What remains to be done in Iraq

The war in Iraq has dropped down the news agenda in recent weeks with all but the most determined opponents of the war recognising that the surge has worked militarily. Huge challenges, though, remain as Max Boot argues in the Weekly Standard. The surge has created the opportunity for success but it has certainly not guaranteed it.

As Boot notes northern Iraq now needs the same kind of security effort that there has been in Baghdad in the past year. With 61 percent of the violence coming from this region, its problems need to be dealt with before it endangers progress in the rest of Iraq. There also needs to be progress nationwide on reconstruction and making the government work for all its citizens not just its supporters.

All of these things are possible as the turnaround in Baghdad has demonstrated: a year ago eight percent of the capital was under control, now 75 percent is.