Post-invasion Iraq, 2003–present Commentary

This week’s withdrawal of American troops from Iraq’s urban centers is not as game changing as it seems. The real test of Iraq’s stability will come as we drastically reduce our number of soldiers in the country over the coming year.

Iraq's national security advisor gives his assessment of the current situation, discusses the obstacles his government faces and outlines a timeline for progress.

A centralized government would be better equipped to manage security-force restructuring than the current federal one.

Getting Baghdad right may well require, then, a partial retreat from the Sunni Triangle, where tens of thousands of our soldiers are tied down in an anti-insurgency campaign that, according to recent reports, has yielded few lasting gains.