General Petraeus talks about situation in Iraq

General David H. Patraeus, former Commander of the Multinational Force in Iraq and incoming Commander of U.S. Central Command gave an address at the Heritage Foundation about the state of Iraq. He explained that the surge has been effective not simply because there are more boots on the ground, but it has given a signal of commitment to the Iraqi people, and has enabled a growth in Iraq security and increased the employment of counter-insurgency concepts.

The General discussed how he worked to fight the insurgency on many levels. This included running a campaign to show the Iraqi people that Al Qaida was not working for the country’s best interest and mobilizing 100,000 Iraqis who disagreed with extremism into an organization called the Sons of Iraq. Petraeus also distinguished the insurgents between “reconcilables,” or people who were willing to concede and negotiate with the Americans, and “irreconcilables” who wanted nothing to do with negotiations. By bringing in some moderate opposition to the table, the US was able to divide the insurgency and target the “irreconcilables.”

Once the insurgency slowed down, the economy was able to progress, the army was able to get more intelligence, and political parties were able to cooperate and pass effective legislation. Things are either spiraling up or spiraling down, said Petraeus. The Iraqi people “want to be the Japan of the Middle East,” he said, “they ought to be.”

Petraeus also warned that the situation could still be reversed. Iran-supported groups are still a threat to security, and elections could spark more ethnic tensions. The reason we have been successful is that we have learned and adapted, he said, the enemy may be barbaric, but he is also smart and savvy.