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Summary

As it took office, the Obama Administration was presented with a security environment in Iraq that is vastly improved over that which prevailed during 2005-2007. The "turnaround" has been widely attributed to the "troop surge" announced by President Bush on January 10, 2007 ("New Way Forward"). Recent Defense Department reports assess that overall violence is down at least 65% from late 2007 levels, to levels not seen since 2004. A major issue is that President Obama has indicated that stabilizing Afghanistan should be a higher priority for the United States than Iraq. On February 27, 2009, President Obama announced that all U.S. combat brigades would be withdrawn by August 31, 2010, leaving a residual presence of 35,000 – 50,000 U.S. trainers, advisers, and mentors, although some might still be in combat in some circumstances. The draw- down was a product of discussions with U.S. commanders who say that a continued U.S. presence is required to promote further political progress and produce a unified, democratic Iraq that can govern and defend itself and is an ally in the war on terror. A U.S.-Iraq status of forces agreement (SOFA), ratified by Iraq's parliament on November 27, 2008, mandates a complete U.S. withdrawal by the end of 2011, although it is possible that this time frame could be renegotiated if President Obama decides a U.S. presence is still needed to secure Iraq. U.S. officials worry that the many political disputes that remain, and some that are escalating, pose a threat to stability. These disputes played out in the context of the January 31, 2009, provincial elections in fourteen of Iraq's eighteen provinces. These elections went ahead peacefully and produced a victory for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his allies, but also may have widened the split between Maliki and other erstwhile Shiite allies. The elections did not reduce tensions between the Iraqi Kurds and Maliki over Kurdish demands for control of disputed areas and local energy development. The progress in 2008 came after several years of frustration that Operation Iraqi Freedom had overthrown Saddam Hussein's regime, only to see Iraq wracked by a violent Sunni Arab-led insurgency, resulting Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence, competition among Shiite groups, and the failure of Iraq's government to equitably administer justice or deliver services. Mounting U.S. casualties and financial costs—without clear movement toward national political reconciliation— stimulated debate within the 110th Congress over whether a stable Iraq could ever be achieved, and at what cost. With an apparent consensus within the Administration to wind down the U.S. combat in Iraq, there is growing U.S. support in Congress for compelling Iraq to fund key functions now funded by the United States. This report is updated regularly. See also CRS Report RS21968, Iraq: Politics, Elections, and Benchmarks, by Kenneth Katzman, Iraq: Politics, Elections, and Benchmarks, by Kenneth Katzman; CRS CRS Report RL31833, Iraq: Reconstruction Assistance, by Curt Tarnoff.

Related Legislation:
• S.2196

Related Reports:
• RL31339
• RL31339

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