Fixing our eyes on the possible

In this new push for security in Baghdad and al Anbar, Mohammed at Iraq the Model (link here) has written a very well thought out strategic plan of action. He is asking both governments to reach for the possible, not a miricle.

It is unfair to demand the impossible from the coming operations; total eradication of terrorism and militias within months is a long shot because the violence in Iraq is a result of domestic and regional conflicts that are not limited to Baghdad and it is part of heavy legacy of mistakes and evil the Baath era left.

He is also disheartened by talks of people who want the USA to leave before the job is done.

I think people who use this "last chance" idea are not helping Iraq or America here or they are of the type of people who do not want to deal with the challenge seriously. This term has a tone of defeatism, it's as if Iraq was a totally lost case while in fact the huge change that's been happening in the form of replacing a totalitarian regime with a democratic one is a lengthy process that cannot be accomplished through military action alone; success has economic and social elements along with the military one in addition to international and regional cooperation. It is no wisdom to think of closing this file or abandoning it based on the results of one security operation.

He is not a man of pessimism. He has then set up a strategy reviewed the problems, identified some of the problems, then lays out a way to successfully overcome these security problems. If you would like to know what they are, please read his article.

Yes, it is my intent to introduce you to some Iraqis who actually live there, instead of always getting an earful by the polititians who have never or seldom set foot on Iraqi soil. This goes for armchair generals as well. There are many more Iraqi bloggers on Mohammed and Omar's sidebar. They do not try to pursuade you to believe anything differently than you do. They are just trying let you inside their part of the world and what it is like to live there. I hope you take advantage of their offer. Thank you, and have a great day.