The Surge is Working, But...

It’s pretty clear that the “surge” in Iraq is making progress.  And as Dean Barnett observes, the left is taking it badly.

SO HOW HAS THE LEFT reacted to this positive development? Poorly, angrily, and childishly. In other words, characteristically.

Actually, it is not surprising that the surge is working.  The surge is a military operation in which the US Armed Forces are doing military things, like searching out and destroying Al Qaeda forces in places where they are concentrated enough to make it worth while to attack. 

Before the surge the strategy of the United States was to “stand up” the security forces of Iraq and keep US combat forces in the background as much as possible.  It was the failure of this strategy that provoked the appointment of Gen. Petraeus and the adoption of the surge strategy.

But what comes next?  What in fact do the various factions in Iraq want and what will they do to get it?

Right now Iraq exists under the umbrella of US power and the native Iraqi political and military forces are restrained by that power. 

In my view the clearing out of Al Qaeda that seems to be the goal of the surge merely sets up a cleaner civil war between Shia and Sunni than might occur if Al Qaeda were in the full bloom of its power in Iraq.

We have not heard much about the Shia militias since they withdrew from Baghdad at the beginning of the surge.  Doubtless we will hear from them when the surge is over and the US combat forces start to leave Iraq.

Then we will find out what kind of powers are contesting for Iraq and what they are prepared to do in order to win.