IRAQ STUDY GROUP

The 'Iraq Study group' (ISG), also known as the 'Baker-Hamilton Commission',^[1] was a ten-person bipartisan panel appointed on March 15, 2006, by the United States Congress, that was charged with assessing the situation in Iraq and the US-led Iraq War and making policy recommendations. It was first proposed by Virginia Republican Representative Frank Wolf.^[2]
The Iraq Study Group was facilitated by the United States Institute of Peace, which released the Iraq Study Group's final report on their Website on December 6, 2006.

Contents

Members

Republicans

Democrats

Former members

Funding and support

Activities

Domestic

International

Internal arguments

Recommendations

Views about the report

See also

References

External links

Members

The ISG was led by co-chairs James Baker, a former Secretary of State (Republican), and Lee Hamilton, a former U.S. Representative (Democrat).

Republicans

In addition to Baker, the panel's Republican members were:

★ Sandra Day O'Connor, former Supreme Court Justice

★ Lawrence Eagleburger, former Secretary of State

★ Edwin Meese III, former US Attorney General

★ Alan K. Simpson, former U.S. Senator from Wyoming

Democrats

In addition to Hamilton, the panel's Democratic members were:

★ Vernon Jordan, Jr., business executive

★ Leon E. Panetta, former White House Chief of Staff

★ William J. Perry, former US Secretary of Defense

★ Charles S. Robb, former Governor and U.S. Senator from Virginia

Former members

Two of the panel's original members (both Republicans) resigned before the group's final report was released:

★ Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City, resigned on May 24. He had missed most of the group's meetings, and in his resignation letter, he cited "previous time commitments" as his reason for resigning. (During the first month of meetings of the panel, Giuliani had received $1.7 million for giving 20 speeches to various groups.^[3]) When the group's report came out in December 2006, Giuliani gave a different reason - that he didn't think it was right for an active presidential candidate to take part in such an "apolitical" panel.^[4] He was replaced by Edwin Meese.^[5]

★ Robert Gates, current US Secretary of Defense and former Director of Central Intelligence, resigned from the panel after he was nominated for Secretary of Defense on November 8. He was replaced by Lawrence Eagleburger. ^[6]

Funding and support

The panel's work was facilitated by the U.S. Institute of Peace and supported by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Center for the Study of the Presidency (CSP), and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. It was expected to receive a US$1.3 million appropriation from Congress.

Activities

Domestic

The ISG met members of the U.S. national security team, along with President Bush, on November 13.^[7] Before this announcement it was reported that Baker was in regular contact with the White House, especially with National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and President Bush.^[8]

International

On 11 November 2006, it was announced that UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has supported President Bush in the Iraq war, was to give evidence to the ISG. A Downing Street spokesman said that Blair would give his submissions via video link on 14 November. It was believed at the time that the UK Prime Minister would outline his ideas on Iraq in a major foreign policy speech on Monday, 13 November.^{[9] [10]}

Internal arguments

According to a report in late November (2006) in ''Newsday'', internal strife, the assassination of a cabinet minister in Lebanon, and opposition from President Bush to the group recommending negotiations with Iran and Syria was challenging the commission's intent to issue a consensus report. An Iraq expert told the newspaper that there "has been a lot of fighting" among the expert advisers to the group, mainly between conservatives and liberals who want to take a more pragmatic approach to the Middle East. ^[11]

Recommendations

Main articles: Iraq Study Group Report

Although the final report was not released until December 6, 2006, media reports ahead of that date described some possible recommendations by the panel. Among them were the beginning of a phased withdrawal of US combat forces from Iraq and direct US dialogue with Syria and Iran over Iraq and the Middle East. The Iraq Study Group also found that the Pentagon has underreported significantly the extent of the violence in Iraq and that officials have obtained little information regarding the source of these attacks. The group further described the situation in Afghanistan as so disastrous that they may need to divert troops from Iraq in order to help stabilize the country. After these reports began surfacing, co-chair James Baker warned that the group should not be expected to produce a "magic bullet" to resolve the Iraqi conflict.^[12]
According to a report in late November, the Iraq Study Group had "strongly urged" a large pull back of American troops in Iraq. The final report was released December 6, 2006, included 79 recommendations, and was 160 pages in length.
By March 2007, the ISG report had been downloaded more than 1,5 million times, according to the US Institute for Peace website. The Report is readily available for direct reading. Some (of many) results include: assessing stability as 'elusive' and the situation as "deteriorating", that all of Iraq's neighbors (including Iran and Syria) must be included in an external diplomatic effort to stabilize Iraq, that worldwide commitments limit the U.S. from greatly increasing troop strength in Iraq, and that U.S attention on Iraq diverted resources from Afghanistan (an imbalance which the Report says the U.S. should restore to prevent Taliban and Al-Queada resurgence). There are many more recommendations.^[13]

Views about the report

At a news conference with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Washington on December 6, 2006 President George W. Bush commented on the Iraq Study Group's report and admitted for the first time that a ''"new approach"'' is needed in Iraq, that the situation in Iraq is ''"bad"'' and that the task ahead was ''"daunting"''. ^[14] President Bush said he would not accept every recommendation by the ISG panel but promised that he would take the report seriously. President Bush is expected to wait for three other studies from the Pentagon, the U.S. State Department and the National Security Council before charting the new course on Iraq.^[15] On US foreign policy, President Bush warned that he would only talk to Iran if it suspended uranium enrichment and bring Syria on board if it stops funding the opposition in Lebanon, extends support to the Lebanese government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and provides economic help to Iraq.^[16]
Antonia Juhasz noted the study's focus on Iraqi oil in the opening chapter and in Recommendation 63 and concluded that the Iraq Study Group would extended the Iraq War until American oil companies have guaranteed legal access to all of Iraq's oil fields. It's still about oil in Iraq
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani called the group's conclusions "very dangerous" to Iraq's sovereignty and constitution, according to CNN. "As a whole, I reject this report," Talabani said.^[17]

See also

★ Iraq oil law (2007)

References

★ The Iraq Study Group Report full text (PDF)
1. Conclusion First, Debate Afterwards
2. Barrett, Ted. "Congress forms panel to study Iraq war", ''CNN.com'', March 15, 2006. Retrieved October 11, 2006.
3. Fred Kaplan, The Man Who Knows Too Little: What Rudy Giuliani's Greedy Decision to Quit the Iraq Study Group Reveals about his Candidacy", ''Slate'', June 21, 2007
4. Craig Gordon, "Giuliani quit Iraq panel after missed meetings - but he had time for fundraising", ''Newsweek'', June 19, 2007
5.
6. Former U.S. Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger Replaces Robert Gates on Iraq Study Group
7. Feller, Ben. "Bush, Team to Meet With Iraq Study Group", ''Forbes'', November 12, 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2006.
8. Sanger, David, A. "G.O.P.’s Baker Hints Iraq Plan Needs Change", ''The New York Times'', October 8, 2006. Retrieved November 12, 2006.
9. "Blair in Iraq talks with US panel", ''BBC News'', November 11, 2006. Retrieved November 11, 2006.
10. "Blair to give evidence to Iraq Study Group", ''Fox News'', November 11, 2006. Retrieved November 11, 2006.
11. Timothy M. Phelps, "Nothing but woes for Baker group", ''Newsday'', November 22, 2006
12. "Baker says no "magic bullet" for Iraq problems", ''Reuters'', October 17, 2006. Retrieved October 20, 2006.
13. "Report 'urges Iraq policy shift'", ''BBC News'', December 6, 2006. Retrieved December 6, 2006.
14. Bush ponders next Iraq move
15. Cracks appear between Bush and Blair over need for talks with Iran and Syria
16. President Bush vows new approach on Iraq
17. Iraq president rejects Baker-Hamilton report

External links

★ Iraq Study Group Web site

★ Iraq Study Group.Com

★ Iraq Study Group Report - downloadable PDF available

★ Iraq Study Group Report at Amazon

★ Annotated web edition of the ISG Report - published by ''Lapham's Quarterly'' and the Institute for the Future of the Book

★ Center for Strategic and International Studies - Iraq Study Group at CSIS, including a slightly different version of the report.

★ Vivisimo's clustered search of the report, by paragraphs

★ List of people interviewed by the ISG.

★ How Iraq panel went from obscure to high profile from The Christian Science Monitor