Briefing in Advance of Senate and House Testimony of General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker

While the U.S. troop surge has produced some success in ending large-scale factional violence in Iraq, the Bush Administration’s overall goal of fostering Iraqi political reconciliation still appears out of reach. On April 8 and 9, the two top U.S. officials in Baghdad – General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker – gave testimony before Congress on the status of the Iraq mission.

Looking toward those Senate and House hearings, a roundtable of Brookings experts briefed reporters on the state of U.S. military, diplomatic and political efforts in Iraq. Saban Center for Middle East Policy Director Martin Indyk, Saban Center Director of Research Kenneth Pollack and Foreign Policy Senior Fellow Ivo Daalder gave their assessment of current Iraq policy.