Iraq - Strategic Redeployment

Iraq – Strategic Redeployment

May 3, 2006

The United States — the world's leading superpower — should be creating the circumstances for our eventual withdrawal from Iraq, not waiting for them to happen. A great power should never lose control of events, and that is essentially what happened in Iraq — we put our security in the hands of the Iraqis. The Center for American Progress has released Strategic Redeployment 2.0 — a plan to responsibly withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq and foster peace and stability in the Gulf region. Strategic Redeployment is based on three principles: 1) an open-ended commitment of U.S. troops serves as a political crutch for the Iraqi government and is not sustainable; 2) the U.S. policy in Iraq must make a shift from its current role of “nation-building” to “conflict resolution”; 3) international and regional diplomacy are essential to creating a sustainable peace and stability in the Gulf region.

• A timetable for U.S. troop redeployment is needed so the Iraqi government stops using U.S. troops as a “political crutch.” As long as our troops remain on the ground in large numbers, the Iraqi government has little incentive to make the tough choices and compromises needed to create a stable society. We cannot sustain the current course. We cannot cut and run. We must reach a responsible middle ground by setting a realistic date for redeployment. Strategic Redeployment calls for the reduction of troop levels from 130,000 to 60,000 by the end of the year, and to virtually zero by the end of 2007. The plan would move the National Guard out of Iraq and leave behind an expeditionary force in the region to deal with future threats. Troop levels in Afghanistan would be doubled.
  
  
• U.S. role in Iraq must shift from one of “nation-building” to “conflict resolution.” Since our first report last fall, Iraq has edged closer to an all-out sectarian civil war. Simply put, before Iraq can become a stable nation and real democracy, these violent internal conflicts must end. By putting Iraq’s leaders on notice that U.S. troops are not staying indefinitely, we can motivate Iraqi and regional leaders to take responsibility for security and work with our allies to facilitate a power-sharing agreement necessary to bring about a political resolution to the internal conflict.
  
  
• International and regional diplomacy are essential to creating sustainable peace and stability in the Gulf. Using the Dayton Peace Accord of 1995 as a model, the administration should work with other global powers to organize a peace conference this summer under the auspices of the United Nations. The conference could focus first on resolving the major internal conflicts in Iraq, but also involve Iraq’s neighbors, who have a vested interest in ensuring Iraq does not become a haven for terrorists or further undermine regional stability.