Is Increasing the Number of Troops the Right Option?
Increasing the troops by a few thousand while maintaining current tactics and strategy will do nothing. The only way it might help is if the army takes over the policing duties. That would require a massive increase in the number of troops which is at present logistically impossible and pollitically unpopular. It will require a change in strategy where this force will disarm all militias if necessary by force whether the Iraqi government wants it or not. This will result in an exponential increase in casualties (on both sides) and use of forceful tactics similar to those attributed to Saddam. The answer remains in seperating the feuding parties, making them share oil revenues and making sure each has an equal contribution to the defence forces with rotating leadership (for more discussion on implementation details see http://voiceandview.blogspot.com/2006/09/way-forward-on-march-24-2006-i-wrote.html).