Monday, October 08, 2007

Washington Post -Top Iraqis Pull Back from Key US Goal

BAGHDAD -- For much of this year, the U.S. military strategy in Iraq has sought to reduce violence so that politicians could bring about national reconciliation, but several top Iraqi leaders say they have lost faith in that broad goal.

Iraqi leaders argue that sectarian animosity is entrenched in the structure of their government. Instead of reconciliation, they now stress alternative and perhaps more attainable goals: streamlining the government bureaucracy, placing experienced technocrats in positions of authority and improving the dismal record of providing basic services.

source: Washington Post


If you take the time to read it you'll find the headline and the first couple of paragraphs are more pessimistic than the rest of the article. Essentially what the politicians quoted in this piece seem to be saying is that "reconciliation" as a goal is very vague and that given Iraq's history trying to force it on a timetable is unrealistic; what needs to be done is to recognize the tensions and work to reduce them to produce a functioning society. I can agree with that.

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