October 18, 2007 | By Nathaniel Ward

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Is the surge working?

Is Gen. David Petraeus’ surge strategy working? Despite negativity in the media, new figures show that violence has recently declined in Iraq.

“With about 160,000 combat troops,” writes Heritage national security expert James Carafano, “Gen. Petraeus managed to stem the rising tide of violence in Iraq. That is a statistic worth noting because, according to the ‘experts,’ it couldn't be done.”

Carafano explains that American troops and their leaders have learned how to succeed in Iraq. In battle, he argues, “numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. What often matters just as much, if not more, is how troops are trained, equipped, led and employed. The genius for war, the ability to fight smart, is an incalculable combat edge.”

But now that we have this edge, he says “it would be a tragedy” if we abandoned the field now.

Even the editorial page of the normally liberal-leaning Washington Post recognizes the progress. Citing the reduced violence, they wrote over the weekend that “it’s looking more and more as though those in and outside of Congress who last month were assailing Gen. Petraeus’s credibility and insisting that there was no letup in Iraq's bloodshed were — to put it simply — wrong.”

Take our poll: Is the surge strategy successfully securing Iraq?

Watch Newt Gingrich Thursday

On Thursday, the Dallas/Fort Worth Committee for Heritage hosts a discussion with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on the topic, “Where Do Conservatives Go From Here? Watch his remarks live on MyHeritage.org on Thursday at 8:55 p.m. Eastern.

See Justice Thomas in person or live online

The Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society and the National Center for Policy Analysis are sponsoring a series of events with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas where he will speak on his New York Timesbestselling memoir, My Grandfather’s Son. The first event was held today in New York, and the justice is scheduled to make four more stops.

Reserve your spot today—or watch the live webcast of each event on MyHeritage.org.

• Atlanta—Thurs., Oct. 18 (live webcast begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern)
• Omaha—Fri., Oct. 19 (live webcast begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern)
• Chicago—Sun., Oct. 21 (live webcast begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern)
• Dallas—Oct. 23 (sold out; live webcast begins at 1:40 p.m. Eastern)
• Southern California—Dec. 17 (registration opens in November)

Order the book, which hit the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list, today on Amazon.com.

Securing Afghanistan

Afghanistan may not be front page news, but America must continue to focus its attention on the fledgling democracy to address security concerns and prevent a resurgence of radical Islam, a Heritage Foundation panel said Tuesday.

While pundits often say the nation’s ethnic groups are incapable of working together and unable to form a democratic government, former Afghan interior minister Ali Jalali Afghanistan said this is hardly the case. The real issue, he argued, is the lack of proper security forces to combat insurgents and allow for increased economic development.

Heritage expert Lisa Curtis noted in particular the importance of disrupting the radical Islamic groups that would recruit young people to terrorism. Curtis recently authored an important paper with Heritage’s Jim Phillips on how to stabilize Afghanistan and build a strong democratic government in Kabul.

—Colin Gowan

Everyone needs school choice

It’s widely believed that upscale neighborhoods have the best schools. But a recent study says otherwise.

Researchers examined how schools performed in 300 different upscale neighborhoods.  Around El Capitan High School, for example, the average home costs $500,000. But the study found that just 42 percent of ninth graders were proficient in English—and by 11th grade, English proficiency plummeted to 31 percent. 

Poor teacher quality combined with union contracts at public schools are major culprits, two researchers from the Pacific Research Institute said Monday at The Heritage Foundation. “A monopoly system does not serve the education system well,” said PRI scholar Vicki Murray. The lack of parental choice in schools allows mediocrity to flourish, while a system of school vouchers and parental oversight would help to revive middle-class schools.

—Colin Gowan

Protecting national security companies

While foreign direct investment is beneficial to the economy, investments by firms with ties to China’s military must be especially scrutinized, Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO) told The Heritage Foundation on Monday.

Huawei Technologies, which is linked to China’s People’s Liberation Army, has proposed to purchase 3Com, which provides computer and technology security to the Defense Department. Heritage panelists expressed concern that this deal could expose national security secrets to the Chinese and put America in the position of relying on foreign companies for security technology.

Bond insisted, though, that America must not “slam the door” on all Chinese investment because of this risk.

—Colin Gowan

In other news

• Turkey’s parliament has approved the government’s request to allow Turkish troops to cross the Iraqi border to pursue Kurdish rebels.
• A Maine middle school may provide contraceptive pills to students as young as 11—without explicit parental approval. Instead of encouraging young children not to have sex, the program would reinforce early sexual behavior by appearing to remove consequences.
• Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) recently announced a proposal for government-subsidized retirement accounts. But the concept is flawed, as Heritage’s Bill Beach tells columnist Donald Lambro. “This is a dependency-creating plan. Savings are supposed to make you independent. This one ties you to the government.”
• The first of 80 million Baby Boomers has applied for Social Security benefits. Absent reform, this surge of retirees over the next two decades will cause government spending to surge out of control.
• CNN reports on the sorry state of the dental care provided under Britain’s socialized medical system, which many on the Left hold up as a model for this country.
• To assist couples in splitting up, an event in Austria is promoting itself as the world’s first “divorce fair.”

Coming up at Heritage

To attend these or any other Heritage Foundation events, RSVP at Heritage’s events website. Or you can watch these events live online at Heritage.org. All times are Eastern.

• On Friday, Oct. 19 at noon, Rockford College professor Peter Stanlis discusses the philosophy of Robert Frost.
• On Friday, Oct. 19 at 6:00 p.m., Heritage hosts a screening of the award-winning film Bella.
• On Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 11:00 a.m., author Jay Winik discusses his new book, The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World - 1788-1800.

Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation. Colin Gowan contributed to this report.

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