Reports About Iraq

The first report, a briefing issued by the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), points out that due to the inadequate political and social progress of Iraq, there are slim chances of the U.S. leaving the country in the following years. The authors discuss the current full and unconditional support, along with several options of reduced commitment, analyzing their risks and requirements. One option is a level of support based on the fulfillment of several political goals by Iraqi officials, which require the decentralization of the Iraqi government, the presence of a professional security force, unaffiliated with any political or religious factions, as well as the development of efficient oil revenue distribution. The other main option is an unconditional redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq, an extremely risky policy which could lead to great political instability and even genocide in the region.

The second report, from CNN.com, discusses recent violent events in the city of Basra. In a quite optimistic tone, this article, entitled “Iraqi city appears relatively calm”, suggests that there has been a slight decrease in violence compared to the previous week, with security forces having hunted down Shiite militants and local criminal gangs. According to the same source, the operation has drawn mostly favorable comments, the Iraqi Prime Minister himself declaring it a success. However, an official of the Basra provincial government called the operation a failure, arguing that the militia has not left the city, having retreated to its strongholds.

The two reports have contrasting styles and tones, as well as different levels of credibility. The first one is a thorough study performed by specialists in the field of conflict management and post-conflict development, while the second one is basically a recollection of events and opinions presented by a mainstream news network. The former has an overall pessimistic tone, while the latter starts with optimism, but the information presented at the end (the opinion of the government official) tends to reduce it. The first source is more prone to bias, because the authors share their personal opinion, even though it is backed up by consistent research. The second one is more objective, being an impersonal news report.

Sources:

http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2008/0406_iraq_surge.html

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/04/02/iraq.main/index.html?iref=newssearch