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The "debacle" which cannot be ignored

Once again the mainstream media has been shown severely lacking in reporting on a major Report on the Iraq War.

The Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) is a policy research and strategic gaming organization within NDU serving the Depart- ment of Defense, its components, and interagency partners. Established in 1984, the institute provides senior decisionmakers with timely, objective analysis and gaming events and supports NDU educational programs in the areas of international security affairs and defense strategy and policy. Through an active outreach pro- gram, including conferences and publications, INSS seeks to promote understanding of emerging strategic challenges and policy options.

Coming from the Pentagon's premier educational institution the Institute's latest Report "Choosing War: The Decision to Invade Iraq and Its Aftermath" [go here to read the full Report] should not be ignored - especially as it concludes that the Iraq War has been a "debacle".

heraldsun.com.au is one of the few media outlets which has reported on the Report:

"The war in Iraq has become "a major debacle" and the outcome "is in doubt", despite improvements in security, according to a highly critical study published by the Pentagon's premier military educational institute.

The report, released by the National Institute for Strategic Studies, raises fresh doubts about President George W. Bush's projections of a US victory in Iraq just a week after he announced he was suspending US troop reductions.

The report carries considerable weight because it was written by Joseph Collins, a former senior Pentagon official, and drew on interviews with other former senior defence and intelligence officials involved in pre-war preparations.

"Measured in blood and treasure, the war in Iraq has achieved the status of a major war and a major debacle," says the report's opening line.

"Despite impressive progress in security, the outcome of the war is in doubt," the report says.

"For many analysts (including this one), Iraq remains a 'must win', but for many others, despite obvious progress under General David Petraeus and the surge, it now looks like a 'can't win'."

The report lays much of the blame on then-defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld."

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