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Description
A stark Aug. 23 assessment by the US intelligence agencies depicts a paralysed Maliki government unable to take advantage of the security gains achieved by the thousands of extra American troops sent to the country this year. The assessment, known as a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), gives a dim prognosis on the likelihood that Iraqi politicians can heal deep sectarian rifts before next spring, when US military commanders have said that a crunch on available troops will require reducing the American presence in Iraq.
Yet the NIE implicitly criticises proposals offered by Democrats, including several presidential candidates, who have called for a withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq by next year and for a major shift in the American approach, from manpower-intensive counter-insurgency operations to lower-profile efforts aimed at supporting Iraqi troops and carrying out quick-strike... |
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