The Iraq War

The debate over the impact of U.S. withdrawals from Iraq depends heavily on just how much progress has been made in defeating al Qaeda in Iraq and in maintaining relative stability. The Burke Chair has developed a major update to its previous reporting on key developments in the fighting, drawing on material provided by the Multinational Force-Iraq (MNF-I), the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the GAO, CBO and CRS, the Iraqi government, and other sources. This report describes the current successes and failures in as much detail as possible and illustrates many of the challenges likely to face coalition forces in Iraq in the future.

This is a working draft report, and it will be steadily updated over time. Suggested additions and corrections will be gratefully received and should be sent to Adam Mausner at amausner@csis.org.