The Center for Strategic and International Studies has determined that a U.S. military withdrawal would not help Iraq or American security. In a report authored by senior fellow Anthony Cordesman, the Bush administration was urged to stay the course and help stabilize Iraq and ensure its military self-sufficiency.

"The real case for strategic patience is not the high probability of success in most areas, but the reasonable prospect of success in some areas," the report, entitled "The Tenuous Case for Strategic Patience in Iraq," said.

In his 25-page study, Cordesman, who often visits Baghdad, did not envision a near-term breakthrough in Iraq. But he argued that a rapid withdrawal, recommended by the congressionally-mandated Iraqi Study Group in 2006, would be dangerous.

The assessment marked another crack in what appeared to be a consensus that the U.S. military has failed to make gains in Iraq. In early August, two leading U.S. analysts, Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack, cited military progress and also urged patience in stabilizing Iraq. But the two analysts and Cordesman agreed that the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has failed in governance and reconciliation.

In his report, Cordesman sought to provide Congress with a guide to assessing progress in Iraq. He urged the House and Senate to adopt a long-term approach to Iraqi stability that was not dependent on benchmarks.

"While all the half truths and spin of the past have built up a valid distrust of virtually anything the administration says about Iraq, real military progress is taking place and the U.S. team in Baghdad is actively seeking matching political and economic progress," the report said. "What is critical to understand, however, is that while the surge strategy has had value in some areas, much of this progress has not [been] the function of the surge strategy, U.S. planning, or action by the Maliki government."