Web sites focusing on Iraq insurgency

Gannett News Service

Useful Web sites for tracking the insurgency and elections in Iraq:

— http://juancole.com. A popular blog by Middle East expert and University of Michigan professor Juan Cole.

— www.defenselink.mil. The Pentagon’s official Web site.

— http://brookings.edu. This Web site, maintained by the Brookings Institution, is packed with useful statistics on the insurgency in Iraq. Type “Iraq index” in the search window in the upper right corner of the brookings.edu home page, and then select “Iraq Index Home Page.”

PART 1

U.S. relearning painful lessons in Iraq

By John Yaukey, GNS

American and Iraqi forces already are struggling with a full-blown insurgency that has cost hundreds of lives. If the Iraq's Jan. 30 elections go badly and its political landscape falls into chaos, Americans will be facing a debacle that easily rivals Vietnam.

Communist leader Mao pioneered modern insurgency

Map: Iraq's political landscape

PART 2

Marines battle hidden enemy with clear mission

By Gordon Trowbridge, Army Times

U.S. forces in Iraq constantly confront enemies hiding among innocents, and innocents stumbling into a fate they don't deserve. It's a war often fought in seconds with some of its most important decisions made by young privates, not generals.

PART 3

U.S. path out of Iraq: Hand off insurgency to local security forces

By John Yaukey, GNS

As Iraqi security gain confidence, the Pentagon will gradually scale down the U.S. force size. The hope is that this will reduce U.S. casualties, lower the American profile in Iraq and start reassuring Americans that there is an end in sight.