Peter Mansoor was General David Petraeus's executive officer in Iraq from
February 2007 to May 2008. He has written for The Washington Post explaining why "the surge" worked:
"One must understand that the "surge" was more than an infusion of reinforcements into Iraq. Of greater importance was the change in the way U.S. forces were employed starting in February 2007, when Gen. David Petraeus ordered them to position themselves with Iraqi forces out in neighborhoods. This repositioning was based on newly published counterinsurgency doctrine that emphasized the protection of the population and recognized that the only way to secure people is to live among them."
Here's the full article.
