GAO: U.S. hasn't taken advantage of Iraq's drop in violence

[Barrett808]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

GAO: U.S. hasn't taken advantage of Iraq's drop in violence
By Jonathan S. Landay | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2007

WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Iraqi governments have failed to take advantage of a dramatic drop in violence in Iraq, according to a report issued Tuesday by a U.S. watchdog agency, which warned that prospects were waning "for achieving current U.S. security, political and economic goals in Iraq."

Iraqi leaders have not passed legislation to foster reconciliation among Shiite Muslims, Sunnis and Kurds, and sectarian groups still retain control of ministries and divide Iraqi security forces, according to the Government Accountability Office report.

Moreover, the Bush administration's efforts to stabilize and rebuild Iraq are plagued by weak planning, a lack of coordination with the Iraqi government and among U.S. agencies, and an absence of detailed information on "the current and future costs of U.S. involvement in Iraq," it said.

"U.S. efforts lack strategies with clear purpose, scope, roles and performance measures," the report said.

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/20962.html

[Deny and Shred]

1. Of course there's a drop in violence...

... neighborhoods have already been "cleansed." Any area that was "mixed" before the invasion is no longer mixed. Those not welcome have either fled the country, or been kiiled by death squads. Gone is any hope of diversity on the local level. The original idea was a unified, mixed Iraq that would be a "beacon of freedom"...oh well.
Now the idea is three ethnically separate states. I don't think this administration has actually thought beyond the idea of being greeted as liberators. Four years later, with no hope for a unified Iraq, this three state idea is weakly repackaged as democracy and freedom.
The various forces arrayed against the U.S. can derail the original unifying "spreading democracy and freedom" efforts of the winners of the Cold War with IEDs as their most advanced weapon. So much for "not emboldening the terrorists."

[Barrett808]

2. Welcome to DU, Deny!

:hi:

Yes, Baghdad was once 65% Sunni, now it's 75% Shi'ite.

That's some serious ethnic cleansing.

[FVZA_Colonel]

3. So even when the tiniest, most microscopic spec of hope finally appears, our government can't

capitalize on it and actually affect some actual change...