The political tug-of-war for the “right strategy” in Iraq
President Bush’s new Iraq strategy has had only very limited success so far. The preliminary report that he presented in mid-July showed only mixed results and left critics room to push for a troop withdrawal. The criticism concerning the “surge” has been significant early on and continues to intensify. Not only the Democratic Party, but also a growing number of high-ranking Republican Senators increase the pressure on Bush. However, the parties still split on the topic of implementing time-tables. Progressive think tanks and the Democratic front-runners for the general election in 2008 present their plans for a disengagement from Iraq. Still, the question about the right way forward remains incredibly difficult, since a too rapid withdrawal might cause even greater chaos and destabilize the entire region. Comparisons to the disaster in Vietnam are drawn frequently. (Paper is in German)
