Anthony Cordesman
Anthony Cordesman
Anthony H. Cordesmanholds the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studiesand is a national security analyst on a number of global conflicts...
chosen develop military mission obligation serve serving soldiers trained tremendous
Serving soldiers develop a tremendous sense of obligation to their comrades, and are trained to see the mission through. They know the military and the risk, and they have already chosen to serve their country.
airport green level obviously overall secure security stop
On a day-to-day basis, the overall level of security is obviously low. We can't secure the airport road, can't stop the incoming into the Green Zone, can't stop the killings and kidnappings,
cripple largely
This was a largely punitive operation. It did not cripple any of Saddam's capabilities.
army create dependent iraqi plan roughly strategy success three
We did not plan three years ago to create more than token Iraqi forces. Now we're at 230,000 roughly and counting. Our whole strategy is dependent on the success of the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police.
best create forces helps military national needs police provide sure takes training truly
The best thing we can do is to make sure that our training helps them to create truly national military forces and truly national police forces because that then takes away any sense that one needs militias to provide security.
along concerns ethnic fall large lines ways
It's going to be 'Let's Make a Deal. The important thing in some ways was that there was a large vote. The concerns that it would fall along ethnic and sectarian lines were validated.
holds purely spring together
It's 50-50 this thing holds together through the spring of 2006. But that is purely a guess.
battalions broader essential iraqi leave line next situation troops
It's an essential part of the broader strategy. But you won't have a situation where Iraqi battalions come on line and U.S. troops leave the next week.
broader essential
It's an essential part of the broader strategy.
almost along creeping ethnic growing iraq loss process steady
It's almost a creeping polarization of Iraq along ethnic and sectarian lines, We see a slow, steady loss of confidence, a growing process of distrust.
climate create exercises gradually outline people problem speeches trust
The problem with the speeches is they get gradually more realistic, but they are still exercises in spin. They don't outline the risks. They don't create a climate where people trust what's being said.
almost certain coalition efforts forces growing inclusive iraqi reach reality
The reality is that if the Shi'ites and Kurds can be inclusive and if they can reach a settlement with most of the Iraqi Sunnis, then the efforts of U.S. and coalition forces and the growing Iraqi forces are almost certain to be successful,
issue large
The real issue is that they have a very large booster under development.
balkans cannot difficult economics failing shown split violence
Ulster (Northern Ireland) and the Balkans have already shown how difficult it is to split cities, and with Iraq's centralized and failing infrastructure, and impoverished economy, violence and economics cannot be separated.