Iraqis Hold Keys To 'Victory': Lack Of Violence Not Same As Peace

Down the road Monday in Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar, Iraqi security forces took over responsibility for what had been one of the most violent provinces in Iraq. President Bush heralded this action as a sign of success on the road to "building a democracy in the heart if the Middle East." From where I stand, working with emerging Iraqi political parties inside this war-torn nation, there is a very long road ahead before Mr. Bush's vision is realized.

The restoration of security in Anbar is a great accomplishment by the United States military and Iraqi security forces. Just two years ago, al-Qaida operated freely and conducted routine attacks against American and Iraqi troops. In a village not far from where I am now, the black flag of al-Qaida was raised over the town hall more than once.

The additional U.S. troops provided by the "surge" were helpful in restoring order in Anbar. The real success in routing al-Qaida, however, came not from the force of American arms but from the decision of Sunni tribal leaders to part ways with the insurgency and turn on the foreign fighters of al-Qaida.

During the most violent years of the insurgency here, al-Qaida and some Sunni insurgents had a tactical alliance against the American forces. But Bin Ladin's disciples went too far and tried to incite inter-Islamic civil war with attacks against Iraqi civilians. Finally, the sheiks of Anbar had enough, cut off their support, turned in the al-Qaida operatives they knew and joined the Americans to fight against those who remained. The result is relative peace in Anbar and the drawdown of American forces from that province.

This scene is being repeated in ways large and small across Iraq. After five long years since the U.S. invasion, militias are on the run and order is slowly being restored. For Sunni leaders, they have begun to see the rise of Iranian-backed Shiite influence inside Iraq as a greater threat to them than the presence of U.S. forces...

----------------------------------------------------

In the past few months, Prime Minister Maliki's government in Baghdad has demonstrated that it wants a strong and unified Iraq by taking on extremists from within its own Shiite sect. The Sunni sheiks of Anbar have shown that they want a restoration of stability by ending the insurgency against the Americans and turning their guns on al-Qaida.

This is the time for a deal to bring peace and stability to Iraq, but time is short.

Lack of violence is not the same as peace. The United States should view the quiet in Anbar province not as "mission accomplished." Instead, American diplomacy and our remaining influence in this land should be focused on facilitating a workable alliance between the Sunnis of Anbar and the Shiites ruling in Baghdad...