Tag: iraq

  • That Other War Is Getting A New Commander Too

    While President Obama’s nomination of Gen. David Petraeus to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal is the lead military story in most news outlets, it’s easy to forget the latest happenings over in Iraq.  In particular, Operation Iraqi Freedom (or Operation New Dawn, take your pick) is getting a new commander.  Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, nominated to…

  • End In Sight?

    What a difference a couple of years makes.  It wasn’t too long ago that America’s military operation in Iraq was the foreign policy debate du jour.  But with the advent of the Obama Administration’s push for rapid withdrawal and the improving security situation there, little is heard from a place that helped shape the worldview…

  • The Fatigue-Patterned Multi-Billion Dollar Elephant in the Room

    With the advent of President Obama’s election came a forceful commitment to withdraw American forces from Iraq. However, during both the campaign and in more recent discourse, largely missing from that debate has been considerations from the logistical nightmare involved with such an undertaking. More to the point, counteracting six years of build up intended…

  • The Next Chapter

    And so it begins. As the Obama Administration envelops itself in its renewed focus in Afghanistan, Iraqis are celebrating the beginnings of a draw down that’s been awaited for a long time. Coalition forces have begun to cease combat operations in urban centers throughout the country. In fact, coalition forces will no longer operate unilaterally…