false 487183 0 0 6575161 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6575161-phased-transition 0.0 0
A key aspect of the proposed Phased Transition plan is that the United States, after consultation with the Iraqi government, would set a timeline for the accomplishment of political and security goals and for the ultimate withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Iraq. Setting a timeline is essential to both accelerating the “Baghdad clock” and putting more time on the “Washington clock.” If required by changes in the strategic situation, the timing of phases including final withdrawal could be delayed or accelerated, but there would be strong incentives for both Iraq and the United States to stick by a timeline once announced. Once it became clear that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, the Bush administration’s goal for Iraq shifted to transforming the Middle East by providing the “fruits of democratic governance to the region.”1 This report proposes more realistic objectives. It recommends that the United States use what leverage it still has in Iraq to maximize the probability of securing these ends:

• Preventing the establishment of al Qaeda safe havens;
• Preventing regional war; and
• Preventing genocide.

Phased Transition builds on work of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group (ISG) and provides a specific way to implement the group’s recommendation to reduce overall U.S. military presence in Iraq while boosting the number of advisors. Although this report focuses largely on the transitions of U.S. military forces, it is written with the understanding that the most critical steps are political and must be taken by Iraqis. As the ISG noted, “There is no action the American military can take that, by itself, can bring about success in Iraq.”2 The key difference with the ISG is that this report recommends establishing a specific timeline for U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq, and a detailed plan for how to achieve it. During all of this plan’s phases, the United States would pursue a strategy that includes three main elements. Its “top-down” element involves continuing to press Iraq’s central government and parliament to meet specific key benchmarks such as implementation of an agreement for the sharing of oil revenue, while helping to develop Iraqi security forces. Its “bottom-up” element involves working with tribal, local, and provincial leaders to reinforce and expand positive trends in Anbar province and avoid an escalation of the conflict between Turkey and Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region. And it embraces an “outside-in” element to build regional and international collaboration to increase stability in Iraq.]]> 487183 0.0 0 0 2971628 0.0 0 0 2007 6542034 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6542034-iran 0.0 0 487183 0.0 0 0 2081084 0.0 0 0 702887 3.50 4 2 68947 3.71 58 15 820891 3.00 1 0 666757 2.00 1 0 12885 3.78 283 68 35477 3.42 40 9 2008 5012257 193508707X 9781935087076 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5012257.Iran_Assessing_U_S_Strategic_Options 0.0 0 68947 3.71 58 15 12885 3.78 283 68 35477 3.42 40 9 487183 0.0 0 0 666757 2.00 1 0 702887 3.50 4 2 820891 3.00 1 0 2008 982717 0130309907 9780130309907 0 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179986972m/982717.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179986972s/982717.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/982717.Statistics_for_Analytical_Chemistry 0.0 0 495298 0.0 0 0 487183 0.0 0 0 1993