Slouching Toward Quagmire?

A new report by the International Crisis Group's Middle East team, Baghdad: A Race Against the Clock, is "must reading," according to Micah L. Sifry of the Iraq War Reader.

"The detailed briefing paper warns that what happens in the next few weeks is critical," Sifry explains. "Either the American and British forces quickly restore personal security and public services, establishing a better rapport with Iraqis before the summer heat fully sets in, or 'there is a genuine risk that serious trouble will break out.'"