6. Iraq Reloaded: Insurgencies & Surges
3 videos • 79 views • by TheHistoryProfessor In this final lecture we will examine the debates within the Bush Administration about strategy in Iraq. Between 2003 and 2007, Rumsfeld's "Light Footprint" ruled the day, despite the fact that American casualties were high and the insurgents were operating on all sides. In the spring of 2007, however, there was a major shift in strategy championed by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. Instead of operating from massive bases, US soldiers would "clear, hold, and build," systematically and, in doing so, secure the population and deny the insurgents safe havens. This change in strategy cost both Rumsfeld and his commander, Gen. George Casey, their jobs; they were replaced by the current Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, and, on the ground in Iraq, General David Petraeus.