I hope Kerry realizes: Iraq, he wrote in a new report, "is virtually a no-win situation for the US."Anthony Cordesman, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Washington -- The deadlocked battle against Iraqi insurgents in such cities as Fallujah and Najaf has made it clear to military thinkers in Washington that, more than a year after Saddam Hussein was brought down, the United States faces a determined rebellion in Iraq, one that some analysts say can't be defeated by force.
The question that divides strategists is whether the United States should gird itself for the long haul or make a deal now, probably under United Nations auspices, and hope for the best in a country where almost 800 American military personnel have been killed, more than 3,800 wounded and uncounted thousands of Iraqis killed or injured.
All the analysts agree there are few military options for a quick and successful end to the war.
"Any military solution is now likely to be the kind of 'victory' that creates a new firestorm over excessive force, civilian casualties and collateral damage,'' wrote Anthony Cordesman, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The U.S. cannot hope to kill or arrest all of the Sunni and foreign insurgents that exist now and is almost certain to create far more than it destroys.''
Instead, even critics of the current effort such as Cordesman say the elements to eventually create peace in Iraq include increasing the number of American troops, better preparing those soldiers for a guerrilla-style conflict, trying to establish more limited areas where the Iraqi people will be safe and continuing to try to win over the Iraqi people, in large part by showing the United States has the resolve to weather the difficult periods.
Cordesman, just back from 11 days in the Middle East, said it seems clear that support for the United States is dropping among Iraqis, while Iraqi leaders associated with the United States have lost credibility.
Iraq, he wrote in a new report, "is virtually a no-win situation for the US
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