Iraq Troop Withdrawal: Wait and See

On August 9, Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that “nobody knows” when the Iraqi government, police and armed forces will be ready to provide their own security. “You can’t predict your troop strength based on what you think is going to happen; you’re going to have to wait until events on the ground prove it.” This modifies recent statements such as that made by Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the senior American general in Iraq, who said the Defense Department might be able to make “some fairly substantial reductions” by next spring and summer.