Leaving Iraq

Use intelligence well. Determine ring leaders of groups of foreign fighters. Select operational managers as well as more public figures on the local level -- they should know how serious the losses are better than our own press when this happens.

On the day redeployment ends, simultaneously take out al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders across Baghdad. At the same time, execute the same task with carefully selected al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, and begin escalating NATO troop levels in Waziristan.

This must be done smartly, secretly, swiftly, and successfully.

1) will begin the process of driving foreign fighters out of Iraq’s civil war, a process that can reasonably be expected to be continued by Iraqi Shi’is and less reasonably, but possibly, Iraqi Sunnis as well;

2) will operationally disrupt al-Qaeda plans and organization for the future (though should not be expected to decrease the level of violence, because of the obvious ease with which large-scale attacks can be carried out in Iraq)

3) will signal renewed strength and vigor in the fight against terrorists and Islamic extremism: we are dramatically changing strategy and tactics (message: fear us every moment, because, unlike under Bush, you won’t hear us coming when we come for you)

Arrange a security summit with important regional players (Saudi, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Kuwait, Turkey(*), Egypt..). Iraqi rep(s)??

Leaving the Iraqis to fight al-Qaeda in Iraq will, as someone said this week, shift the onus onto the Middle Eastern population. They are the frontlines of this war in al-Qaeda’s terms; it’s time they realize this and respond