Glenn Kutler, who authors the weekly Casualties
Trends Since The Fall of Baghdad page on our site, has published three
articles with Orbis.
They have kindly granted us permission to reprint the articles.
U.S. Military Fatalities in Iraq: A Four-Year Retrospective
(PDF)
Glenn Kutler
Abstract: As year five begins, the prospects for a successful conclusion of the
Iraq war – one that would repair the deep seated and deadly animosities
throughout civil society, establish a foundation for a sustainable democratic
government, and stop the inexorable climbof U.S. fatalities above 3,000 and of
total casualties toward 30,000 and beyond - are remote. The U.S. is embroiled
in a conflict in three dimensions, military political and civil, that defies
solution. Our military and its leaders have tended to underestimate the enemy
and engage it halfheartedly, while the insurgents have retained freedom of
action and repeatedly seized the initiative. The fourth dimension, the battle
for Iraqi hearts and minds, essential for bringing hostilities to an end, has
not even begun.
Reprinted From
Orbis,
Copyright 2007, with permission from the Foreign Policy Research Institute
U.S.
Military Fatalities in Iraq: A Three-Year Retrospective
(PDF)
By Glenn Kutler
Abstract: With year four of the Iraq War under way,
this article focuses on the sources, patterns, and effects of fatalities. It
shows how trends in fatalities correlate with nine distinct phases since the
war’s inception and analyzes in detail the last two, which prevailed during
year 3, ending March 19, 2006: the Iraqi election cycle (which encompassed the
election of the National Assembly, establishment of the transnational
government, drafting of the Constitution, approval of the Constitution, and the
election of parliament) and the start of U.S. efforts to disengage from the
conflict. U.S. intentions to scale down its involvement while increasing Iraqi
self-sufficiency have been hampered by the persistence of fatalities inflicted
by the insurgency, which bifurcated its efforts during year 3, matching
hostilities toward U.S. troops with organized civil strife involving Iraqis.
Ultimately, only the Iraqi people and their new government can defeat the
insurgency and bring U.S. involvement in the war to an end.
Reprinted From
Orbis,
Volume 50, Number 3, Glenn Kutler, U.S. Military Fatalities in Iraq: Year 3,
Pages 559-572, Copyright 2006, with permission from the Foreign Policy Research
Institute
U.S. Military Fatalities in Iraq: A Two-Year Retrospective
(PDF)
By Glenn Kutler
After two years of war in Iraq, the United States has suffered
more than 13,000 casualties—11,500 wounded and 1,500 dead. This article
presents a retrospective of U.S. casualties and surrounding events, focusing on
fatalities,1 from the inception of the war through its second anniversary on
March 19, 2005. It also analyzes how these fatalities influenced the 2004
presidential election, the results of which indicate that increasing public
awareness of and identification with fatalities has the potential of turning
the hearts and minds of voters against the president and reducing his ability
to achieve his policy goals...
Reprinted From
Orbis,
Volume 49, Number 3, Glenn Kutler, U.S. Military Fatalities in Iraq: A Two Year
Retrospective, Pages 529-544, Copyright 2005, with permission from the Foreign
Policy Research Institute