Another View

Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack didn't travel alone to Iraq to research their op-ed piece last week in the New York Times that garnered so much attention. Along on the trip was Anthony Cordesman, who had a slightly different take on the situation.

Everyone sees Iraq differently. As one leading US official in Iraq put it, “the current situation is like playing three dimensional chess in the dark while someone is shooting at you.” It is scarcely surprising that my perceptions of a recent trip to Iraq are different from that of two of my traveling companions and those of several other recent think tank travelers to the country.


From my perspective, the US now has only uncertain, high risk options in Iraq. It cannot dictate Iraq’s future, only influence it, and this presents serious problems at a time when the Iraqi political process has failed to move forward in reaching either a new consensus or some form of peaceful coexistence. It is Iraqis that will shape Iraq's ability or inability to rise above its current sectarian and ethnic conflicts, to redefine Iraq's politics and methods of governance, establish some level of stability and security, and move towards a path of economic recovery and development. So far, Iraq’s national government has failed to act at the rate necessary to move the country forward or give American military action political meaning.

Mr. Cordesman is a senior analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

I can only echo Greg Sargent's question: will this report get as much attention as the op-ed by Messrs. O'Hanlon and Pollack?

Cue the crickets.