ABSTRACT
Counterinsurgency success in Iraq is the most tenuous from among the eight contingencies. The combination of factors precipitating dramatic progress in Anbar Province and other areas thanks to the Awakening, its related creation of the Sons of Iraq and the U.S. surge. Anbar Province proved a bane to British occupiers after World War I, misfortune for Americans in the aftermath of their victory over Saddam's army, and blight for Al Qaeda's fighters. The chapter focuses on events in the vicinity of Ramadi, it is important to remember that there was similar progress elsewhere roughly coincident in time that further validates many of the lessons taken from actions in eastern Anbar Province. The Awakening paired with an increase in U.S. forces at the time and improving counterinsurgency tactics proved to be Al Qaeda's undoing in Anbar. Religious sectarianism and rampant corruption are but two social norms continuing to cause concern regarding the outcome of Iraq's counterinsurgency.
