Running Out of Time in Iraq

President Bush has long resisted setting any timetable for progress or troop withdrawal in Iraq. But a group of Republicans, worried about their party’s chances in future elections, warned the president that, unless some signs of progress emerge, they could no longer support his strategy after September. So US military commanders confront that deadline, as Sunni and Shiite factions struggle for control of neighborhoods throughout Baghdad. As fighting and car bombs rage, political leaders remain at an impasse, reports “Washington Post” columnist David Ignatius. Both Iraqis and US military commanders hope that a political solution – oil-revenue sharing, Sunni-Shiite power-sharing arrangements, as well as dialogue with Iran and Syria – could stem the violence, allowing political reconciliation to begin. But as Ignatius warns, reconciliation is a time-consuming process that requires an expectation of security. – YaleGlobal