Is it fair to say that we have now won in Iraq?

Question

Iraqi security forces are being trained, Al-Malaki has asked us to leave, we've agreed to a "horizon" on withdraw, life is returning to normal, Al-Qaeda is leaving for Afghanistan, we are considering bringing troops home, fewer Americans and Iraqis are dying, terrorists are being rounded up and arrested etc.

Answer 1

It appears as if things are winding down and that yes we have achieved victory. But we still must be careful with our troop withdrawals.

Answer 2

Uhh...can we ALL say, "THE SURGE WORKED"  Come on you lefties, you can do it, say,  wwwwwwwooooorrrkkkeed.

Answer 3

WTF r u talking about.....Dont you remember the Mission Accomplished thingy waaaaay back in May of '03.....

What you've been dealing with here is a BOTCHED OCCUPATION!!

AAAnd  if you consider BRIBING the Sunni's and Shiite's not to attack us as a successful escalation then, OK!

h**l if you cant beat 'em put them on the DOLE!!!  and call it an AWAKENING!!

Answer 4

The test will be how the next election in Iraq.That is how many people turn out to vote and if the election is conducted in a fair manned, allowing decanters to vote with out fear of retaliation if they vote against to government. only time will tell.      

Answer 5

I think we'll only be able to say we've won in hindsight. If ten years from now, all our troops are home and life in Iraq is peaceful, then yes I will think that we've won. too early to say now.

The surest way to lose is to withdraw US troops too soon and too quickly.

Answer 6

How is it considered winning when nothing will ever be set at peace with that dumb *** George Bush as President

Answer 7

Yes you could say so. But I would not because the situation could reverse itself and we would have difficulty sending the troops back.  Like Korea we will likely have some presence there for some time to emphasize our backing of the government.  We do not need to say we won for everyone to know we won.

Answer 8

Things have improved on a war we should have never started. Bush sold the US taxpayers the disease and now we're paying again for the cure.  The billions wasted on this war could have gone to help Viet nam vets still suffering, among many other good causes.

  

Answer 9

Yes, you can safely say you have won when they start training their Air Force. That is the last thing to do when rebuilding a military...for obvious reasons.  

Answer 10

Whoa...ease up on this line of thinking!

The surge, augmented by Sunni ousting of Al Qaeda and a few successes by the Iraqi military, is a good sign; however, Iraq is still a very dicey place as evidenced by:

- History telling us that AQ tends to periodically go underground as a means to conduct reconnaissance and refurbishment.

- The Kurdish situation in the north is far from being resolved and stable. This could easily erupt into another episode of the ongoing civil war

- The Iraqi military has enjoyed recent successes; however, the Iraqi police force has a ways to go before its truly a national institution. They still participate in sectarian violence, and are influenced by the radical groups residing in Iraq.

Although I am gaining optimism in the situation and with the recent success of the surge, there is still plenty of room for Iraq to degenerate into a mess. Best to watch this situation for a few more months before declairing victory and pulling out the troops.

Answer 11

Yeah I think so.