First, we can try to understand a complicated situation and differentiate the US-AQ fight from sectarian battles, not just declare that it's all a civil war and all hopeless.
....
We can do it if we have staying power. We really need to beat AQ because they will follow us if we don't. Probably if we do as well, but from a much weaker position.
Iraq is a very poor setting from our POV to beat AQ. AQ is a small part of the battle there, the big fight is between Shia/Sunni and various insurgents & US. How are we going to win the small war with AQ in Iraq when it is swamped by a much larger war which we are not going to win? I don't see any strategy to win against AQ there, without somehow magically winning peace for all.
If we want to beat AQ, let us do it in Afghanistan. Any way, once we leave Iraq, AQ will get kicked out by the Iraqi's, so we will win that way, even without solving the Iraq problem. |
