The British newspaper The Sunday Telegraph has done what many felt Time magazine should have - named General David Petraeus, the man behind the successful surge strategy in Iraq, as their "Person of the Year".  The Telegraph explains that while there were many candidates for this honor from a year of important headlines and luminous figures, Petraeus stands out as a man whose will and determination have led the dramatic turnaround in Iraq.

...But the reason for picking Petraeus is simple. Iraq, whatever the current crises in Afghanistan and Pakistan, remains the West's biggest foreign policy challenge of this decade, and if he can halt its slide into all-out anarchy, Gen Petraeus may save more than Iraqi lives.

A failed Iraq would not just be a second Vietnam, nor would it just be America's problem.

It would be a symbolic victory for al-Qaeda, a safe haven for jihadists to plot future September 11s and July 7s, and a battleground for a Shia-Sunni struggle that could draw in the entire Middle East. Our future peace and prosperity depend, in part, on fixing this mess. And, a year ago, few had much hope.

For the full article from The Telegraph, please click here.