News and Speeches

January 11, 2007

President Bush Visits with Military Personnel and Families at Fort Benning, Georgia

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The New Way
Forward in Iraq

♦ Highlights of the Iraq Strategy Review (PDF) ♦ Fact Sheet: The New Way Forward in Iraq ♦ Background Briefing by Senior Administration Officials

National Strategy for Victory in Iraq

♦ Democracy in Iraq ♦ Rebuilding Iraq ♦ Training Iraqi Security Forces

Ask the White House

Brett McGurk
Director for Iraq, National Security Council
January 12, 2007
July 27, 2006
May 22, 2006
April 10, 2006
Peter Rodman
Asst. Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
June 14, 2006
Robert Ford
Counselor for Political Affairs, U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq
March 30, 2006
Kevin Bergner
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq
March 20, 2006
Amb. James Jeffrey
Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State and Coordinator for Iraq
March 13, 2006
Frank Ramaizel
Senior Advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Justice, U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
January 11, 2006
Christopher Reid
Regime Crimes Liaison, U.S. Embassy in Iraq
December 21, 2005

Meghan O'Sullivan
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq
December 14, 2005
June 28, 2005
Amb. David Satterfield
Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
November 18, 2005
Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
October 26, 2005

Dr. J.D. Crouch
Deputy National Security Advisor
October 6, 2005

Steve Hadley
National Security Advisor
August 12, 2005

Allison Barber
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
July 1, 2005

Photo Essays

♦ Iraqi Election Photos ♦ The Road to Freedom ♦ Photos of Freedom

Radio

March 20, 2006
Dr. J.D. Crouch on Progress in Iraq



December 13, 2005
Mrs. Lynne Cheney Discusses Iraqi Elections

President George W. Bush concludes his address to the nation Wednesday evening, Jan. 10, 2007, from the White House Library, where President Bush outlined a new strategy on Iraq. White House photo by Eric Draper

President Bush Discusses New Way Forward in Iraq During Address to the Nation

"A successful strategy for Iraq goes beyond military operations. Ordinary Iraqi citizens must see that military operations are accompanied by visible improvements in their neighborhoods and communities. So America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced. ... To establish its authority, the Iraqi government plans to take responsibility for security in all of Iraq's provinces by November. To give every Iraqi citizen a stake in the country's economy, Iraq will pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis. To show that it is committed to delivering a better life, the Iraqi government will spend $10 billion of its own money on reconstruction and infrastructure projects that will create new jobs. To empower local leaders, Iraqis plan to hold provincial elections later this year. And to allow more Iraqis to re-enter their nation's political life, the government will reform de-Baathification laws, and establish a fair process for considering amendments to Iraq's constitution."

-- President George W. Bush
January 10, 2007

The New Way Forward in Iraq

The President's New Iraq Strategy Is Rooted In Six Fundamental Elements:

1. Let the Iraqis lead;
2. Help Iraqis protect the population;
3. Isolate extremists;
4. Create space for political progress;
5. Diversify political and economic efforts; and
6. Situate the strategy in a regional approach.

• Iraq Could Not Be Graver – The War On Terror Cannot Be Won If We Fail In Iraq. Our enemies throughout the Middle East are trying to defeat us in Iraq. If we step back now, the problems in Iraq will become more lethal, and make our troops fight an uglier battle than we are seeing today.

Key Elements Of The New Approach: Security

Iraqi:

• Publicly acknowledge all parties are responsible for quelling sectarian violence.
• Work with additional Coalition help to regain control of the capital and protect the Iraqi population.
• Deliver necessary Iraqi forces for Baghdad and protect those forces from political interference.
• Commit to intensify efforts to build balanced security forces throughout the nation that provide security even-handedly for all Iraqis.
• Plan and fund eventual demobilization program for militias.

Coalition:

• Agree that helping Iraqis to provide population security is necessary to enable accelerated transition and political progress.
• Provide additional military and civilian resources to accomplish this mission.
• Increase efforts to support tribes willing to help Iraqis fight Al Qaeda in Anbar.
• Accelerate and expand the embed program while minimizing risk to participants.

Both Coalition And Iraqi:

• Continue counter-terror operations against Al Qaeda and insurgent organizations.
• Take more vigorous action against death squad networks.
• Accelerate transition to Iraqi responsibility and increase Iraqi ownership.
• Increase Iraqi security force capacity – both size and effectiveness – from 10 to 13 Army divisions, 36 to 41 Army Brigades, and 112 to 132 Army Battalions.
  • Establish a National Operations Center, National Counterterrorism Force, and National Strike Force.
  • Reform the Ministry of Interior to increase transparency and accountability and transform the National Police.

Key Elements Of The New Approach: Political

Iraqi:

• The Government of Iraq commits to:
  • Reform its cabinet to provide even-handed service delivery.
  • Act on promised reconciliation initiatives (oil law, de-Baathification law, Provincial elections).
  • Give Coalition and ISF authority to pursue ALL extremists.

• All Iraqi leaders support reconciliation.
• Moderate coalition emerges as strong base of support for unity government.

Coalition:

• Support political moderates so they can take on the extremists.
  • Build and sustain strategic partnerships with moderate Shi'a, Sunnis, and Kurds.
• Support the national compact and key elements of reconciliation with Iraqis in the lead.
• Diversify U.S. efforts to foster political accommodation outside Baghdad (more flexibility for local commanders and civilian leaders).
  • Expand and increase the flexibility of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) footprint.
  • Focus U.S. political, security, and economic resources at local level to open space for moderates, with initial priority to Baghdad and Anbar.

Both Coalition And Iraqi:

• Partnership between Prime Minister Maliki, Iraqi moderates, and the United States where all parties are clear on expectations and responsibilities.
• Strengthen the rule of law and combat corruption.
• Build on security gains to foster local and national political accommodations.
• Make Iraqi institutions even-handed, serving all of Iraq's communities on an impartial basis.

Key Elements Of The New Approach: Economic

Iraqi:

• Deliver economic resources and provide essential services to all areas and communities.
• Enact hydrocarbons law to promote investment, national unity, and reconciliation.
• Capitalize and execute jobs-producing programs.
• Match U.S. efforts to create jobs with longer term sustainable Iraqi programs.
• Focus more economic effort on relatively secure areas as a magnet for employment and growth.

Coalition:

• Refocus efforts to help Iraqis build capacity in areas vital to success of the government (e.g. budget execution, key ministries).
• Decentralize efforts to build Iraqi capacities outside the Green Zone.
  • Double the number of PRTs and civilians serving outside the Green Zone.
  • Establish PRT-capability within maneuver Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs).

• Greater integration of economic strategy with military effort.
  • Joint civil-military plans devised by PRT and BCT.
  • Remove legal and bureaucratic barriers to maximize cooperation and flexibility.

Key Elements Of The New Approach: Regional

Iraqi:

• Vigorously engage Arab states.
• Take the lead in establishing a regional forum to give support and help from the neighborhood.
• Counter negative foreign activity in Iraq.
• Increase efforts to counter PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party).

Coalition:

• Intensify efforts to counter Iranian and Syrian influence inside Iraq.
• Increase military presence in the region.
• Strengthen defense ties with partner states in the region.
• Encourage Arab state support to Government of Iraq.
• Continue efforts to help manage relations between Iraq and Turkey.
• Continue to seek the region's full support in the War on Terror.

Both Coalition And Iraqi:

• Focus on the International Compact.
• Retain active U.N. engagement in Iraq – particularly for election support and constitutional review.