The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : The Iranian Hand in Iraq

In recent weeks, a number of pundits have pointed to the improving security situation in Iraq as proof positive that Iran has begun scaling back its destabilizing influence in the former Ba’athist state. But is Iran really behaving better? The answer, according to the U.S. military, is “not so much.” “There has been no identified decrease in Iranian training and funding of illegal Shi’a militias in Iraq,” a new Pentagon report to Congress maintains. “Tehran’s support for Shi’a militant groups who attack Coalition and Iraq forces remains a significant impediment to progress towards stabilization.”

The full report can be found here. It provides a good measure of our recent successes in Iraq — as well as the considerable distance that we have left to travel.

topics:
Military, Iraq, Iran

About the Author

Ilan Berman is vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, D.C.

http://spectator.org/blog/2007/12/21/the-iranian-hand-in-iraq

FLASHBACK TO: 1995

Pope Culture

By George Sim Johnston

A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck

By P.J. O'Rourke

Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
Dames at Sea

By John Corry
In the Absence of Guns

By Mark Steyn

In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
The Metaphysical Martini

By Werner J. Dannhauser
Counting the Costs of Clintonism

By Robert H. Bork

The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
Chuck McHagel

By George Neumayr

It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted

By Douglas Bartholomew
It’s the Best Time of the Year

By Mark Steyn

The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
The Bush Crack-Up

By Brit Hume

Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?