The Iraq Study Group Report

In December 2006, as the Iraq War descended into brutal sectarian violence and public support for the conflict crumbled, ten of America's most respected political and military figures came together to answer one question: how does the United States escape a quagmire? The Iraq Study Group, co-chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker and Congressman Lee Hamilton, spent eight months interviewing everyone from President George W. Bush to General David Petraeus, from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to journalists on the ground. What they produced was an unflinching diagnosis: the situation is grave and deteriorating. The report's 79 recommendations called for diplomatic engagement with Iran and Syria, accelerated training of Iraqi security forces, and a phased transition of combat responsibilities to Iraqi troops. It was a rare document: honest, bipartisan, and unafraid to challenge the administration's prevailing wisdom. For anyone seeking to understand how America stumbled through the most consequential foreign policy crisis of the twenty-first century, this report remains essential reading.