million IDPs (internally displaced persons who are not refugess as they haven’t left their home country), the CIA World Factbook estimates the July 2006 Population of Iraq at 26,783,383, so according to my math 12.7% of the Iraqi population is Refugee or IDP, that’s pretty bad. Most of these are presumably fleeing demographically mixed areas in which Ethnic Cleansing is under way to those of people of similar ethnicity.
The report primarily suggests emphasizing training over combat operations and the dim hope of with drawing combat troops in 2008. Dream on.
It’s worth skimming for anyone who has the time, although claims, especially about support Iran and Syrian culpability should probably be taken with a grain of salt.
