When the campaign for this year’s presidential election first got under way, Iraq was a hot issue. Democrats claimed they would bring the troops home as soon as possible, whereas Republicans said those troops would have to remain in Iraq for as long as it would take. The only exception to that rule was Republican Ron Paul who joined Democrats in calling for a quick and swift withdrawal.

Now that the elections are only slightly more than two weeks off, however, the situation has changed completely. Where Iraq was a winning issue for Democrats once, they’ve stopped talking about it due to the success of the surge and a general change in stratgy that has succeeded in bringing the warring parties in Iraq together. Republicans, at the same time, cannot talk too much about letting the troops remain in place for a couple of years more because… the Iraqi government has already agreed to host them until 2011.

Baghdad and Washington agreed on a deal that would give the Iraqi government authority over U.S. troops in its territory, and outside American camps, and that requires the U.S. to withdraw its forces by 2011.

The deal means that U.S. forces will leave Iraq two / three years from now, unless Baghdad requests them to stay a bit longer. It seems unlikely that Iraq will do so however, especially if the current trends continue with regards to stability, unity, and authority.

The treaty it is a major step in the right direction. It will enable Iraq’s government to establish its authority everywhere, and it will make it less dependent on the United States. At the same time it seems that U.S. troops will not have to fight in a country far away from their own for much longer. A win-win situation, then.

Looking back, it becomes increasingly clear that the surge and other changes in strategy were effective and successful. It is utterly amazing to see how quickly Iraq went from civil war, to (potential) stability and success.

The best day of this war will be when U.S. troops do indeed withdraw completely, without leaving a chaotic and highly violence Iraq behind. It seems at this moment this moment will come, in 2011.