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Originally Posted by We The People
There was some euphemism in terming "political solution" for financial "incentives' we have been providing to former insurgents.
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Many insurgents turned to the insurgency because we took away their means of making a living, whether it was interdicting traditional tribal smuggling routes, favoring particular local contractors at the expense of others, etc. Furthermore, I'm not sure where you are getting that the Sons of Iraq has been framed as a political solution. It has been a transition to potential political buy-in by both Sunni and Shia who were on the margins of the current governmental structure. Many of the SOI have been integrated into the ISF.
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Originally Posted by We The People
But it's very accurate that Iraq needed political solutions - like the other big middle east conflict between arabs and jews. There is no military solution to both conflicts.
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Hopefully, you are not confusing no military solution with no military. Security is a necessary but insufficient condition.
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Originally Posted by We The People
And yes, new Iraqi regime's progress on political front for the most part has been a failure. There is need for political solutions and lately things are moving in better direction with sunnis getting power in new legislative body but it's far from a good political progress.
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I wouldn't categorize it as a failure. A smashing success? No, but certainly not a failure. The conversation has moved forward, the militias are being stripped of their power, al Sadr has been marginalized, budget execution is moving way up (the bureaucracy of the politics is improving).
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Originally Posted by We The People
I agree for the most part, it has to be a comprehensive strategy but its where primary focus is that determines what it is called and ultimately its success. "Surge" was a boost in resources to implement a new policy of reconcilation with former sunni insurgents/terrorists we were previously trying to kill but it wasn't a "military surge" in the sense that we exapnaded military conflicts or military fighting.
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Dead wrong. The military fighting vastly increased. Coalition casualties incresaed. Ordnance expenditures, both in numbers and size of caliber, increased. Oil spots have grown.
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Originally Posted by We The People
Security is paramount and with hundreds of thousands civilians killed/injured and millions displaced from their homes, it may take decades to make Iraq secure for real political progress and stability.
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Resettlement is occurring at a slow, but steady pace, and at the local level, there has been tremendous progress. Shia/Sunni reconciliation is happening everyday. It may turn out to be a disappointment, but the prospect for strong progress through the results of the provincial elections in 2008?/2009 and the national elections in 2010 holds tremendous progress.