Dan Zak writes a well balanced piece on whether the progress in the western Iraqi province of Al Anbar is permanent, “whether the province is in the clear or merely in the eye of a storm.”
It is worth a read, and includes one very interesting statistic: “Since the war began, 1,332 U.S. soldiers have died in Anbar, nearly one in three of all American fatalities; but none have been killed in action in the province in more than two years.” This of course does not mean that the progress is permanent and irreversible, but it offers comfort.
Thoughts on the Passing Scene 