A Strategy for the End Game in Iraq

Abstract

Conflict termination sets the military conditions to achieve political objectives. Americans view conflict termination as the decisive defeat of an enemy's armed forces. In today's strategic environment a number of factors limit the United States' ability to equate termination with the decisive defeat of an armed force. This paper examines the prospects for conflict termination in Iraq. It discusses the theories behind conflict termination, analyzes the combatants, identifies potential obstacles, and offers military conditions conducive to the United States ending the fighting. It portends that ending the fighting will be messy, protracted, and marked by ambiguity and risk, with the most favorable political objectives contingent on America establishing a timeline for conflict termination backed up by the achievement of declared military conditions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 30, 2007
Accession Number
ADA468944

Entities

People

  • Paul M. Nakasone

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Civil War
  • Governments
  • Joint Military Activities
  • Law
  • Middle East
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Negotiations
  • Police
  • Sectarian Violence
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Violence
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies