In a way, Iraq has been a victim of its own success. Because it seems to be doing relatively well, policymakers have shifted their attention to more urgent concerns. But there is a danger that our present inattention could undo the progress that so many have struggled so hard to attain.
Relying on a civilian-led presence after this year is a mistake. I hope that by this summer, before too many of our troops are gone, that we negotiate a deal to keep 25,000 troops in Iraq (with 3 combat brigades--whatever we call them--and special forces and supporting forces from other branches) for at least another decade.
This will not only deter Iran from attacking Iraq but provide a decisive force in case parts of the armed forces or militias try to stage a coup against the young democracy. With these forces holding the ring, Iraqi factions will have more incentive to remain within political means when debating policy and power.
And for the American media that sounded like giddy cheerleaders as they reported the Egypt revolt with undisguised glee, where were you in the Iraq War when you insisted that you couldn't take sides on the war that America fought for the sake of objectivity? Only Fox News, to their everlasting credit, dared use the word "we" when referring to what American forces were doing in Iraq.
I guess everyone gets to be pro-freedom for the Moslem world now without being accused of being a pawn of somebody or other with a suspiciously Jewish-sounding name.
