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Quarterly Report to Congress, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, October 2008

The October 2008 update of this Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) report states, "The theme of this Quarterly Report, "A Nascent Normalcy: The Evolution of U.S. Assistance to a Sovereign Iraq," reflects the recognition of a fundamental shift in the U.S. relief and reconstruction effort this year, which SIGIR dubbed in January "The Year of Transfer." The most salient features of that fundamental shift include:

-The rising primacy of Iraq's capital budget as the chief funding source for further reconstruction, resulting in an appropriate decrease in U.S. assistance
-The strengthening of Iraq's security forces, evident in the recent transfer of security responsibilities in Anbar and Babylon to Iraqi control
-The incremental improvement in essential services across Iraq, highlighted by this quarter's record electricity output
-The increased velocity of economic activity prompted by Iraq's oil revenue windfall, which may soon be tempered by recent rapid declines in world oil prices
-The progress of the Maliki government on specific legislative items, most notably the passage of the Provincial Election Law."