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First Place
John Moore Getty Images
"Iraq - Progress At A Price"
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"Patrol At Dusk"
U.S. Army soldiers pause to rest while patroling the
outskirts of Ramadi January 16, 2007 in Iraq's Anbar province, at the time
the most dangerous place in Iraq. After 4 years of deterioriation, 2007 saw
the U.S. military finally make some progress in Iraq, but at a high price. In
January President Bush announced a "surge" of more than 20,000
fresh troops to help reduce the violence in Baghdad and in Anbar Province.
The new Commanding General for Iraq, David Petraeus arrived with a bold
strategy to take most U.S. forces out of "megabases" and put them
in smaller combat outposts, in local neighborhoods. The result was an
American casualty rate the highest of the war, but a modicum of stability
returned to much of Baghdad and Anbar province, where alliances were made
with Sunni tribes. The end of the "surge" begins in spring 2008
with U.S. troop reductions and Iraqi political reunification remains ellusive
- thus "while significant progress has been made," says General
Petraeus, "the gains are completely reversable."
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