"NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Nicholas Rasmussen, ex-director of the National Counterterrorism Center, about the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi..." Listen to the full interview here: Full Interview
"‘When you think about the impact it will have on ISIS going forward, this is more like the close of a chapter, but by no means the end of the story,' said Nick Rasmussen, the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center during the last two years of President Barack Obama’s tenure and the first year of the Trump administration. “‘In terms of the immediate impact on the lethality of the group... or the degree to which ISIS as an organization [...]
"After the U.S. left the Kurds behind in Syria, some in Israel, arguably one of America’s closest allies, are wondering if they can depend on American protection, said Dan Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel. “‘Members [within Israel] of the U.S. camp have less to fall back on now,' said Shapiro. 'They carry more of the burden against the dangerous actors in the region.' "... After U.S. troops began pulling out of northeast Syria last week, Israeli media was 'rife with [...]
"The hasty withdrawal of most U.S. forces from Syria not only has immediate and grave implications for the safety of America’s erstwhile Kurdish partners and the fight against ISIS, but the United States also has ceded its single greatest source of leverage to broker an end to the conflict: the remaining one-third of Syrian territory not under the control of President Bashar al-Assad and Russia. "With American forces withdrawing under pressure — from a NATO ally, no less — the instinct [...]
"Congressional representatives who previously served in the executive branch discussed the role of Congress in national security and foreign affairs. Representatives Will Hurd (R-TX), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Andy Kim (D-NJ) all served in the national security sector before being elected to the House and talked about the transition from working in the executive branch to the legislative branch. The lawmakers also discussed the U.S. foreign policy leadership in the world, the whistleblower complaint against President Trump, and President Trump’s decision [...]
"Harvard energy expert Meghan O'Sullivan tells Fareed why energy markets may be underestimating the risks of instability in the Middle East..." Watch the full interview here: Full Interview
"Donald Trump does not like alliances. Inevitably, they require obligation and commitments and don’t fit his idea of narrow transactions that serve our interests temporarily. Like Sen. William Borah (R-Idaho) and the 'belligerent isolationists' of the 1920s and 1930s, President Trump sees no need for allies and does not want the burden of having to fulfill commitments. "In his worldview, others should take care of themselves. And that applies even to those like the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces who served our [...]
"The situation in Syria changed quickly this week. A five-day cease-fire, which Turkey is calling a 'pause,' negotiated by Vice President Mike Pence, seemed to be barely holding up less than 24 hours after it was announced. President Trump considers the agreement a victory, but some members of the GOP disagree. Mike Singh of the Washington Institute joins the panel to talk about who the winners were from the agreement. Hint: it wasn’t the Kurds..." Read the full article here: Full [...]
"If U.S. sanctions turn out to be mostly symbolic, 'that would be a relatively minor economic or diplomatic cost worth bearing for Turkey to advance its military objectives in the region,' Elizabeth Rosenberg, who worked on sanctions policy in the Obama administration and is now at the Center for a New American Security..." Read the full article here: Full Article
"Elizabeth Rosenberg, a U.S. sanctions specialist, says sanctions are 'a sideshow to a threat of military escalation and all-out conflict.' They fuel a narrative focused on Iran rather than the US — and the fact that Trump blinked when he called off a retaliatory military strike after the Iranians admitted to having downed the U.S. drone..." Read the full article here: Full Article