How to Get Out of Iraq with Integrity

Brendan O'Leary is Lauder Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program in Ethnic Conflict at the University of Pennsylvania. He has written or edited fifteen books, including Terror, Insurgency, and the State: Ending Protracted Conflicts and The Future of Kurdistan in Iraq, both also available from University of Pennsylvania Press.

"Brendan O'Leary asks all Americans, whether they supported or opposed the Iraq war, to think very carefully about getting out. His tough-minded argument for withdrawal and his sober and wise design for an honorable exit deserve our closest attention." (Michael Walzer, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University) "Brendan O'Leary argues that, amid all the chaos, bloodshed, and mismanagement, the outstanding achievement of post-Saddam Iraq is the 2005 constitution. Hammered out between Iraqis without dictation by the Americans, it represents the only basis for an honorable American withdrawal-as long as the United States, Iraq's neighbors, and Iraqis themselves respect it and treat it as the indispensable template for a stable future, which Professor O'Leary convincingly argues that it is. This passionate and perceptive book should be required reading for the new Administration." (Martin Woollacott, Foreign Correspondent, The Guardian)

• PrefacePART I. EVALUATING THE U.S.-LED INTERVENTION IN IRAQChapter 1. The Bush Administration's Formal GoalsChapter 2. Bipartisan Congressional Goals for IraqChapter 3. The Imputed Goals of the Bush AdministrationPART II. THE CASE FOR A SUBSTANTIVE WITHDRAWALChapter 4. Costs, Sunk Costs, and Potential BenefitsChapter 5. Securing the Iraqi Federation for All Its PeoplesPART III. LEAVING WITH INTEGRITYChapter 6. Respecting Iraq's Constitutional IntegrityChapter 7. Respecting Iraq's Territorial IntegrityChapter 8. Informing, Calming, and Working with the Neighbors.Chapter 9. Cleaning Up Without RulingAppendices1. On Difficulties in Counting Deaths in Iraq2. Xenophobia, Sexism, In-Group Solidarity, Traditional Religiosity, and Democratic Dispositions in IraqNotesIndexAcknowledgments and Sources