Iraq is in the midst of an unrelenting descent into violence. It seems that every other day brings news of another bombing or attack that leaves scores of people dead. This has been the case for the past several months, and it only seems to be getting worse.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki is in Washington today, meeting with American officials. But can his trip help end the bloodletting? And what can the USA really do about Iraq anyway?
I speak with Douglas Ollivant of the New American Foundation who helps put this current wave of violence in context. Ollivant served as a military officer in Iraq, then joined the Iraq team at the National Security Council under both President Bush and President Obama. Ollivant offers an in depth analysis of what is driving this violence, what can be done to stop it and the regional implications (read: Syria) of it all. Have a listen.
Previous episodes
Episode 13: Gary Bass, historian
Episode 12: Mark Montgomery, demographer
Episode 11: Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watcher
Episode 10: Live from the UN, Volume 2.
Episode 9: Mia Farrow, humanitarian activist.
Episode 8: Suzanne Nossel, Big Thinker
Episode 7: Live from the UN, Volume 1.
Episode 6: PJ Crowley, former State Department Spokesperson
Episode 5: Octavia Nasr, Reporter
Episode 4: Arsalan Iftikhar, “The Muslim Guy”
Episode 3: Dodge Billingsley, filmmaker.