Event Summary
Congressman Marty Meehan (D-Mass.), a senior member on the House Armed Services Committee, recently visited Iraq and subsequently developed a plan to gradually reduce the number of U.S. troops serving in Iraq. Meehan's plan aims to have the majority of U.S. troops out of Iraq by the summer of 2006.
At this Brookings event—just days before Iraqis go to the polls in a historic election to choose their own leaders—Congressman Meehan will present his plan, assess the security and political situation in Iraq, and articulate his vision for a smooth and successful withdrawal of most U.S. troops from Iraq.
Following Meehan's remarks, Brookings Visiting Fellow and former Coalition Provisional Authority Official Peter Khalil, Brookings Senior Fellow Michael O'Hanlon, and Weekly Standard editor William Kristol will join Meehan for a panel discussion on the troop withdrawal proposal, the coming election, and the security situation in Iraq. They will take questions from the audience following their remarks. O'Hanlon co-authors the Brookings Institution's Iraq Index, which tracks reconstruction and security efforts in Iraq. It is available on the Brookings website at www.brookings.edu/iraqindex.