The heated discussion on whether troops in Iraq are in the middle of a civil war has many different viewpoints.

The bipartisan Iraq Study Group Report, released Wednesday, does not make a specific reference to the situation in Iraq being a civil war, although it does offer the possibility of it becoming one.

According to the report, Iraqis may become so sobered by the prospect of an unfolding civil war and intervention by their neighbors that they will take the steps necessary to avoid catastrophe.

The report offers milestones for the Iraqi government to meet by the end of 2007 in three areas: national reconciliation, security and governance.

According to the report, the current U.S. policy in Iraq is not working, as the level of violence in Iraq is rising and the government is not advancing national reconciliation.

A recommendation in the report advises the United States to reduce its political, military or economic support for the Iraqi government if milestones are not met.

ISU College Republicans President Donald McDowell, junior in political science, said there is a high degree of violence in Iraq, but not at the level of a civil war.

“I wouldn’t quite call it a civil war yet,” McDowell said. “I think it’s salvageable and there is hope.”

ISU Democrats President Sarah Sunderman, junior in marketing, thinks the situation in Iraq has progressively gotten worse.

“I think it is pretty obvious that it’s turned into a civil war,” Sunderman said.

Christopher Ball, lecturer of political science, said Iraq has all the markings of a civil war.

“If you have an insurgency fighting a government, you have a civil war,” Ball said.

Ball said calling the conflict a civil war could have a slight negative impact on the American public’s support of operations in Iraq.

“In general, the American public is less likely to support an internal conflict,” Ball said.

Ball said Vietnam and Somalia were examples of when the public did not support internal conflicts.

Sunderman said Democrats have realized the United States needs to get out of Iraq.

“With Democrats in control, I’m hoping a plan can be agreed upon and start getting troops out as soon as possible,” Sunderman said.

However, Ball said he does not expect that a Democratic majority in the Senate and the House will have much of an effect on the U.S. military presence in Iraq. He said the two most direct ways to change Iraq policy – impeachment and cutting the budget for the war – are probably not going to be pushed by Democrats.

“My expectation now is that either the fighting will decline or there will be a major U.S. presence until the next president comes into office,” Ball said.

Although the Iraq Study Group argued for the United States to cut support for Iraq’s government if they don’t meet milestones, it also said there could be repercussions to pulling troops out early.

According to the report, if the United States leaves and Iraq descends into chaos, the long-range consequences could eventually require the United States to return.