Whether you believe that the number killed in Iraq since the invasion of 2003  is 6000 or 600,000 you will, unless you are deranged, agree that there is a problem of the highest magnitude. Even some republicans now call it a Civil War. Whatever it is, the current situation is untenable and the latest coalition casualty figures are not encouraging. If anything, things seem to be getting worse. Here is what we should do if we want to leave Iraq any time soon:   Speak to Iran and Syria They are going to have a hand in the future shape of Iraq whether Bush likes it or not. It is much better to include them at this stage and try to work out some agreement than try and stop them having any role. Between them they have thousands of miles of common Iraqi boarder, cultural and religious ties, and of course potential economic ties. They have a vested interest in an eventual stable Iraq. They also have a vested interest in it not being US dominated. They are part of this, it is time to accept it.   Hearts and Minds The Americans just don't get it. It has worked in southern Iraq, it has born fruit in Afghanistan, it has many benefits. To state the obvious:

• The locals have less reason to want to kill you.
• It promotes stability.
• You incur less casualties.
• You can gather more information and intelligence.
• You can ostracize the enemy through gaining the trust of the locals.

I suspect that the American Army are to over-stretched, stressed, and poorly trained to achieve this. In which case:   Replace the Coalition After the Balfour declaration, Suez, Support for Israel, the bombings of Tripoli and Khartoum, and countless other western disasters involving the Middle East, no Arab state wants to be occupied by predominantly American forces. So let's hand over control to the UN and get a proper multinational force involved. Maybe they can win over the trust of the Iraqi people and start to get the country back on track.   More Troops I know many people think that the troops are just causing trouble and should be pulled out but I think that could lead to a complete collapse of whatever law and order exists. It could be the precursor to all out civil war, as opposed to the low level civil war that is happening at the moment. I think Iraq needs a much greater stabilization force. Not one that concentrates on a bogus hunt for terrorism,or protects oil infrastructure before people, but one that is omniscient in all urban areas, enforcing calm and promoting economic activity. This force is difficult to construct because it needs to be large in number, well equipped, and well trained enough to do the job properly and without corruption or wanton violence.   The current plan for Iraq has failed. Miserably. A secure and bright future for Iraq will come only through new thinking. And this thinking needs to come from 2007, not the nineteen-nineties. Remember, the American Century ended 7 years ago now.   del.icio.us tags: iraq, war, bush, strategy, solution, quagmire, stability, troops, withdraw