Demagogue

In the March issue of Atlantic Monthly, Kenneth Pollack has penned an interesting article. He writes that

... 2006 will likely prove decisive for the future of Iraq: reconstruction efforts must finally begin to show tangible results, or else people in both Iraq and America will lose faith that positive outcomes are even possible. And the brutal reality is that time is running out.

A six- to twelve-month window of opportunity may be all that remains before the spiral toward possible chaos and civil war is beyond control.

Pollack notes that amid some signs of progress, the reasons for such progress are hardly encouraging.

... security has increased somewhat in many parts of Iraq because sectarian militias have taken control there and because looters and petty criminals have been consolidated into organized crime rings.

This is not a meaningful improvement, because it carries within it the seeds of its own destruction.

Pollack proceeds to outline seven steps by which the U.S. can help put Iraq on a stable, long-term footing. For the full text of his article, click here.