I wrote on Operation Arrowhead Ripper earlier on this year, in which I placed high hopes for General Petraeus, the surge strategy and the ability of the coalition forces to see it through to the end. And I’m pleased to see that the results are evident. Michael Yon, as always, elaborates on the pointy end of the war:

But I came across something today that might make veterans of the fighting in Baqubah proud. Back in May, just before operation Arrowhead Ripper, there were about 60 violent acts per day. Now there are about 6. The markets are opening and the streets are again filled with people. I thought the veterans of Baqubah might like to know that their efforts have made a tremendous difference for the people here.

To be sure, the fighting is not over, and one cannot presume to claim victory, but it’s encouraging and uplifting to see good strategy reap the results when executed effectively. Indeed even from a broad and generalised perspective, War-bashing and withdrawal-bleating has been reduced to the canned responses of US presidential hopefuls, and even they’re relatively muted about the subject. And that’s because the Bush administration, inadvertently or nay, is overseeing a long-overdue pragmatic approach to counter-insurgency warfare, and is employing the men capable of doing it (Gates and Petraeus.)

The war isn’t over by a long way, and the political will of both the American people and the Iraqi needs to remain firm about the issue, which given the regular asshattery of all US presidential candidates on campaign, is highly unlikely. Here’s to hoping the political strategy of Iraq can match the military. That is, after all, the whole point of any proper war. Simple carnage serves nobody but the undertaker.