THERE IS NO "K" IN SURGE:

Lessons of the surge (Michael O'Hanlon, November 4, 2008, Washington Times)

[I]nstead of surge, think SURGE:

The "S" in surge should be understood as an emphasis on security. This is, as noted, the centerpiece of the strategy. Protecting the Iraqi civilian population has been essential to restore trust in government and trust across sectarian lines, to rekindle hopefulness about the country's future, and restore some degree of normalcy in daily life. In practical terms, among other things it has meant setting up joint security stations across Iraq in the country's urban centers to live and work near vulnerable populations. Increased troop totals have been just part of the story.

"U" stands for unity of effort (as an assistant of Gen. Petraeus' suggested to me). It means Iraqis, Americans and others working collaboratively toward a common purpose. It has led to Americans and Iraqis living together in the joint security stations and patrolling and when necessary fighting together in Iraq's toughest neighborhoods. It has also led to development of a campaign plan that is gradually passing more and more responsibility to Iraqis for all aspects of their country's governance.

"R" must stand for reconciliation. This has been an absolutely crucial aspect of the progress in Iraq since 2007. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has purged many Shia extremist leaders that he considered irreconcilable, and replaced them in many cases with former Ba'athists (most Sunni) with whom he thought he could work. Iraqi and American leaders convinced Muqtada al-Sadr to agree to a cease-fire; the United States also launched the so-called Sons of Iraq program, paying some of the very same tribesmen (generally Sunni) who had been part of the insurgency a couple years ago to cooperate with us in providing security. [...]

"G" stands for government capacity in Iraq. As a key example, while American forces surged by 30,000 in 2007, Iraqi security forces have grown by some 200,000 over the last two years. They now total more than half a million personnel. [...]

"E" stands for excellence in execution. Doing counterinsurgency and stabilization missions correctly is very hard, requiring excellent troop training and leadership at all levels of command.