Ending Endless War - Lessons from the Counter-ISIS War

In December 2011, the last American combat troops left Iraq. The Obama administration celebrated the withdrawal as the completion of a campaign promise to end the Iraq war. Fewer than three years later, the same administration returned the U.S. to war in Iraq to fight ISIS and then extended the war into Syria. In his new report, Decisionmaking in the Counter-ISIS War, New America Senior Policy Analyst David Sterman examines how the United States returned to war in Iraq, the role of preventive war logic in that decision, and what lessons the counter-ISIS war holds for efforts to end America’s seemingly endless counter-terrorism wars.

To discuss the report, New America welcomes Dr. Joshua Geltzer, a New America International Security program fellow and former senior director for counter-terrorism at the National Security Council, and Dr. Alexandra Stark, senior researcher with New America’s Political Reform program. Dr. Stark holds a PhD from the government department at Georgetown University. She was previously a research fellow at the Middle East Initiative of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and Minerva/Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar at the United States Institute of Peace.

Featuring David Sterman, Author, Decisionmaking in the Counter-ISIS War and Senior Policy Analyst, New America International Security program; Dr. Joshua Geltzer, Fellow, New America International Security program and Former Senior Director for Counter-Terrorism, National Security Council; and Dr. Alexandra Stark, Senior Researcher, New America Political Reform program. Moderated by Melissa Salyk-Virk, Senior Policy Analyst, New America International Security program.