For the complete report in the Economist.com click on this link
Strategy in Iraq - Coming to the end of options
A MAN walks up to a shrub and asks: “So, what's our exit strategy from Iraq?” The voice-over intones: “OK, it's kind of ridiculous to think you're ever going to get an answer from this bush.” A picture of the president appears on the screen. The voice-over continues: “But it's also kind of ridiculous to think you're going to get an answer from this one.” Amid the hubbub of an American election campaign, the loudest voices discussing Iraq are rarely the most constructive. Democratic ads linger over the graves of American soldiers. Republican spots feature the sound of a ticking bomb and a quote from Osama bin Laden about every Muslim's sacred duty to kill Americans.
The lone oasis of stability in Iraq remains the predominantly Kurdish north, now seeing an economic boom as Iraqi business relocates to its relative peace and security. Kurds there frequently grumble about corruption and administrative lethargy on the part of their government, formed by two rival former guerrilla movements, but still consider themselves fortunate compared with the rest of the country. They are particularly proud of their government's decision to bring in foreign companies, over Baghdad's objections, to explore local oilfields. This, they feel, may lay the groundwork for financial independence and secession. The north may not be quite as tranquil next year, however. Kurdish leaders say that they are still on track for a December 2007 referendum in which the province of Kirkuk and other “disputed territories” will vote on whether they will join the Kurdistan autonomous region. Kurds now think that their compatriots and allies have enough of a majority to win the referendum, but the region is still occupied by hundreds of thousands of Sunni Arabs, Turkish-speakers and Shias, some of whom will strongly resist incorporation into Kurdistan.
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