US surge strategy

Operational Success, Strategic Failure:

Charlotte F. Blatt, in Operational Success, Strategic Failure: Assessing the 2007 Iraq Troop Surge, displays two sides of a debate regarding the long-term failure of the US operation to reduce violence and stabilize Iraq. One group argues that the surge would have succeeded had it not been for a premature withdrawal of troops under the Obama administration. This side believes that this is evident in the initial success seen with the troops present and argue that the surge “shouldn’t have stopped before figuring out a way to maintain the progress” (44). On the other hand, another group argues that strategic success was not possible in this operation due to the failure to identify the major driving conflicts in Iraq, particularly sectarian divisions and weak governmental institutions. Blatt adopts this second argument, claiming that “operational success could not be translated into strategic success because corresponding intergroup reconciliation and institution-building did not occur” (55). It is argued that the US had failed to understand regional dynamics and these deeply rooted tensions during the surge. Due to this, the root causes of the conflict had not been resolve and, as a result, the US was unable to produce long-term stability in Iraq. In additional to this, Blatt explains that US support was placed behind “ineffective and unsustainable” (45) governmental institutions, which faced problems with “institutional discrimination, leadership failure, and service delivery challenges” (49). By supporting these institutions, with little involvement or effort to resolve this, the US had allowed for the perpetuation of problematic policy and inadequate governmental operation. It is argued that the dismissal of these factors, during and after the surge, had created a environment where sectarian strife is not only still present but proliferated. Blatt concludes the piece by warning that, unless future operations successful identify and work to resolve these conflicts, any interventions will only work to further divide the people of any given society.