Iraq is already in a state of serious civil war, and current efforts at political compromise and improving security at best are buying time. There is a critical risk that Iraq will drift into a major civil conflict over the coming months, see its present government fail, and/or divide or separate in some form.
The US cannot simply "stay the course," and rely on its existing actions and strategy. It needs new options to reverse the drift towards a major civil war and political failure. There are no truly good options that can guarantee success and there are many bad ones. This paper suggests that the US should avoid unilateral options and seek to negotiate new incentives with the Iraqi government and its allies.
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