Reeling from my horrible fantasy experience, I needed a good dose of reality. A report on Iraq seemed like a good place to find some. After unsuccessfully attempting to read the report online, I bought a bound copy of The Iraq Study Group Report by the Iraq Study Group, James A. Baker III, and Lee H. Hamilton.
The report provides an assessment of the current situation in Iraq (as of December 2006). It takes a look at the key players within the country (Shia, Sunni, and Kurds) and in the region (Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and others). After outlining the alternative courses of action considered, the group offers its approach to the problem in the form of 79 recommendations covering what needs to be done by those inside and outside of Iraq.
Inside Iraq, the group focuses on issues like performance milestones, national reconciliation, security, the Iraqi police, and oil. Outside of Iraq, the group emphasizes the need for strong diplomatic efforts and strong international support.
I was struck by the report's clarity, frankness, and common sense approach to an extremely complicated situation. I was also struck by how the bipartisan group didn't allow the report to get mired in what mistakes were made, but focused instead on the realities the world faces as a result of those mistakes and the positive steps that can be taken to address those realities.
Most of all, I was struck by the number of recommendations encouraging the administration to be more engaged and communicate directly with others - with Moqtada al-Sadr, with the insurgents, with the militias, with Iran, with Syria, with the international community, with our allies, and with our own military leaders. It's clear the group believes America should be shifting from a military role to a diplomatic and supporting role in Iraq.
Finally, the report has a number of quotable passages, but the most memorable one comes from the section concerning the U.S. intelligence agencies and their inadequate data collection and analysis of threats to our armed forces…
Good policy is difficult to make when information is systematically collected in a way that minimizes its discrepancy with policy goals.
It's a pearl of wisdom for policy makers or anybody who sets goals to keep in mind. It also gets to one of the fundamental reasons for the deteriorating situation in Iraq. Progress is difficult to achieve when one is more intent on aligning reality with one's beliefs instead of acknowledging the reality and adjusting one's beliefs accordingly.
For anyone interested in current affairs or a good nonfiction read, I would recommend this book.
On a related note, earlier today, I went to Santa Clara University to listen to Leon Panetta, a member of the Iraq Study Group, talk about Iraq and the report. I'll write more about that event tomorrow.
