When Iraq's parliament passed a power-sharing law back in February, paving the way for provincial elections this fall, American politicians bubbled with optimism. The U.S.

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The United States must provide a "very clear timeline" to withdraw its troops from Iraq as part of an agreement allowing them to stay beyond this year, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Sunday.

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Al-Qaeda's biggest weakness is its propensity to kill indiscriminately

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Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has made a substantial policy shift by insisting on a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, defying his close ally, U.S. President George W. Bush, and submitting to domestic pressure for an end in sight to foreign occupation.

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A year ago, the conventional Beltway wisdom had it that Iraq was a failed state. Today, the same wisdom holds that it is less chaotic but still fragile, dependent entirely on a U.S. presence to survive.

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The Bush administration portrays the U.S.-led interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq as integral parts of its "war on terror." Increasingly though, Iraq and Afghanistan are becoming trade-offs for the United States.

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