Pentagon Institute: Iraq War "A Major Debacle," Outcome "Is In Doubt"

The war in Iraq has become "a major debacle" and the outcome "is in doubt" despite improvements in security from the buildup in U.S. forces, according to a highly critical study published Thursday by the Pentagon's premier military educational institute.

The report released by the National Defense University raises fresh doubts about President Bush's projections of a U.S. victory in Iraq just a week after Bush announced that he was suspending U.S. troop reductions.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[wadenelson1]

De-bac-le: (d-bäkl, -bkl, db-kl)

1. See Quagmire

[French débâcle, from débâcler, to unbar, from Old French desbacler : des-, de- + bacler, to bar (from Vulgar Latin *bacculre, from Latin baculum, rod; see bak- in Indo-European roots).]

[lagunabeach]

George Bush has really created the nightmare world that George Orwell imagined. The United States is being led by a virtual dictator who defines reality to meet his political (delusional) needs. According to George Bush this complete fiasco of a war is on the brink of success.

Slowly the people are whispering, like the old story, that the emperor has no clothes; Bush's war is in fact a debacle. This Pentagon report is bravely stating the obvious; that the Iraq war is a failure. To the millions of us who can see with our eyes and hear with our ears, the Iraq war is a mess with no solution except a diplomatic one among the warring civilians. For years Bush has said, who are you going to believe, me or your own lying eyes? Finally we are coming to our senses.

It's taken long enough.

[ProfessorDuh]

The measure of success is succeedy, successful successification, you know.

[evahartselftlanguages]

TO: Pentagon Report of Iraq Debacle and Doubtful Outcome April 19, 2008


As stated above having Nuclear weapons is a superior means to defend oneself as stated in above book The New Popular History of the World by W. Caldwell. Editorial adviisers from Harvard,Yale,John Hopkins, Duke, and Colunbia Universities.

We can save thousands of lives from deaths,tortures,maimings if we have Nuclear weapons to save our lives and nation of America. It is either them or us. I don't want it to be us who loses this War and gets killed,tortured, or mained. Nuclear weaspons assures us of protection of mutual self-destruction for both sides would avoid war.

Other reasons given from this book for nations winning or losing wars is moral decay,hiring of foreign fighters as Germans (Italy) and, agricultrural economic losses. My opinion is that other nations do not like us because of the Death penalty and we are wrong about that too for God restored Manasseh back to his throne because he REPENTED of having killed his two children. Chronicles. King David forgiven too, etc. Jesus came to Save people, not kill them. Repentance and mercy forgotten. Also poor in this country are terrible neglected as budget cuts for years, Care not Cash of no money so how can one look for a job even and this affects other nations too, not admitting mistakes of Iraq War.
Eva Hart A Christian In Army 62-70 670 Eddy St. SFc 94109 Rec job Sec of Def 64

[Moxo]

We Americans are SO, SO fortunate to have a President who knows more about running and winning a war than any desk-bound Pentagon honcho!

[evahartselftlanguages]

TO: Pentagon Report of Iraq Debacle and Doubtful Outcome April 19, 2008


Yesterday Library closed and I could not finish. The 1648 Westphalia Treaty after more than two years of negotiations ended the Thirty Years' War. A provision in it stated,"The Right to Worship God in one's own way ended the Religious Wars among the German states." Negotiations do work. Under proper supervision and protection enemies can get together and discuss how to make Peace and stop thousands of deaths so there will be Peace Between Nations. Persuasively and diplomatically we can addresss harmful misunderstandings to heal by negotiating. When we were losing in Iraq before the Surge I decided to put on blog here this Westphalia Treaty. I was against the Iraq War to begin with. The Moslems are against idolatry,adultery, alcohol, invented alchemy for chemistry,don't like paintings of men,animal, and plants. Geometric design is used.

Furthermore, in Jolo Island who accept Islam they don't like to touch Christians and cannot bear this at hospitals or elsewhere, don't get in cars since Christians introduced them and as recently as 1942 Moro students killed their non-Moro teachers and reason not discerned yet by authorities. The Golden moment, the golden day is in trying to understand and prevent harm to others by healing their wounds,hurts and pain and address their hearts and minds with kind respect and concern.

Eva Hart A Christian In Army from 62-70 670 Eddy St. Sfc 94109 Rec job Sec of Def 64

[ProfessorDuh]

Here"s the view of Jonathan Steele, a senior correspondent and columnist for London's Guardian newspaper who made eight reporting trips to Iraq between 2003 and 2006.
"Well, I think it's not entirely clear what the main reason was (for the invasion and occupation). There were a number of reasons and a number of different political groups within the administration. There were the neocons, and there were hard-nosed realists like Rumsfeld and Cheney concerned with projecting U.S. power. George W. himself may have had issues to do with his father, either trying to compete or do work his father failed to do. There were people who thought Saddam was a menace, a threat to Israel, and it was important to eliminate threat."
"Oil is certainly in the minds of the Iraqis who are suspicious that the U.S. is staying there to take the oil. War has raised the oil price by four times, so clearly, oil companies have benefited. To that extent, maybe it was about oil, but that [rise in price] has done a lot of harm to U.S. economy."
"Certainly, it is a defeat. If the neocon project was to have secular, pro-Western, stable democracy in Iraq, it"s very unstable, not pro-Western, not secular. And it"s a defeat in foreign policy terms because far from being launch pad for pressure on Iran, Iran has benefited from the invasion."

[Irons]

It took this dude 5 years to figure out that the US didn't find any WMD in Iraq? Where's he been? In Cheney''s dug-out?

[Ramirez]

Joseph Collins, the actual author of this Pentagon study, describes this news story as a distortion.
From SWJ blog:
******

The Miami Herald story ("Pentagon Study: War is a 'Debacle' ") distorts the nature of and intent of my personal research project. It was not an NDU study, nor was it a Pentagon study. Indeed, the implication of the Herald story was that this study was mostly about current events. Such is not the case. It was mainly about the period 2002-04. The story also hypes a number of paragraphs, many of which are quoted out of context. The study does not "lay much of the blame" on Secretary Rumsfeld for problems in the conduct of the war, nor does it say that he "bypassed the Joint Chiefs of Staff." It does not single out "Condoleeza Rice and Stephen Hadley" for criticism.

Here is a fair summary of my personal research, which formally is NDU INSS Occasional Paper 5, "Choosing War: The Decision to Invade Iraq and Its Aftermath."
****

He continues at length. You can hear from the author here:
http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2008/04/pentagon-study-current-events/

[ClevelandTom]

It is interesting that the paper author says he was mainly talking about the 2002-2004 period, not current conditions in Iraq. Yet the paper reads as though it is applicable to current conditions there. That gives one an idea of just how much effect all the blood and treasure spent over the past three years has had ... not much. And all the blood and treasure we spend over the next three or four years is going to have a similar impact if we continue down the path set by Bush.

[ProfessorDuh]

BS. The report says what it says. He's trying to back out now because he's been taken to the woodshed by the White House propaganda operation.

[SmellyOne]

Some of you HuffPos need to relax your reflex to claim as a lie anything that does not comport with your existing mindset. It's called LEARNING. Try it.

[Ramirez]

Yes. The report does indeed "say what it says". And Joseph Collins, the author of the paper, says the newspaper article distorted and mischaracterized his work.

So who do you believe? The author of the paper, or two reporters who politically summarize his work for you? (Nevermind. I know the answer.)

You can read the actual paper here:
http://www.ndu.edu/inss/Occasional_Papers/OP5.pdf

[willo]

Yes the war is fiasco based on lies. But people should remember or learn, that it was the false flag attack of 9/11 that was used for reason to attack two innocent nations. After all the documented lies of Bush and his administration, why people would still believe their "outrageous 9/11 conspiracy theory"[that is [the official one] is beyond comprehension. Going after Afghanistan, what,.. their is no proof they had anything to do with 9/11 either.
Yes the war is a debacle, but 9/11 was thier excuse for it. Until that crime is solved, we're just spitting into the wind.

[rollingdivision]

A McClatchy story about a study of the Iraq conflict by former senior Pentagon official Joseph Collins is blasted by Collins at the Small Wars Journal blog:

The Miami Herald story ("Pentagon Study: War is a "Debacle" ") distorts the nature of and intent of my personal research project. It was not an NDU study, nor was it a Pentagon study. Indeed, the implication of the Herald story was that this study was mostly about current events. Such is not the case. It was mainly about the period 2002-04. The story also hypes a number of paragraphs, many of which are quoted out of context. The study does not "lay much of the blame" on Secretary Rumsfeld for problems in the conduct of the war, nor does it say that he "bypassed the Joint Chiefs of Staff." It does not single out "Condoleeza Rice and Stephen Hadley" for criticism¦

[lastams]

In a Bill Moyer's interview, reporter and bureau chief Leila Fadel, provided a more concise and realistic appraisal of the current situation in Iraq than Crocker and Petraeus did in two days of testifying.... and she's twenty six years old.
Of most interest to those still sounding the praises of the Iraqi democracy would be her take on whom this "democracy" consists of, mostly Iranian supported Shiite extremists, and the spin that the Maliki "government" is fighting the militias when the government is comprised of nothing but militias (in particular those of Al Hakim's Supreme Council, who now basically ARE the police force, as well as the PDK, and every tin plate warlord with his hand out for American cash and weapons), That this rather fragile peace, if one can call it that, is predicated on walling off the factions and paying all sides to stop killing each other.
Also of paramount importance to the success of the "surge" is an agreement with AlSadar, whose hatred for America knows no bounds, to continue his cease fire while we continue directly and through corruption to fill his coffers.
One has to wonder if the Bush bubbleheads would continue to support this war if they had the slightest clue whom we're supporting.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04182008/watch.html

[vet64]

so how do we rationalize staying in our modern day Vietnam because we need to uphold the honor of our almost 4100 dead G.I.'s, Marines and Sailors who died in a country with no ties to 9/11?? An invasion and occupation built on lies, half truths, manipulated intelligence and also manipulated news by the Neo Con owned News Media Conglomerates who themselves are in Collusion with the Neo Con Parasites infesting the Executive Branch. Why else would King Pinocchio and Shotgun Cheney spend billions of American Taxpayer dollars on Propaganda against the American Citizens?
Why do we say that to leave Iraq will dishonor the American dead?
If we went into Iraq on a basis of everending excuses of lies, we should immediately disengage and go back to Afghanistan, Pakistan and worldwide and begin hunting down Bin Laden and due to the Neo Cons greed and avarice and TREASON, a greatly expanded al-Qaeda. Invite NATO, the UN and surrounding countries to put in a peacekeeping force. The iraqis will take care of al-Qaeda themselves.
As it is there's no honor and justice for the 3,000 dead American Citizens, murdered on 9/11, because King Pinocchio and Shotgun Cheney quit looking for Bin Laden and al-Qaeda.
There is no justice for the almost 4100 dead American Military because they died in a country with no ties to 9/11 on a everchanging basis built on lies, half truths and manipulated intelligenc

[ChimpmasterDJ]

The "cut and run" accusation is an argument that can only be defended on the basis of a "moral obligation" vis-a-vis the Iraqi people. This "obligation" was incurred on our behalf by the criminal Administration of Bush and Cheney, with full foreknowledge of the fact that Saddam - for all his crimes and sins - was a stabilizing influence in a powder keg. This had been well analyzed, and was central to the correct decision, at the end of the Gulf War, to leave him in place.

Now... this "you broke it, now you have to fix it" obligation... can it really bind ALL Americans, even though it was a decision taken by a small coterie of lunatics and "sold" under completely false and manufactured pretenses? Can it be taken on, when it can only result in economic disaster and very real pain for every American, not to mention many deaths and other casualties? At what point does the American National Interest trump an obligation to Iraqis that was taken on our behalf by a group of criminal madmen with lies?

Now... factor in the reality that what's broken cannot be "fixed" by anyone but the Iraqi people. We can only assist. Since the Iraqi people have no such inclination, on the contrary, isn't our "obligation" extinguished on yet another ground?

I wouldn't call it "cut and run" so much as exercising a bit of wisdom in looking after the interests of every American man, woman and child.

[Rog49Thomas]

Let me begin by stating that I think this war is a profound strategic disaster.

But facts are facts.

(1) To state that this article represents the position of the NDU. . It's the personal opinion of Joseph Collins.

(2) To understand the article one has to read it to see why it was written. I think it's a neocon admission of the failure but (a) an attempt to explain why the project of invading Iraq was a really good idea and (b) that failure was due to poor decision making. In that regard Brother Joe seems to have a fondness for that great mind, Brother Feith for whom he worked.

(3) What are some of the points he makes?

A "rapid" withdrawal of US forces would lead to a bloodbath.

"Iraq remains a must win" even though he thinks it's a "can't win".

Brother Saddam was an "active supporter of terrorists". Brother Joe cites the Mujahideen al Khalq and so called Palestinian terrrorists. He even ascribes a relationship to Brother Zarqawi who was living in northern Iraq in an area under the control of our brave Kurdish "friends".

Everyone even including Brother Clinton thought Saddam had WMDs.

When terrorists attack inside the USA it ceases to be a police matter and becomes a war.

Had we only listened to "smart" guys like Feith things would have turned out quite nicely.

And I could go on.

[ChimpmasterDJ]

"When terrorists attack inside the USA it ceases to be a police matter and becomes a war."

Still trying to peddle that false connection between 9-11 and Saddam? Go sell it to a Republican website, people here know better.

[Rog49Thomas]

I'm not sure what you're responding to.

I am reciting Brother Joseph's points. That doesn't mean that I believe them.

[shockmagog]

I think Rog was pointing out the beliefs Collins still clings to, if I'm not mistaken.

[CAPTAINSKIPPY]

Time to pass the NPLB legislation (no pResident left behind) to improve education where it seems to be grossly deficient.

[winoohno]

It will be interesting to see how the White House decides to "spin" this story... the National Defense University (NDU) is a highly-respected institution that is heavily relied upon for its scholarly analysis on defense related issues. I don't see how the Administration can rely on the NDU when it coincides with their neocon ideology, but then dismiss a report like this that castigates the Administration for this complete blunder in Iraq. I hope people discuss this report widely...

[ProfessorDuh]

The Bush White House is making the author say that the report does not mean what it says. LOL.