James Baker and Lee Hamilton, co-chairs of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group report, are attempting to spread the word about the full extent of their recommendations, writing in an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle that the ISG report contains 79 “specific and critical steps that the US and Iraqi governments can take to improve the situation.” They write, “No political and security progress can be sustained in Iraq unless the Iraqi people experience improvement in their daily lives.” They point to the “shattered” state of the Iraqi oil industry, which, they say, would “continue to fail” even if Iraq were at peace today because of “a lack of investment and technical capacity, as well as problems of accountability and corruption.” They offer ideas on encouraging oil industry investment, but they also suggest that the US should increase its economic assistance to $5 billion per year to help restore basic services and reduce unemployment. Calling their 79 recommendations, a “comprehensive approach,” they maintain, “We must act with urgency.”
Planning an Air Show Is Hard. At Andrews, It’s Even Harder
Sept. 17, 2025
Joint Base Andrews opened its flightline this month to thousands of civilians, exposing a normally restricted airbase that regularly hosts the president and foreign dignitaries to a curious public eager to see current and historic military aircraft up close and in action.
