President Obama and Iraq: Toward a Responsible Troop Drawdown [Paperback]

Raymond Tanter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2009

Professor Raymond Tanter headed a fact-finding delegation to Iraq to interview Sunni Awakening members, Iraqi Shiites, Iraqi and American officials, and the Iranian opposition based in Iraq. This book explains why insurgents ceased attacking U.S. forces in Iraq and turned against al Qaeda, and how the U.S. drawdown can be achieved while preserving gains of the political-military surge. If the withdrawal fails to keep Awakening members from defecting to al Qaeda because of clashes between the Awakening and Iraqi Security forces, gains of the surge will be in jeopardy. Reconciliation with those at the fringes of the insurgency, as in Iraq, is likely to be a centerpiece of the U.S. strategy for Afghanistan. An Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy that reaches out to warlords who have formed alliances of convenience with the Taliban would depend on finding a mediator who has good relations with both NATO forces and those warlords who might be reconcilable.

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About the Author

Raymond Tanter served at the White House as a senior member on the National Security Council staff, from 1981 to 1982. In 1983-1984, he was personal representative of the Secretary of Defense to arms control talks in Madrid, Helsinki, Stockholm, and Vienna. In 1967, Tanter was deputy director of behavioral sciences at the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense and a member of the Civilian Executive Panel, Chief of Naval Operations, 1980-1981. Among Tanter s publications is Rogue Regimes: Terrorism and Proliferation. Tanter also coauthored Appeasing the Ayatollahs and Suppressing Democracy: U.S. Policy and the Iranian Opposition, What Makes Tehran Tick: Islamist Ideology and Hegemonic Interests, and Baghdad Ablaze: How to Extinguish the Fires in Iraq.

Product Details

• Paperback: 95 pages
• Publisher: Iran Policy Committee (September 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615281125
• ISBN-13: 978-0615281124
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,635,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)