Lt. General Peter Chiarelli's View of Iraq
By: Hubert Crowell
As I listened to the live interview this morning, (December 8, 2006), with the commander of the
Multinational Force in Iraq, I was impressed with the progress made and the plans for 2007.
Several points that the General stressed made very good common sense.
* Provincial elections within the year.
General Chiarelli felt that this was very critical within the next year, to start provincial elections
in the Sunni and Shiite neighborhoods. It was interesting that when the general talked with the
Iraq's in the Baghdad neighborhoods that often the Iraq people could not tell what their neighbors
were, Kurd, Sunni, or Shiite. They think of them selves as Iraq. It appears to me that Baghdad is
a melting pot like the United States. It is only when you get out into the outlying provinces that
you have a stronger distinction between ethnic groups.
* Provide jobs for the young men.
Whenever the general would ask the tribal leaders what, he could do to help, the overwhelming
response was to provide more jobs for the young men. To take away the fuel for the insurgents.
By getting these young angry men off the streets and reduce the available manpower for al-Qaida
type influence. The 18.4 billion that was provided for rebuilding the info-structure in Iraq is
running out. Give the people hope by seeing improvements being made, most of the major
projects are nearing completion.
* Convince the Iraq people that the current government is the government of national unity in
Iraq.
* Transition teams of small groups 10 to 12 US solders each embedded in the Iraq forces.
Hundreds of these small teams of trainers are working with the Iraq National Police and Army
units to reduce the need for US troops. In the coming years and many more of these teams will
be spreading out into the outlying areas during 2007.
* 2007 a critical year for Iraq.
The economic and political situation is critical and job training is just as important as the military training for the Iraq people.
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