Congress has again approved funding for the Iraq war without any requirements for troop redeployments or withdrawal. This is irresponsible since lawmakers will have few additional chances to change U.S. policy on Iraq in the final year of the Bush administration.

With this in mind, military analyst Anthony Cordesman offers a new way forward: coupling a reduction in troop levels with increased U.S. aid. The United States – and other countries – have, of course, already spent billions on reconstruction in Iraq, but that spending was poorly tracked and its results hard to quantify, Mr. Cordesman writes in a paper for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Because of improvements in Iraq, the U.S. now faces “the dilemma of partial success.” “Failure in Iraq is easy to deal with; it means quick withdrawal,” he continues. “Full and rapid success is easy to plan for and it is easy to create programs and budgets that reinforce what already exists.”

With a decrease in attacks but remaining instability, the U.S. faces a difficult situation with an unclear future. The way forward, Mr. Cordesman suggests, is to use aid dollars as “a force multiplier,” in effect using reconstruction funds to build support for – and stop attacks against – U.S. security and rebuilding work.

As Mr. Cordesman notes, a new aid program would have to be built on “a troubled and flawed foundation of past programs” and a skeptical Congress would have to support additional funding. Addressing these obstacles is better, however, than continuing to spend money on military operations with no requirements for their success.

Earlier this week, the Senate voted 50-45 on an amendment, co-sponsored by Sen. Olympia Snowe, to support, but not require, the transition of U.S. troops away from combat missions by the end of next year. The measure needed 60 votes to move forward. Sens. Snowe and Susan Collins were among five Republicans to vote for the measure, which was a weaker version of unsuccessful redeployment legislation sponsored by Sen. Collins earlier this year.

“I am disappointed that the Senate passed on another opportunity to communicate to the president the necessity to increase our counter terrorism efforts and continue the training of the Iraqi security forces – all without withdrawing precipitously,” Sen. Snowe said after the vote. “Given the dismal state of political reconciliation in Iraq and the costs of maintaining such a large force in Iraq, I am absolutely convinced of the necessity for this change in mission focus.”

The funds approved for Congress are meant to support the war efforts through April 1. If the situation in Iraq remains the same next year, lawmakers must find real ways to deal with the “dilemma of partial success.” Emphasizing aid that improves daily lives for Iraqis, while employing many of them, offers an option.