[Dean's World] Dave Price: Anbar Awakening?

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Dave Price:
Anbar Awakening?
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1177434179.shtml


   Seeing a lot of reports like [1]this:

     Sgt. Harding, now serving his fourth tour of duty with the 2nd
     Battalion, 5th Marines, said things are much better than several
     months ago:
     ...
     "They are calling it the Al Anbar Awakening," Sgt. Harding said.
     "Many sheiks have united. They realized the Americans are not
     leaving. At first the sheiks supported the terrorists -- this was
     when I was here last time and it was all-out gunbattles and
     [improvised explosive devices] and suicide bombings. Now sheiks
     realize Americans have money and power and are not leaving. So half
     of them, Sunnis, have decided to work with the U.S. to get rid of
     the terrorists."
     Although half of Ramadi is a war zone, the other half is becoming
     secure with open schools, businesses and hospitals, he said.
     "So much progress has happened! My friends who died here did not
     die in vain. It moves me deeply. I feel tears welling up in me as I
     type this." Like many deployed in Iraq, Sgt. Harding had no kind
     words for the press covering the war. He said he wanted people back
     home to know what's going on in Ramadi and Anbar and not the "if it
     bleeds, it leads," reporting mentality of most newspapers and
     television stations.

   This [2]LA Times piece and [3]this letter from a soldier (both via
   [4]Glenn) also augur well. Money quote:

     Gen Petraeus is treating the war like a counter-insurgency rather
     than a stability operation. For non-military personnel, there is a
     HUGE difference between the two. What we've been doing in Iraq
     since Petraeus took over is completely different than what we were
     doing under Gen Casey.

   We've seen this kind of strategic adaptation concomitant with a change
   in leadership turn around the situation in [5]other conflicts.

References

   1. http://dutyinthedesert.blogspot.com/2007/04/ramadi-report.html
   2. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-oe-boot24apr24,1,547595.column?coll=la-news-a_section&ctrack=1&cset=true
   3. http://op-for.com/2007/04/what_is_happening_over_here.html
   4. http://www.instapundit.com/
   5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Ridgway#Korean_War