One view of the way forward in Iraq

She argues that the United States should follow a policy of conditional engagement — that is, transitioning US forces out of the lead role in Iraq, while continuing to train Iraqi forces to take over. (Does the current offensive in Basra help or hinder the larger effort of political reconciliation in Iraq?) I don’t think it’s the right way to go about it. the various factions need to come together and negotiate settlements on some difficult issues. These are not issues that can be dealt with by military offensives. (Do you see this as muscular negotiations?) I don’t think that’s what this was, there’s no political strategy associated with this offensive. This did not go as Maliki intended. (To what extent is this a precedent for what might happen in the event of a rapid withdrawal?) It is a cautionary tale. How we disengage from Iraq really matters. We cannot leave Iraq as a black hole of chaos, and a civil war would increase the risk of regional war, and a chaotic Iraq can be a safe haven for groups like Al Qaeda. We have also a moral responsibility because we started this war. (What did you take away from your trip to Iraq? Any particular stories that serve as important?) I think that one of the things we heard over and over again is people would say, are you staying? They said we’re proud people and don’t want to be occupied long term, but we need more time to make political accommodations. So leave, but not yet.