[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 2 (Monday, January 15, 2007)]
[Pages 19-23]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Address to the Nation on the War on Terror in Iraq

January 10, 2007

    Good evening. Tonight in Iraq, the Armed Forces of the United States 
are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the 
global war on terror and our safety here at home. The new strategy I 
outline tonight will change America's course in Iraq and help us succeed 
in the fight against terror.
    When I addressed you just over a year ago, nearly 12 million Iraqis 
had cast their ballots for a unified and democratic nation. The 
elections of 2005 were a stunning achievement. We thought that these 
elections would bring the Iraqis together and that as we trained Iraqi 
security forces, we could accomplish our mission with fewer American 
troops.
    But in 2006, the opposite happened. The violence in Iraq, 
particularly in Baghdad, overwhelmed the political gains the Iraqis had 
made. Al Qaida terrorists and Sunni insurgents recognized the mortal 
danger that Iraq's elections posed for their cause, and they responded 
with outrageous acts of murder aimed at innocent Iraqis. They blew up 
one of the holiest shrines in Shi'a Islam, the Golden Mosque of Samarra, 
in a calculated effort to provoke Iraq's Shi'a population to retaliate. 
Their strategy worked. Radical Shi'a elements, some supported by Iran, 
formed death squads. And the result was a vicious cycle of sectarian 
violence that continues today.
    The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people, and it 
is unacceptable to me. Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have 
done everything we have asked them to do. Where mistakes have been made, 
the responsibility rests with me.
    It is clear that we need to change our strategy in Iraq. So my 
national security team, military commanders, and diplomats conducted a 
comprehensive review. We consulted Members of Congress from both 
parties, our allies abroad, and distinguished outside experts. We 
benefited from the thoughtful recommendations of the Iraq Study

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Group, a bipartisan panel led by former Secretary of State James Baker 
and former Congressman Lee Hamilton. In our discussions, we all agreed 
that there is no magic formula for success in Iraq. And one message came 
through loud and clear: Failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the 
United States.
    The consequences of failure are clear. Radical Islamic extremists 
would grow in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a better 
position to topple moderate governments, create chaos in the region, and 
use oil revenues to fund their ambitions. Iran would be emboldened in 
its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Our enemies would have a safe haven from 
which to plan and launch attacks on the American people. On September 
the 11th, 2001, we saw what a refuge for extremists on the other side of 
the world could bring to the streets of our own cities. For the safety 
of our people, America must succeed in Iraq.
    The most urgent priority for success in Iraq is security, especially 
in Baghdad. Eighty percent of Iraq's sectarian violence occurs within 30 
miles of the capital. This violence is splitting Baghdad into sectarian 
enclaves and shaking the confidence of all Iraqis. Only Iraqis can end 
the sectarian violence and secure their people, and their Government has 
put forward an aggressive plan to do it.
    Our past efforts to secure Baghdad failed for two principal reasons: 
There were not enough Iraqi and American troops to secure neighborhoods 
that had been cleared of terrorists and insurgents, and there were too 
many restrictions on the troops we did have. Our military commanders 
reviewed the new Iraqi plan to ensure that it addressed these mistakes. 
They report that it does. They also report that this plan can work.
    Now let me explain the main elements of this effort. The Iraqi 
Government will appoint a military commander and two deputy commanders 
for their capital. The Iraqi Government will deploy Iraqi Army and 
National Police brigades across Baghdad's nine districts. When these 
forces are fully deployed, there will be 18 Iraqi Army and National 
Police brigades committed to this effort, along with local police. These 
Iraqi forces will operate from local police stations, conducting patrols 
and setting up checkpoints and going door to door to gain the trust of 
Baghdad residents.
    This is a strong commitment, but for it to succeed, our commanders 
say the Iraqis will need our help. So America will change our strategy 
to help the Iraqis carry out their campaign to put down sectarian 
violence and bring security to the people of Baghdad. This will require 
increasing American force levels. So I've committed more than 20,000 
additional American troops to Iraq. The vast majority of them--five 
brigades--will be deployed to Baghdad. These troops will work alongside 
Iraqi units and be embedded in their formations. Our troops will have a 
well-defined mission: to help Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods; to 
help them protect the local population; and to help ensure that the 
Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security that 
Baghdad needs.
    Many listening tonight will ask why this effort will succeed when 
previous operations to secure Baghdad did not. Well, here are the 
differences. In earlier operations, Iraqi and American forces cleared 
many neighborhoods of terrorists and insurgents, but when our forces 
moved on to other targets, the killers returned. This time, we'll have 
the force levels we need to hold the areas that have been cleared. In 
earlier operations, political and sectarian interference prevented Iraqi 
and American forces from going into neighborhoods that are home to those 
fueling the sectarian violence. This time, Iraqi and American forces 
will have a green light to enter those neighborhoods, and Prime Minister 
Maliki has pledged that political or sectarian interference will not be 
tolerated.
    I have made it clear to the Prime Minister and Iraq's other leaders 
that America's commitment is not open-ended. If the Iraqi Government 
does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the 
American people and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people. Now is 
the time to act. The Prime Minister understands this. Here is what he 
told his people just last week: ``The Baghdad security plan will not 
provide a safe haven for any outlaws, regardless of their sectarian or 
political affiliation.''
    This new strategy will not yield an immediate end to suicide 
bombings, assassinations, or IED attacks. Our enemies in Iraq will

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make every effort to ensure that our television screens are filled with 
images of death and suffering. Yet over time, we can expect to see Iraqi 
troops chasing down murderers, fewer brazen acts of terror, and growing 
trust and cooperation from Baghdad's residents. When this happens, daily 
life will improve, Iraqis will gain confidence in their leaders, and the 
Government will have the breathing space it needs to make progress in 
other critical areas. Most of Iraq's Sunni and Shi'a want to live 
together in peace, and reducing the violence in Baghdad will help make 
reconciliation possible.
    A successful strategy for Iraq goes beyond military operations. 
Ordinary Iraqi citizens must see that military operations are 
accompanied by visible improvements in their neighborhoods and 
communities. So America will hold the Iraqi Government to the benchmarks 
it has announced.
    To establish its authority, the Iraqi Government plans to take 
responsibility for security in all of Iraq's Provinces by November. To 
give every Iraqi citizen a stake in the country's economy, Iraq will 
pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis. To show that it 
is committed to delivering a better life, the Iraqi Government will 
spend $10 billion of its own money on reconstruction and infrastructure 
projects that will create new jobs. To empower local leaders, Iraqis 
plan to hold provincial elections later this year. And to allow more 
Iraqis to reenter their nation's political life, the Government will 
reform de-Ba'athification laws and establish a fair process for 
considering amendments to Iraq's Constitution.
    America will change our approach to help the Iraqi Government as it 
works to meet these benchmarks. In keeping with the recommendations of 
the Iraq Study Group, we will increase the embedding of American 
advisers in Iraqi Army units and partner a coalition brigade with every 
Iraqi Army division. We will help the Iraqis build a larger and better 
equipped army, and we will accelerate the training of Iraqi forces, 
which remains the essential U.S. security mission in Iraq. We will give 
our commanders and civilians greater flexibility to spend funds for 
economic assistance. We will double the number of Provincial 
Reconstruction Teams. These teams bring together military and civilian 
experts to help local Iraqi communities pursue reconciliation, 
strengthen the moderates, and speed the transition to Iraqi self-
reliance. And Secretary Rice will soon appoint a reconstruction 
coordinator in Baghdad to ensure better results for economic assistance 
being spent in Iraq.
    As we make these changes, we will continue to pursue Al Qaida and 
foreign fighters. Al Qaida is still active in Iraq. Its home base is 
Anbar Province. Al Qaida has helped make Anbar the most violent area of 
Iraq outside the capital. A captured Al Qaida document describes the 
terrorists' plan to infiltrate and seize control of the Province. This 
would bring Al Qaida closer to its goals of taking down Iraq's 
democracy, building a radical Islamic empire, and launching new attacks 
on the United States, at home and abroad.
    Our military forces in Anbar are killing and capturing Al Qaida 
leaders, and they are protecting the local population. Recently, local 
tribal leaders have begun to show their willingness to take on Al Qaida. 
And as a result, our commanders believe we have an opportunity to deal a 
serious blow to the terrorists. So I have given orders to increase 
American forces in Anbar Province by 4,000 troops. These troops will 
work with Iraqi and tribal forces to keep up the pressure on the 
terrorists. America's men and women in uniform took away Al Qaida's safe 
haven in Afghanistan, and we will not allow them to reestablish it in 
Iraq.
    Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity 
and stabilizing the region in the face of extremist challenges. This 
begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing 
terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of 
Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. 
We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We'll interrupt the flow of 
support from Iran and Syria, and we will seek out and destroy the 
networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in 
Iraq.
    We're also taking other steps to bolster the security of Iraq and 
protect American interests in the Middle East. I recently ordered the 
deployment of an additional carrier strike

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group to the region. We will expand intelligence sharing and deploy 
Patriot air defense systems to reassure our friends and allies. We will 
work with the Governments of Turkey and Iraq to help them resolve 
problems along their border. And we will work with others to prevent 
Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region.
    We will use America's full diplomatic resources to rally support for 
Iraq from nations throughout the Middle East. Countries like Saudi 
Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the Gulf States need to understand that an 
American defeat in Iraq would create a new sanctuary for extremists and 
a strategic threat to their survival. These nations have a stake in a 
successful Iraq that is at peace with its neighbors, and they must step 
up their support for Iraq's unity Government. We endorse the Iraqi 
Government's call to finalize an international compact that will bring 
new economic assistance in exchange for greater economic reform. And on 
Friday, Secretary Rice will leave for the region to build support for 
Iraq and continue the urgent diplomacy required to help bring peace to 
the Middle East.
    The challenge playing out across the broader Middle East is more 
than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of our 
time. On one side are those who believe in freedom and moderation; on 
the other side are extremists who kill the innocent and have declared 
their intention to destroy our way of life. In the long run, the most 
realistic way to protect the American people is to provide a hopeful 
alternative to the hateful ideology of the enemy by advancing liberty 
across a troubled region. It is in the interests of the United States to 
stand with the brave men and women who are risking their lives to claim 
their freedom and to help them as they work to raise up just and hopeful 
societies across the Middle East.
    From Afghanistan to Lebanon to the Palestinian Territories, millions 
of ordinary people are sick of the violence and want a future of peace 
and opportunity for their children. And they are looking at Iraq. They 
want to know: Will America withdraw and yield the future of that country 
to the extremists, or will we stand with the Iraqis who have made the 
choice for freedom?
    The changes I have outlined tonight are aimed at ensuring the 
survival of a young democracy that is fighting for its life in a part of 
the world of enormous importance to American security. Let me be clear: 
The terrorists and insurgents in Iraq are without conscience, and they 
will make the year ahead bloody and violent. Even if our new strategy 
works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue, and we 
must expect more Iraqi and American casualties. The question is whether 
our new strategy will bring us closer to success. I believe that it 
will.
    Victory will not look like the ones our fathers and grandfathers 
achieved. There will be no surrender ceremony on the deck of a 
battleship. But victory in Iraq will bring something new in the Arab 
world--a functioning democracy that polices its territory, upholds the 
rule of law, respects fundamental human liberties, and answers to its 
people. A democratic Iraq will not be perfect, but it will be a country 
that fights terrorists instead of harboring them, and it will help bring 
a future of peace and security for our children and our grandchildren.
    This new approach comes after consultations with Congress about the 
different courses we could take in Iraq. Many are concerned that the 
Iraqis are becoming too dependent on the United States, and therefore, 
our policy should focus on protecting Iraq's borders and hunting down Al 
Qaida. Their solution is to scale back America's efforts in Baghdad or 
announce the phased withdrawal of our combat forces. We carefully 
considered these proposals, and we concluded that to step back now would 
force a collapse of the Iraqi Government, tear the country apart, and 
result in mass killings on an unimaginable scale. Such a scenario would 
result in our troops being forced to stay in Iraq even longer and 
confront an enemy that is even more lethal. If we increase our support 
at this crucial moment and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of 
violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home.
    In the days ahead, my national security team will fully brief 
Congress on our new strategy. If Members have improvements

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that can be made, we will make them. If circumstances change, we will 
adjust. Honorable people have different views, and they will voice their 
criticisms. It is fair to hold our views up to scrutiny. And all 
involved have a responsibility to explain how the path they propose 
would be more likely to succeed.
    Acting on the good advice of Senator Joe Lieberman and other key 
Members of Congress, we will form a new, bipartisan working group that 
will help us come together across party lines to win the war on terror. 
This group will meet regularly with me and my administration; it will 
help strengthen our relationship with Congress. We can begin by working 
together to increase the size of the active Army and Marine Corps, so 
that America has the Armed Forces we need for the 21st century. We also 
need to examine ways to mobilize talented American civilians to deploy 
overseas, where they can help build democratic institutions in 
communities and nations recovering from war and tyranny.
    In these dangerous times, the United States is blessed to have 
extraordinary and selfless men and women willing to step forward and 
defend us. These young Americans understand that our cause in Iraq is 
noble and necessary and that the advance of freedom is the calling of 
our time. They serve far from their families, who make the quiet 
sacrifices of lonely holidays and empty chairs at the dinner table. They 
have watched their comrades give their lives to ensure our liberty. We 
mourn the loss of every fallen American, and we owe it to them to build 
a future worthy of their sacrifice.
    Fellow citizens, the year ahead will demand more patience, 
sacrifice, and resolve. It can be tempting to think that America can put 
aside the burdens of freedom. Yet times of testing reveal the character 
of a nation, and throughout our history, Americans have always defied 
the pessimists and seen our faith in freedom redeemed. Now America is 
engaged in a new struggle that will set the course for a new century. We 
can and we will prevail.
    We go forward with trust that the Author of Liberty will guide us 
through these trying hours. Thank you and good night.

Note: The President spoke at 9:01 p.m. in the Library at the White 
House. In his address, he referred to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of 
Iraq. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of this address.