Operation Iraqi Freedom.
GAO Report: We're not achieving our stated goals in Iraq.
The November 2005 National Strategy for Victory in Iraq and supporting documents incorporate the same desired end-state for U.S. stabilization and reconstruction operations that were first established by the coalition in 2003: a peaceful, united, stable, and secure Iraq, well integrated into the international community, and a full partner in the global war on terrorism. However, it is unclear how the United States will achieve its desired end-state in Iraq given the significant changes in the assumptions underlying the U.S. strategy.
The original assumptions were wrong, which is to say it's not clear that any real thought was given to 'cause and effect' at any stage of this war. We have lacked a foundation of rationalism from the start, a reflection of the moralistic worldview favored by this administration.
The original plan assumed a permissive security environment. However, an increasingly lethal insurgency undermined the development of effective Iraqi government institutions and delayed plans for an early transfer of security responsibilities to the Iraqis.
Hindsight provides a clear view of the paradoxical dilemma our troops continue to face as both the source of and solution to Iraq's civil unrest. This challenge obviously requires a fresh approach. We're not achieving our goals in Iraq, plain and simple.
The plan also assumed that U.S. reconstruction funds would help restore Iraq’s essential services to prewar levels, but Iraq’s capacity to maintain, sustain, and manage its rebuilt infrastructure is still being developed. Finally, the plan assumed that the Iraqi government and the international community would help finance Iraq’s development needs, but Iraq has limited resources to contribute to its own reconstruction, and Iraq’s estimated future needs vastly exceed what has been offered by the international community to date.
Reconstruction is all but impossible in the current climate. Just as we failed to understand the true costs of the war before it was launched, we continue to lack a clear vision of the ultimate cost of victory in Iraq.
I find this definition of victory from the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq (NSVI) quite apropos:
Short term: Steady progress fighting terrorists, meeting political milestones, building democratic institutions, standing up security forces.Medium term: Iraq leads fight to defeat terrorists and provides own security, constitutional government fully in place and is on its way economically.
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Long term: Peaceful, united, stable, secure, well integrated into the international community, and a partner in war on terror.
Just fill in the gap with your own creative solution.