The Middlebury Campus

Issue date: 5/8/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Jonathan Kay Former ambassador Peter Galbraith (right), argues for the immediate withdrawl of American forces during a debate on the future of the Iraq war on May 5 in McCullough Social Space. [Click to enlarge]

On May 5, former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia Peter W. Galbraith and Captain Peter Hegseth, a veteran of the Iraq War, sparred in a two-hour debate in McCullough Social Space over the future of American policy in Iraq. The debate follows a string of efforts this year by College Democrats and College Republicans to promote informed discussion about President George W. Bush administration's campaign against terrorism.

Hegseth and Galbraith largely disagreed over the extent to which U.S. forces were affecting stability in Iraq. While Hegseth claimed that the American mission would ultimately provide enough security for Iraqis to take control, Galbraith called for an immediate troop withdrawal in the face of a costly long-term strategy.

"In terms of our objectives as described by President Bush," said Galbraith, "the war is lost. We are not going to achieve our goal of a unified and stable Iraq. We are not going to be able to dislodge Iranian influence."

But Hegseth stressed that yielding to the insurgency would have broader implications for American security beyond Iraq.

"Whether we like it or not," said Hegseth, "our enemies have drawn the line in Iraq. And our enemies are watching. Our allies are watching."

Hegseth's analyses drew heavily upon his interactions with Iraqis during his deployment as an infantry platoon leader in Baghdad between 2005 and 2006. Thanks to recent changes in strategy brought to the region by General David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, safety and normality have begun to return to certain Baghdad neighborhoods, said Hegseth. Local Iraqi security forces are operating more effectively, while overall violence has dropped remarkably.

Petraeus' new counterinsurgency strategy has had Iraqis reconsidering their allegiances in light of improved living conditions, according to Hegseth. Where ordinary citizens were once wary of cooperating with the U.S. for fear of retribution by insurgents, he said, the tables have begun to turn - with militants now increasingly concerned about possible infiltrators.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools