In December 2011, President Barack Obama announced that the last American troops had left Iraq — ending nearly nine years of war. In the aftermath of the US withdrawal, Iraq has seen a steady amount of sectarian violence. In recent days, a group that even al-Qaida found too extreme has made significant advances in the country — the Sunni extremist group known as ISIS has seized large areas of northern Iraq. There are conflicting reports about whether ISIS has taken control of the country's largest oil refinery. Learn who exactly makes up ISIS, and what are their goals, examine how are they funded and the response and options available to the Iraqi government, and what options the U.S. has to help Iraq.
Host Keith Shortall speaks with:
- Former Ambassador Lawrence Pope, ambassador to Chad from 1993 to 1996 and charge d’affaires to Libya in the aftermath of Benghazi, director for northern gulf affairs, associate director for counter-terrorism, political advisor to Gen. Zinni at central command, and author of "The Demilitarization of American Diplomacy: Two Cheers for Striped Pants."
- Professor Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, chair of the department of political science at University of New England and author of "The Libya We do Not Know: History, Culture and Civil Society."
- Ali Al Mshakheel, Journalist and Public Relations Specialist. Former journalist based in Iraq.
