- Most of the violence in Iraq is confined to three provinces that are home
to approximately one-third of Iraq's population of some twenty-seven-million
people. US Army spokesman Major General Rick Lynch says that today March 27,
2006, "Seventy-five percent of the attacks … take place in the provinces
of Baghdad, al-Anbar, or Salaheddin. And in the other fifteen provinces,"
says General Lynch, "they all averaged less than six attacks a day, and
twelve of those provinces averaged less than two attacks a day." US Secretary
of Defence Donald Rumsfeld says there might be fewer terrorist attacks if
Iraqis had "been able to fashion a government at an earlier time".
Mr. Rumsfeld says that after decades of misrule, some Iraqis are hesitant
about forming a new government: This is part of an editorial reflecting the
views of the US Government.
- Pressure is growing on US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on April 14, 2006, with more retired generals calling for him to resign over the Iraq war. The White House has said it is happy with the way Mr Rumsfeld is handling his job and the situation in Iraq. The number of retired generals calling for him to be replaced has risen to six. It a rebellion led by those who know Mr Rumsfeld handling of the war from the inside. The two most recent retired generals to voice their unease about Mr Rumsfeld handling of the war are Major General John Riggs and Major General Charles H Swannack Jr, both of the Army.
- US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Tuesday October 17, 2006,
the US military is too strong to lose the war in Iraq, but ultimately political
solutions will be needed to win. He does not know that they have already lost!
Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, the controversial face of US war
policy, quit on November 9, 2006, after Democrats rode Americans' anger over
Iraq to victory in yesterday's congressional elections. Just days after declaring
his strong support for Rumsfeld, George W Bush, the US president, said he
agreed with his top war manager that it was time for a new perspective. Bush
said the current Iraq policy was "not working well enough, fast enough."
He said Robert Gates, a former CIA director, a member of the Iraq Study Group,
a bipartisan group that is assessing alternative strategies for Iraq, would
replace Rumsfeld.
- The White House will ask the new Senate to confirm the US envoy to the UN, John Bolton. The White House described Mr Bolton's record in his current post as "terrific". But the chances of Mr Bolton being backed by the Senate are slim after the Democrats' victory in mid-term polls. Mr Bolton was appointed to the UN post in August 2005 during a Congressional recess after his nomination stalled in the Senate.
- The conclusions of the 10-member panel, which is led by former US Secretary of State James Baker, a Republican and close Bush family friend, and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, an Indiana Democrat, are widely seen as giving Bush political cover to change course if he wishes. The Iraq Study Group will recommend the US military shift away from combat and toward more of a support role in Iraq over the next year or so. The recommendation by the independent panel would be to pull US fighting forces back to bases inside Iraq, and in the region, as the US military sought to withdraw from the daily fighting. The group would also recommend a regional conference that could lead to direct US talks with Iran and Syria, which US officials accuses of fomenting the sectarian violence that kills scores of people die every day in Iraq. "The main thing is the group is calling for a transition from a combat role to a support role". "It's basically a redeployment." The idea appeared to be to try to leave the fighting to Iraqi forces and for the US military to concentrate more on providing training, intelligence, advice and equipment. Many in Washington hope the bipartisan group's report would provide a way for the United States to extricate itself from an increasingly deadly and unpopular war or, at least, a set of ideas on how to move forward that could attract support from both Democrats and Republicans.
- President George W. Bush said on December 3, 2006, he wants to hear all
advice before making decisions about changes in Iraq strategy, even as it
was disclosed Donald Rumsfeld called for major changes in tactics two days
before he resigned as US defence secretary
- WE were told on December 4, 2006, that Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary,
admitted two days before he resigned that US policy in Iraq was failing and
recommended scaling back American operations there. He said the US strategy
in Iraq was "not working well enough or fast enough" and "needed
a major adjustment". Rumsfeld noted that the US mission had changed from
"major combat operations, to counter terrorism, to counter-insurgency,
to dealing with death squads and sectarian violence".
- A report on US policy in Iraq will urge negotiations with Iran and Syria
over the future of their neighbour. US President George W Bush said on December
6, 2006, the Iraq Study Group (ISG) report will be taken "very seriously"
and has promised to "act in a timely fashion" on it. The report,
to be made public later, stops short of a firm timetable for troop pullout.
Washington has so far refused to hold direct talks with Iran and Syria.
- The bipartisan Iraq Study Group released recommendations on Wednesday December
6, 2006, for changing course in the country, saying US President George W.
Bush's policy in Iraq ''is not working.'' The Iraqi government said the US
report did ''not come as a surprise,'' and it agreed that Iraq must take the
lead in its own security. The Iraq Study Group report makes clear that much
depends on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government delivering on multiple
fronts for any new US strategy in Iraq to succeed. It's an extremely tall
order for a government seen by most Iraqis as ineffective and constantly castigated
by politicians from blocs that support it. The panel's 96-page report makes
tough recommendations for steps that need to be taken by the Iraqi government.
Some of them appear not to take into account the complexity of post-Saddam
Hussein politics, the country's delicate sectarian and ethnic balance or how
much of an impact its worsening and widening violence has on tasks that are
routine or manageable elsewhere.
- US President George W Bush has ruled out early talks with Iran and Syria
on tackling Iraq's unrest, after meeting Tony Blair at the White House on
December 8, 2006. The two leaders agreed that a new way forward was needed
on Iraq. But they said Iran and Syria would have to be clear they backed a
non-sectarian democratically elected government in Iraq and ended support
for terrorism. Mr Blair welcomed the Iraq Study Group (ISG) report. He conceded
conditions in Iraq were "tough and challenging". But he said the
people of the Middle East faced a choice - either secular or religious dictatorship,
or "they can enjoy the same possibilities of democracy that we hold dear".
- The main authors of the report that aims to change US strategy in Iraq have
urged President George Bush on December 8, 2006 to follow all of their recommendations.
Former Secretary of State James Baker said the 79 points they put forward
were not a "fruit salad" to be picked over, but a comprehensive
strategy. Mr Bush has said that he would "seriously consider" the
report but he appears already to have ruled out some proposals, like talking
unconditionally to Syria and Iran and to decide the phasing out of the US
combat role in Iraq. The Iraq Study Group's assessment of US policy in Iraq
was scathing, saying the situation there is "deteriorating" and
warning that "time is running out".
- On December 10, 2006, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani criticised some of
the main findings of a high-level US report calling for a change of strategy
in Iraq -the proposal to withdraw US troops if Iraq failed to strengthen security,
to including former regime members in reconciliation talks. Mr Talabani had
previously praised the sections of the ISG report urging talks with neighbouring
countries including Iran and Syria.
- US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to Iraq on December
10, 2006, to thank US troops for their efforts in the war.
- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has rejected the idea of holding
talks with Iran and Syria on December 16, 2006, about reducing violence in
Iraq. She opposes the bipartisan Iraq Study Group's recommendation to engage
the two countries. The secretary said that if the two countries had an interest
in stabilizing Iraq they would do it anyway.
- New US Defence Secretary Robert Gates warned on December 19, 2006, that
failure in Iraq would be a "calamity" that would haunt the United
States for many years. Mr Gates, who replaces Donald Rumsfeld, said Iraq was
his top priority. He also vowed not to let Afghanistan become "a sanctuary
for extremists" again.
- Sending 30,000 or more additional American troops to Iraq probably wouldn't
stop the worsening violence, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., the incoming chairman
of the House Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday December 19, 2006. President
Bush is weighing the option. His administration is debating whether a large
increase in American troops, for perhaps six months or more, could quell the
rising violence and give the Iraqi government time to strengthen its ability
to take over responsibility for security.
- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday December 19, 2006, that
President Bush is considering a surge of additional US troops into Iraq to
help secure Baghdad despite strong reservations by some US military leaders
and the incoming chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
- US Democratic leaders urged President George W Bush on January 6, 2007,
not to increase troop levels in Iraq, days before he is expected to announce
such a move.
- On January 12, 2007, senior US legislators from both parties have attacked
President George W Bush's plans to send more than 20,000 extra troops to Iraq.
Democratic Senator Joseph Biden called the move a "tragic mistake",
while Republican Senator Chuck Hagel said Mr Bush had committed a dangerous
blunder.
- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was heading to Iraq and Afghanistan on January
13, 2007 -and calling for a troop "surge" in Afghanistan even though
she opposes a similar measure in Iraq. Clinton is travelling with Senator
Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and upstate Republican Representative John McHugh to tour
areas controlled by the US military this weekend. The group will meet with
US commanders, soldiers and high-ranking members of the Iraqi government,
possibly including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
- Arab leaders were deeply sceptical Wednesday January 17, 2007, of the US
plan for Iraq, a day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tried to sell
it to them. Kuwait's emir told Rice that America should work with Iran and
Syria -a move President Bush has rejected. Meeting with Rice on Tuesday in
Kuwait, eight Arab foreign ministers raised tough questions about Bush's new
strategy. The ministers -from six Persian Gulf states plus Egypt and Jordan
- were particularly concerned about whether the Shiite-led government of Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki can reach out to Iraq's minority Sunni Arabs to end
their resistance and lure them to the political process.
- The US Congress has the power to end the war in Iraq, a former Bush administration
attorney and other high-powered legal experts told a Senate hearing on Tuesday
February 1, 2007. Facing mounting opposition over his Iraq troop increase
plan, President George W Bush insisted it would be "too extreme"
if lawmakers pass a resolution condemning his Iraq policy. Four out of five
experts called before the Senate Judiciary Committee said Congress could go
even further and restrict or stop US involvement in Iraq if it chose.
- A resolution opposing President George W Bush's decision to send extra troops
to Iraq has failed to advance in the US Senate on February 5, 2007. The measure
needed 60 votes before the 100-member Senate could begin debate, but it got
49, with 47 voting against. Although non-binding, it was the first serious
effort in Congress to confront the White House over the war in Iraq.
- Senior Democrats in the United States urged the Bush administration on February
12, 2007, to be cautious about accusing Iran of fomenting violence in Iraq.
They were speaking after US officials in Iraq said they had evidence that
Iran was providing weapons to Shia militias who attacked the US military.
US claims the bombs were smuggled from Iran cannot be independently verified.
Democratic Senator Chris Dodd said the Bush administration had tried to falsify
evidence before.
- Top Democrats in the US Congress have warned President George W Bush on
February 16, 2007, that he does not have the authority to go to war with Iran.
The warning came ahead of a House of Representatives vote likely to condemn
the recent surge of US troops in Iraq.
- The US House of Representatives denounced President George W. Bush's Iraq
troop build-up on Friday February 16, 2007, in a symbolic but politically
potent challenge to his unpopular war strategy. The Democratic-controlled
House voted 246-182 -including 17 Republicans-for a resolution which voices
support for US troops but opposes the Republican president's decision to send
an additional 21,500 troops to bolster security in Baghdad and violent Anbar
province.
- The effort of Democratic leaders to force a Senate vote on a non-binding
resolution opposing a troop surge in Iraq was blocked in a rare Saturday February
17, 2007, session. A majority of senators supported the plan in a 56-34 vote
but Democrats were unable to convince a sufficient number of Republicans to
support them and failed to get to the 60-vote threshold they needed to move
forward. Republicans supporting the measure were Sens. John Warner (Va.),
Arlen Specter (Pa.), Susan Collins (Maine), Chuck Hagel (Neb.), Gordon Smith
(Ore.), Olympia Snowe (Maine) and Norm Coleman (Minn.). Sen. Joe Lieberman
(Conn.), an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, voted against cloture.
- Determined to challenge President Bush, Senate Democrats are drafting legislation
to limit the mission of US troops in Iraq, effectively revoking the broad
authority Congress granted in 2002, officials said Thursday February 22, 2007.
The precise wording of the measure remains unsettled, one draft would restrict
American troops in Iraq to combating al Qaida, training Iraqi army and police
forces, maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity and otherwise proceeding
with the withdrawal of combat forces.
- Democrats in the US Congress proposed on March 9, 2007, legislation requiring
all US troops to leave Iraq by August 2008. It is a direct challenge to President
George W Bush, who has ruled out any fixed end to the Iraq operation. Democrats
want to tie the measure to the $100bn Mr Bush has requested for Iraq and Afghanistan.
White House staff said Mr Bush would veto the move, which they described as
"a non-starter".
- A deeply divided House of Representatives voted Friday March 23, 2007, to
bring most American combat troops home from Iraq next year, with Democrats
employing their new Congressional majority to create the most forceful challenge
yet to President Bush's war policy. The legislation aimed at accelerating
an end to the war passed on a vote of 218 to 212, with all but two Republicans
opposing. Even as the debate moves to the Senate, where a less restrictive
plan is to be considered next week, Mr. Bush dismissed the action as "political
theatre" and promised to veto attempts to manage the war from Capitol
Hill.
- There's going to be a big showdown between the White House and Congress
because the House and Senate have endorsed a deadline for withdrawing combat
troops from Iraq on March 28, 2007. But everybody knows that there's already
a deadline for getting out of Iraq. It's Jan. 20, 2009. The House voted this
month to stop paying for US combat operations in Iraq as of August 31, 2008.
The U.S. Senate has voted to set a deadline of March 31, 2008. President Bush
says a deadline would tie the hands of his commanders and embolden the enemy
to wait us out. Democrats say the deadlines will put some backbone into the
US-backed Iraqi government, which has not made the political progress it should
because its leaders have an open-ended commitment of US support from the Bush
administration.
- Senator Harry Reid said on April 20, 2007, "We (the USA) have lost
in Iraq" adding "Unless the President changes his plan." However,
even if we "win" the war in Iraq, what will we have won? How does
that compare with what we have lost? First and foremost, we have lost the
lives of well over 3,000 of our most precious treasure, the young men and
women who might have been our future leaders and certainly would have been
mother and fathers, factory workers, professional people, and generally productive
and responsible citizens. Add to that the many thousands of lives that have
been blighted by permanent disabilities, both mental and physical, due to
the wounds and horrors that they have needlessly suffered.
- Defying a fresh veto threat, the Democratic-controlled Congress will pass
legislation within days requiring the withdrawal of US combat troops from
Iraq beginning October 1, with a goal of completing the pullout six months
later, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday April 23, 2007. However
President Bush will veto it.
- The US House of Representatives on April 25, 2007, narrowly approved a bill
making further funding of the war in Iraq conditional on a timetable for a
US troop pullout. The bill provides $100bn in new war funds, if troops start
leaving in October, with the withdrawal planned to be complete by March 2008.
President Bush has repeatedly threatened to veto the bill. Republicans and
Democrats have been in deadlock on the legislation for weeks, and it finally
passed by 218 votes to 208. The $124bn bill would pay for military spending
in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Senate is due to vote on the bill later on
Thursday.
- The commander of a major US military prison in Iraq has been arrested on
April 26, 2007, for offences including aiding the enemy. Lt Col William Steele
is accused of giving detainees free use of a mobile phone at Camp Cropper
and fraternising with the daughter of a detainee. Col Steele is also accused
of improper behaviour with his Iraqi interpreter and holding unauthorised
information. There are four overall charges against Col Steele and nine specific
alleged offences. He was arrested last month and is being detained in Kuwait.
- A defiant Democratic-controlled Senate passed legislation Thursday April
26, 2007, that would require the start of troop withdrawals from Iraq by October
1, propelling Congress toward a historic veto showdown with President Bush
on the war. At the White House, the president immediately promised a veto.
- US Senator Hillary Clinton speaking at the California Democratic Party convention
Saturday April 28, 2007, promised to end the Iraq war if she is elected president.
Clinton reminded the crowd in San Diego that Sunday is the fourth anniversary
of President George W. Bush's Mission Accomplished appearance on an aircraft
carrier off the San Diego coast. She called it one of the most shameful episodes
in American history.
- On April 30, 2007, President Bush and congressional Democrats don't agree
about much when it comes to the Iraq war, but one of the areas where they
disagree the least is the need to measure the Baghdad government's progress.
That makes the issue ripe for negotiation in an evolving veto struggle over
the war, even though the administration and its critics are fiercely at odds
when it comes to how -and whether - to enforce these so-called benchmarks
for self-defence and democracy in Iraq's post-Saddam Hussein era.
- The aggressive attempts by Democratic presidential hopefuls on May 4, 2007,to
shape the war debate are threatening to complicate Congressional efforts to
reach a deal on the Iraq spending bill, as the candidates' calls for accelerating
an end to the conflict compete with efforts by legislative leaders to extend
financing for the war. The proposal by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to repeal
President Bush's war authorization in October touched off a furious tussle
among Democrats hoping to gain an upper hand with voters who oppose the war.
It prompted other candidates to seek an even swifter end to the conflict,
which was what some Congressional leaders had been trying to avoid as war-spending
negotiations with the White House intensify.
- The second-ranking Republican in the US Senate, Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi,
said on Monday May 7, 2007, there must be "significant changes"
in Iraq well before the end of the year, signalling President George W. Bush
could face new challenges on war policy from members of his own party.
- The US House of Representatives passed on May 11, 2007, a bill that would
fund military operations in Iraq to the end of July. Further funding would
be dependent on events in Iraq meeting certain, as yet undefined, benchmarks
of progress. President Bush has already vetoed one Iraq funding bill and said
he opposed the new proposal, but did say that the idea of benchmarks "made
sense". The move came as the White House and Democrats struck an accord
on standards for bilateral free trade deals.
- Under the new agreement countries seeking direct trade agreements with the
US will have to abide by minimum standards on labour and environmental issues.
- US Senate Democrats want to spell out a time frame to withdraw combat troops
from Iraq, but might offer President George W. Bush power to waive the deadlines,
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Monday May 14, 2007. Reid and his
fellow Democrats were prepared to pass a bill to fund the Iraq war that is
"very, very close" to a bill Congress sent Bush last month, which
he vetoed.
- Senators. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton separately declared their
support Tuesday May 15, 2007, for a March 31, 2008, cut-off in money for the
Iraq war. Obama said he would vote to stop war funding as well as a second
bill to set standards for the Iraqi government "not because I believe
either is the best answer, but because I want to send a strong statement to
the Iraqi government, the president and my Republican colleagues that it's
long past time to change course." Mrs Clinton said she, too, would support
the measure.
- On May 16, 2007, the US Senate has rejected (67 votes against 29) a measure
that would end funding for US combat operations in Iraq by April 1 of next
year. The White House praised the vote, but some Senate Democrats said support
is building for the effort to limit funding for the unpopular war. Democratic
Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin sponsored the measure.
- As concessions to President Bush, Democrats intend to draft an Iraq war-funding
bill without a timeline for the withdrawal of US troops, officials said Monday
May 21, 2007. The legislation would include the first federal minimum wage
increase in more than a decade, but it would be shorn of billions of dollars
in spending on domestic programs.
- President Bush and Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on May 24, 2007,
a report from their top general in Iraq, due in September, will be a key element
in deciding the future of the US commitment in that country. But some analysts
say September is too early to make a realistic assessment of the new strategy
the president launched in January. The last of the additional US troops President
Bush ordered to Iraq won't even be there until the middle of next month, but
already reporters are asking what will happen after the new Iraq commander,
General David Petraeus, makes his first progress report in September.
- On May 25, 2007, both houses of the US Congress have passed a bill allocating
$100bn of new funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan until the end of
September. Earlier President George W Bush praised the bill, a compromise
measure between Republicans and Democrats, which has no timetable for a US,
troop withdrawal.
- On June 5, 2007, Libby, former chief of staff of Vice President Cheney has
been condemned to serve time -30 months- in prison for lying and obstructing
CIA leak investigation.
- The tide of Republican defections from President George W. Bush's camp swelled
Saturday July 7, 2007, when two more US senators joined the chorus of critics
of his Iraq policy, demanding change. But while expressing sharp disagreement
with the strategy of "surging" the number of US troops in Iraq,
Senators Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Judd Gregg of New Hampshire stopped
short of backing legislation that would force the White House to begin a drawdown
of US troops in Iraq.
- The head of US forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus, said on July 10,
2007, that fighting the insurgency is a "long term endeavour" which
could take decades. Gen Petraeus said there was evidence that the recent troops
surge was producing gains on the ground. But he warned that US forces were
engaged in a "tough fight" which will get "harder before it
gets easier". His comments come as US calls for a rapid troop withdrawal
gather strength.
- On July 13, 2007, the US House of Representatives passed a bill - voted
by 223 votes to 201- requiring a withdrawal of most combat troops from Iraq
starting within 120 days, to be completed by April 1. President George W Bush
has already vetoed a previous troop withdrawal time line framed by the Democratic
Party, and has pledged to do so again. Four Republicans voted in favour of
the plan, while 10 members of the majority Democratic Party voted against,
on a day a new US Government report offered a mixed new snapshot of progress
in Iraq. House Democratic leaders argued during a day-long debate on the measure
that Mr Bush's war plan had failed and it was time to change tack.
- Senate Republicans torpedoed legislation Wednesday July 18, 2007, to force
the withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq, bowing to President Bush's adamant
refusal to consider any change in war strategy before September. The 52-47
vote fell far short of the 60 needed to advance the legislation and marked
the final act in an all-night session that Democrats engineered to dramatize
their opposition to the war.
- The former defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, made a rare public appearance
in Washington on August 1, 2007, when he gave evidence to a Congressional
investigation into a fabricated Pentagon story about heroics in Afghanistan.
Mr Rumsfeld, who has dropped out of public sight since being sacked last November,
denied personal responsibility in the Corporal Pat Tillman scandal and insisted
he would not have taken part in a cover-up.
- US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on August 4, 2007, he is disappointed
by the lack of political progress in Iraq. The Bush administration had probably
underestimated the depth of mistrust among Iraq's various factions.
- The US Army announced on August 11, 2007, that it exceeded its July goal
for recruiting after two months of falling short, the same day the White House
war tsar said it makes sense militarily to consider conscription as an option
for relieving war-related stresses on US forces.
- An American general, Major Gen Rick Lynch, who heads a division in central Iraq, said on Saturday August 25, 2007, withdrawing US forces from Iraq now would be a giant step backward. On Thursday, Senator Warner said the departure of 5,000 troops by December would send a strong message that US commitment to Iraq was not open-ended.
- On September 17, 2007, the US envoy to Iraq warned that nearly 10,000 Iraqi refugees seeking resettlement to the US may have to wait two years as the admission of refugees is bogged down by "major bottlenecks" resulting from security reviews. The US has admitted 1,521 Iraqis refugees since the invasion in 2003.
- A proposal to bring most American combat troops home from Iraq in nine months died in the Senate on Friday September 21, 2007.The vote on the measure was 13 votes short of the 60 needed to cut off debate.
- With the US Senate gridlocked over pulling troops out of Iraq, a more modest House of Representatives proposal gained momentum on Thursday September 27, 2007. The proposal, by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, does not mandate any US troop withdrawals but would require the Pentagon to submit regular reports on withdrawal planning to defence committees of Congress. House Republican leader John Boehner, a Bush loyalist and defender of the war, said he thought he would vote for it if he got the chance, signalling it could attract extensive Republican support.
- US lawmakers have voted to split Iraq into a loose federation of sectarian-based regions and urged President George W Bush to press Iraqi leaders to agree. More than 20 Republicans joined Democrats on Wednesday September 26, 2007, to pass the non-binding measure in the Senate. Supporters of Iraqi partition believe it would let Shia, Sunni and Kurdish factions settle their differences and make it easier for US troops eventually to return home. But the measure, attached to the 2008 defence budget, runs against US administration policy to keep Iraq united and would likely face a veto if it reached Bush's desk.
- Thwarted in efforts to bring troops home from Iraq, Senate Democrats on Monday October 1, 2007, helped pass a defense policy bill authorizing another $150 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 92-3 vote comes as the House planned to approve separate legislation Tuesday that requires President Bush to give Congress a plan for eventual troop withdrawals.
- The US Supreme Court declined on October 10, 2007, to take up the case
of a German citizen who was allegedly abducted, detained and tortured by the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as part of the CIA's "extraordinary
rendition" program. By declining to hear the appeal, the court effectively
let stand a decision by a federal court judge in 2006 to dismiss a civil lawsuit
brought against former CIA director George Tenet, among others, by Khaled
el-Masri, on the grounds that a trial risked exposing national secret information.
- The US state department said on October 26, 2007, it may have to force some
diplomats to work in Iraq to fill vacancies at the embassy in Baghdad. About
250 Foreign Service staff are to be told they are "prime candidates"
for nearly 50 jobs. If too few people volunteer, some will be ordered to go
and risk dismissal if they refuse.
- On November 2, 2007, the US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, defended the state department's decision to force diplomats to serve in the country. Mr Crocker said diplomats who refused were "in the wrong line of business" and ought to put the nation's interests before their own personal safety. Hundreds of US diplomats expressed their anger at the decision, calling it a potential death sentence. The plan has been put forward because of a lack of volunteers for vacancies.
- Top State Department officials, struggling to avoid an embarrassing showdown with their own foreign service, backed away Tuesday November 123, 2007, from threats to fire diplomats who refuse to accept postings in Iraq. Senior officials extended a deadline and said they won't issue any forced assignments until at least the end of the week. They said that before then they hope to find volunteers for most or all of the 23 unfilled jobs.
- On January 24, 2008, Paul Wolfowitz, the former World Bank president and
former deputy secretary of defence who was instrumental in the US decision
to invade Iraq in 2003, has been named chairman of a panel that advises the
State Department on arms-control issues.
- A US man who organised a trip by three US lawmakers to Iraq in the run-up to the war has been charged on Wednesday March 27, 2008, with working for the regime of Saddam Hussein. Muthanna al-Hanooti, who worked for an Islamic charity, was arrested on Tuesday when he entered the US from abroad. Iraqi intelligence officials paid for the lawmakers' trip. The congressmen travelled to Iraq in October 2002 and expressed concern at US preparations for war. Mr Hanooti, who worked for the Life for Relief and Development, appeared in court in Detroit where he was released on bail.
- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made an unannounced visit to Baghdad
On Sunday April 20, 2008. She said she hoped to see further reconciliation
of the various sectarian groups in Iraq.
- The Senate ignored President Bush's veto warning and approved an Iraq war spending bill on May 23, 2008, that included billions of dollars for domestic programs and veterans' benefits. The bill included President Bush's request for $165 billion to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through next spring. The Senate added a separate package of domestic spending, bringing the total cost to more than $250 billion. The domestic package included $51 billion for veterans' education benefits.
- The Democratic-controlled US Congress on June 26, 2008, agreed to keep the military in Iraq until George Bush leaves office while also giving $62bn in new education benefits to veterans of the war. The massive war bill faced little opposition after Bush reached a deal with Democrats, exchanging unrestricted war money for the veterans' education as well as 13 extra weeks of employment benefits for Americans hit by a faltering economy.
- On June 30, 2008, we were told that Barack Obama will arrive in Britain
this summer on a long-expected seven-nation world tour including Europe, designed
to answer doubts among global leaders -and US voters- about the direction
of his foreign policy. Over the weekend his campaign confirmed plans to visit
Israel, Jordan, France, Germany and Britain. The dates, as well as a full
itinerary expected to include Iraq and Afghanistan, have not yet been disclosed
for security reasons.
- The Senate on Thursday July 10, 2008, confirmed General David Petraeus as
the new chief of US Central Command, placing him in charge of American forces
in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Petraeus has served as the top US commander
in Iraq since January 2007 and has led the 15-month "surge" effort
aimed at pacifying Baghdad and its surrounding provinces. His new post gives
him the additional responsibility of leading American forces in the tense
Persian Gulf region and managing the war in Afghanistan, where US and allied
troops are battling a resurgent Taliban and its al Qaeda allies. Lt. Gen.
Raymond Odierno replaces Petraeus as the chief military officer in Iraq.