Experts say U.S. No Closer to Leaving Iraq than it was a Year Ago

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) released a new report today stating that because "political progress is so slow, halting and superficial, and social and political fragmentation so pronounced," the United States "is no closer to being able to leave Iraq than it was a year ago." The new assessment -- which was conducted by the same experts that advised the Iraq Study Group (ISG) -- "predicts that lasting political development could take five to 10 years of 'full, unconditional commitment' to Iraq, but also cautions that future progress may not be worth the 'massive' human and financial costs" to the United States. The report also says that the recent security gains in Iraq are "due to factors that are outside U.S. control and therefore subject to change." "Reductions in troop levels will likely result in some degree of chaos and violence no matter what," the report finds, but adds that a rapid withdrawal would cause "massive chaos and even genocide." The White House "blocked efforts to reassemble" the ISG for a follow-up report even though former co-chair Lee Hamilton "was interested in a sequel timed to the [Iraq] assessment this week by Gen. David Petraeus and Amb. Ryan Crocker." [MORE]