<quote>
James Dobbins, who played a leading role in the US nation-building efforts in Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan as President Clinton's and President George W. Bush's special envoy . . . says the current force level of about 175,000 is insufficient and estimates that a more realistic level is about 300,000. If the US had to provide almost all of those forces itself, the effect on American military resources would be catastrophic. With rotation in and out of the hteatre, that would mean almost a million soldiers largely committed to Iraq, says Mr Dobbins -- virtually the US army's entire strength. Pengtagon officials dispute these numbers, but acknowledge that the Iraq commitment will strain US assets.
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Michael