Quote Originally Posted by Team Infidel View Post
I believe that the GoI is as good now as it will be.
This I agree with. I think the structure of the GoI needs only minor tweaking at this point, until some major new development comes along (ie Kurd relations, some new Sunni movement, increased soft power from Iran, etc). However, the people who populate the GoI are the limiting factor. I believe that there are some very smart individuals out there who are waiting for Americans to leave before they launch into politics. They're waiting for the external influences to go away (both US and Iranian) before they jump in with both feet. When the GoI is filled with people who want to put Iraq first, its going to fire on all cylanders.

The marginalization of U.S. Forces is pretty strong. We don't know what the Iraqis want at the CORPS and FORCE level of planning because they don't attend our meeting. Meanwhile, we continue to plan bilateral efforts without any Iraqi buyin. How can we do this and be successful in our partnership? How hard would it be for an Iraqi planner to sit in with our planning teams and tell us how we can support them? So we continue for hours and hours in our OPTs and JPTs planning blind. Does that make ANY sense? Really... does it?
... and this is exactly what the Iraqi people need to see the effects of. The current GoI is making a big show about how they're not playing with the Americans and the Coalition is being very shrewd about the message they send.

Right now, certain individuals don't want a "partnership" because sitting down with the Americans and admitting they need us will cost them votes. However, its also costing them votes to unilaterally deny that they need any American support. Oh what a predicament if you're an elected GoI official from an urban area!

Inshallah, the January elections will seat candidates who can articulate what they need out of a security agreement because the people want a bilateral security agreement.