Henry Kissinger: Victory in Iraq Impossible?

Henry Kissinger, the Grand Poobah of International Relations, has spoken.

LONDON -- Military victory is no longer possible in Iraq, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said in a television interview broadcast Sunday.

Kissinger presented a bleak vision of Iraq, saying the U.S. government must enter into dialogue with Iraq's regional neighbors _ including Iran _ if progress is to be made in the region.

"If you mean by 'military victory' an Iraqi government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control in a time period that the political processes of the democracies will support, I don't believe that is possible," he told the British Broadcasting Corp.

Notice how Kissinger is defining the term "military victory."

Notice how he emphasizes the politics of democracies and the growing weariness of a protracted conflict.

In order to understand what Kissinger told the BBC, you have have to understand what he really is saying.

Is the situation bleak? Yes.

Is America doomed to suffer defeat in Iraq? No.

"Victory" is not equivalent to "military victory."

But Kissinger, an architect of the Vietnam war who has advised President Bush about Iraq, warned against a rapid withdrawal of coalition troops, saying it could destabilize Iraq's neighbors and cause a long-lasting conflict.

"A dramatic collapse of Iraq _ whatever we think about how the situation was created _ would have disastrous consequences for which we would pay for many years and which would bring us back, one way or another, into the region," he said.

Kissinger, whose views have been sought by the Iraqi Study Group, led by former Secretary of State James Baker III, called for an international conference bringing together the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Iraq's neighbors _ including Iran _ and regional powers like India and Pakistan to work out a way forward for the region.

"I think we have to redefine the course, but I don't think that the alternative is between military victory, as defined previously, or total withdrawal," he said.

The spin on this is that Kissinger has declared victory in Iraq is impossible.

I didn't hear the complete interview, but my reading of his statements does not bring me to the conclusion that he thinks Iraq is a lost cause.

I think he's highlighting the necessity of patience and the insanity of a speedy, total withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

I think he's pointing to the importance of diplomacy.

The might of the American military ALONE won't establish peace in Iraq or the region.

I don't get why this is big news.

I'd put Kissinger's remarks in this category -- COMMON SENSE.