Iraq (Threat Assessment)

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Rebuilding Iraq - DefendAmerica News This excellent site provides information on the Good Things that the Troops are doing in Iraq - and should be bookmarked by anyone sick of all whining, harping, anti-Liberation pessimists who only tout the death and destruction.

CETO. Dealing with Civilian Population in Post-Saddam Iraq. 2003. For those of you who didn't think there was a plan for dealing with the aftermath of the war in Iraq, read this. The fact that the estimates were far below actuality is completely irrelevant. There was a detailed, concerned and humane plan for bring Iraq back into the fold of civilized international politics. But like all of the "best laid plans of mice and men" things have a tendency to go awry.

Speak No Evil: Targeting a Population’s Neutrality to Defeat an Insurgency by Christopher M. Ford; From Parameters, Summer 2005, pp. 51-66.: Operation Iraqi Freedom was predicated partially on a presumption of widespread popular support among the Iraqi people for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The theory held that a relatively small military force could topple the Ba’athist regime with swift attacks aimed at key targets. Then, using momentum secured by liberating an oppressed people, a temporary government comprised of expatriate technocrats could step in to rule the country until a government could be elected. Shortly thereafter, the reasoning held, the country would achieve stability and the United States could dramatically reduce troop levels. This vision was largely deflated shortly after coalition troops dashed north, securing vast swaths of Iraq and quickly destroying remnant military forces. Despite stunning military success, the victory failed to simultaneously produce the anticipated wellspring of support. Within three months of the fall of Baghdad, this notion was completely discredited as Iraq found itself in the grip of a nationwide wave of violence. The violence has continued, remaining remarkably consistent despite periodic surges and depressions of attacks. During this time, the coalition flooded the country with hundreds of thousands of troops and billions of dollars in reconstruction aid.3 Despite significant troop numbers, large sums of money, and a great deal of personal commitment by all forces over the past two years, one thing has remained predictably constant: the population’s neutrality. The recent national elections in January present the most marked aberration from the population’s general ambivalence; yet it remains to be seen whether this represents the genesis of a paradigm shift. Using Iraq as a model, this article seeks to examine the relationship between the people and the insurgency, with the ultimate questions being: What role does the civilian population play in the insurgency, and how can this situation be influenced to achieve success? The article examines the traditional military doctrines of insurgency and finds that: (1) though unique, the Iraqi insurgency is following a predictable pattern of development; (2) the civilian population plays a determinative role in the success or failure of the insurgency; and (3) the civilian population can be more effectively influenced though a more selective and efficient application of civil-military operations.

US Department of State: Iraq Update Provides news, official texts, reports and fact sheets, links for resources and listserver.

CIA - The World Factbook -- Iraq Features map and brief descriptions of the geography, people, government, economy,
communications, transportation, military and transnational issues.

Renewal in Iraq How the White House views the progress in Iraq see also: United States Government

Iraq Daily from the most comprehensive global news network on the internet. International News, Investigative Journalism and analysis on current events, politics, defense and more. Searchable news archive in 20 languages from WorldNews Network.

Healing Iraq Daily news and comments on the situation in post Saddam Iraq by an Iraqi dentist

ArabNet - Iraq Hard to tell how current this site is, or how often (if at all) it is updated.

Iraq Coalition Casualties ...to provide information that has been scrupulously culled from government sources and cross-checked against other existing lists to ensure the most accurate and complete accounting of deaths that we can possibly assemble. And then we take things a step further. We present the data in a way that will allow other researchers and interested individuals to easily analyze it for trends and benchmarks. See also: U.S. & Coalition/Casualties (CNN) & Honor the Fallen (Army Times)

InterAction - Iraq Provides information about activities in Iraq of U.S. -based non-governmental agencies, with links to their websites. "Details of InterAction Member Assistance" briefly lists activities of these organizations in Iraq. By InterAction, the American Council for Voluntary International Action.

Center for Security Policy - Iraq Links to media reports and reports by associates of Center for Security Policy, whose mission is "promoting international peace through American strength." Also links to reports by U.S. and British government and others.

OneWorld.net Coverage of Iraq Find news stories and press releases about Iraq produced by organizations in the One World network, which includes more than 1,500 organizations on five continents (especially in the South) in 11 languages. One can search by many topics concerning Iraq, including education, arms and military, culture, corporations, labor, children, and many others. Watch for spin. Remember that all news media these days is politically motivated.

CNN: War in Iraq Watch for spin. Remember that all news media in America these days is politically motivated.

NPR: Tracking Iraq Watch for spin. Remember that all news media in America these days is politically motivated.

News Media Special Resources on Iraq Watch for spin. Remember that all news media these days is politically motivated.

Iraq Training Assessment Trip Report The following report summarizes my recent training assessment trip to Iraq during July. All topics listed below were identified by the various units/ individuals from the perspective of what topics/events frequently dealt with in Iraq should be incorporated into the Urban Warfare predeployment training program.

A little humor Saddam loyalist upset over subtitles.

What if Patton Were In Iraq? This speech reworks the opening scene from the George C. Scott film, applying it to modern times.

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