DOD is required by law to issue a report to Congress each quarter discussing “specific performance indicators and measures of progress toward political, economic, and security stability in Iraq.”  Nineteen such reports have been issued to date, including the latest, which was issued in March 2010 and covered the period ending February 2010.  We reported on two of the previous reports, here and here.

The reports document significant progress in restoring Iraq’s political, economic, and cultural stability.  The reports also document continued challenges facing both the Government of Iraq (GoI) and the US-led multi-national forces as they move toward the end of the combat mission by August 2010 and a complete redeployment of all US forces by December 31, 2011.  The current report notes that on January 1, 2010, the US forces “conducted a command and control (C2) transformation” as the theater command transitioned from a multi-national force to a US-only force.

With respect to the political landscape, the report states—

Efforts promoting national unity continue, with an increased commitment to the political process by Iraq’s political actors. Despite signs of progress, Iraqis have not yet reached agreement on some core issues. The contentious matters of oil wealth distribution, the management of oil resources, and the resolution of disputed internal boundaries (DIBs) continue as sources of tension between Arabs and Kurds. Sunni-Shi’a tensions persist over perceived Sunni marginalization, including transitioning the Sons of Iraq (SoI) program, reintegrating former detainees and regime elements, the ongoing de-Ba’athification controversy, and assisting in the return and reintegration of Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Over half of the SoI have yet to be integrated into ministerial, security force, or private employment in order to facilitate election security in March 2010, although progress continues to be made in placements.

Importantly, endemic corruption is on the decline.  The report notes that—

The Iraqi government has made measured progress in its efforts to reduce corruption. In January 2010, the Council of Ministers (CoM) approved the GoI’s national anti-corruption strategy to improve compliance with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), ratified by the GoI in 2008. Increased resources to identify and remedy government corruption have shown positive results and include a government launched anti-bribery campaign and an expanded public outreach effort to educate the public on the social and economic costs of corruption. In December 2009, Deputy Transportation Minister Adnan al-Ubaidi was convicted of receiving a $100,000 bribe and was sentenced to eight years imprisonment; in a separate case, three Ministry of Trade officials were convicted and sentenced on corruption charges. These cases mark significant progress compared to previous years in which political pressures often derailed corruption cases against major figures. Additionally, USF-I and other U.S. organizations continued to assist the GoI in its efforts to fight organized crime and other corruptive influences against private sector companies and professionals such as doctors and business owners.

Iran continues to exert influence in the country.  The report states—

Iran’s multi-pronged strategy in Iraq consists of political outreach, soft-power initiatives, and lethal support for surrogate groups. Iran continues to exert significant influence in Iraq, although many senior Iraqi officials are privately pushing back against Iranian pressure and appear intent on limiting Iran’s effort to manipulate Iraqi politics. During this reporting period, Iran viewed the Iraqi national elections as critical to balance U.S. influence in Iraq. Throughout the period of seating the government, Iran focused its levers of influence, including economic, financial, religious, and potentially lethal aid to Iraqi insurgents, to shape Iraqi politics toward Iran’s own interests. Leveraging its strong economic and religious ties to the Iraqi Shi’a population, Iran has intervened to moderate disputes between Iraq and Syria. Iranian security leaders also have long-standing contacts with many Kurdish leaders, including Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani. Destabilizing Iranian influence will continue to pose a significant challenge to Iraq’s stability and political independence.

Not to get too deep into the details, we would feel remiss not to note the discussion on security.  From the report:

Security in Iraq continues to improve and the ISF successfully maintained security throughout the elections. Overall, security incidents remained at low levels from December 2009 to February 2010, averaging 150 security incidents per week, which is a 14.8% decrease from the last reporting period and a 45% drop compared to the same period in 2008-2009. Monthly high-profile attacks (HPAs) nationwide remained essentially unchanged from the previous reporting period. Periodic spectacular, multiple-device HPAs seem to be emerging as the extremists’ preferred attack method to create outsized effects while husbanding resources. Although HPAs executed during the previous reporting period through February 2010 caused a large number of civilian deaths and injuries, thus far these attacks have not rekindled a cycle of ethno-sectarian violence. Finally, the disruption of attacks by ISF highlights the increasing Iraqi security capabilities that Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) faces as it attempts to operate. The Iraqi government’s success in preventing large-scale attacks during the Ashura holiday also demonstrates a growing capacity for increasing security during times of heightened threat of AQI attacks. Despite generally lower attack levels, significant longterm challenges remain, including control of border areas to reduce the import of lethal materials and continued development of MoI and Ministry of Defense (MoD) security coordination capabilities.

As wordy as the foregoing has been, in truth we have barely scratched the surface of the detailed 77-page report.  As the focus of the mainstream media is aimed at Afghanistan, many citizens have lost sight of the progress being made in Iraq.  Taking the time to review these quarterly reports leads to a more informed understanding of how the U.S. is progressing in restoring the country to its rightful role as a sovereign entity in the community of nations. 

Our advice?  You should click on the link above and read the report.

Photo Credit:  Sgt. Jamal Kennedy, a team leader with Co. B, TF 1-21 Inf., mans a .50 caliber machine gun outside the Rahemawa Iraqi Police station Jan. 30 in Kirkuk, Iraq. Soldiers provided secondary security, while Iraqi Security Forces provided the primary security for the elections. (Sgt. Sean Kimmons)