Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Newsweek
December 25, 2006 Periscope
America's longest-serving ambassdor to the new Iraq, Khalilzad spoke to Michael Hastings inside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
What needs to be done to stop the bloodshed in Iraq? The enemy has their own agenda in escalating things. We need to help Iraqis come together to stop sectarian violence, provide security for the population, to build bridges of confidence. There is no better option than working on a compact between Shia moderates, Sunni moderates and Kurds, bringing them together to cooperate against extremists of all sides. I don't believe we should lose patience or lose our nerve. If we go, what will happen—will our interests be better served?
Iraqi security forces are behind much of the sectarian violence, yet we're training more of them. Are we just going to get better-trained death squads? It's a fair point. The Iraqi Army is generally pretty good—nonsectarian, loyal to the state. In the National Police, there's a significant problem. We're involved in both state- and nation-building simultaneously. It's an ancient land but a relatively new nation. People have to understand this is a complicated country. It's at the fault line of two sects of Islam, Shia and Sunni, fault lines of the Middle East, Arab, non-Arab and Turk, and neighbors that are not helpful. [If anyone] promised this will be easy, it wasn't realistic.
December 25, 2006 Periscope
America's longest-serving ambassdor to the new Iraq, Khalilzad spoke to Michael Hastings inside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
What needs to be done to stop the bloodshed in Iraq? The enemy has their own agenda in escalating things. We need to help Iraqis come together to stop sectarian violence, provide security for the population, to build bridges of confidence. There is no better option than working on a compact between Shia moderates, Sunni moderates and Kurds, bringing them together to cooperate against extremists of all sides. I don't believe we should lose patience or lose our nerve. If we go, what will happen—will our interests be better served?
Iraqi security forces are behind much of the sectarian violence, yet we're training more of them. Are we just going to get better-trained death squads? It's a fair point. The Iraqi Army is generally pretty good—nonsectarian, loyal to the state. In the National Police, there's a significant problem. We're involved in both state- and nation-building simultaneously. It's an ancient land but a relatively new nation. People have to understand this is a complicated country. It's at the fault line of two sects of Islam, Shia and Sunni, fault lines of the Middle East, Arab, non-Arab and Turk, and neighbors that are not helpful. [If anyone] promised this will be easy, it wasn't realistic.