ProgressOhio

Government Reports Indicate that the Surge has Failed

Reports are Unanimous:  The Political Situation in Iraq has Collapsed, while Violence has Remained the Same

In January, the President outlined his surge, which was supposed to reduce violence and create the space for political reconciliation. 

This week, a number of government and expert reports all found that the surge has failed to achieve these goals.  The Government Accountability Office found that 15 out of 18 of the benchmarks that were laid out by the Iraqi government and the President have not been met.  The nation's 16 intelligence agencies agreed that the political situation in Iraq is likely to get worse over the next year and that the security situation in Iraq remains dire.

A panel of twenty former senior military officers and defense officials found that the United States must reduce its military footprint in Iraq.  General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is said to believe that steeper troop reductions are necessary.  Moreover, there are now reports that the casualty data that supposedly indicates "progress" on the security situation in Iraq, is misleading.  

The reality is that hundreds of defense and foreign policy experts, working in and outside the government, spent months working on these reports and analyzing the situation in Iraq. 

All of the reports concluded that the political situation in Iraq has only further deteriorated while security has remained the same. 

In other words, the surge has failed to accomplish its purpose.