Over 13 years, the US spent at least $21.7 billion training and equipping the Iraqi army, police and counter-terror forces. Then, in the space of a few days in the summer of 2014. it all collapsed. As thousands of ISIS fighters poured over the border from Syria, as many as 90,000 soldiers and police deserted their posts.
The terror group seized major cities ... Show More
Jun 5
The limits of soft power: America’s war and its World Cup
When the US, Canada and Mexico were selected as joint hosts of the 2026 World Cup, they were supposed to be the “safe choice” for Fifa. Football’s global governing body had been criticised for previous picks. There had been allegations of bribery and corruption. Now, the kick-off ... Show More
23m 20s
May 29
Replay: Who will fill the security vacuum in Gaza?
In its first report to the UN Security Council, the Board of Peace this month said Hamas’s refusal to disarm was the main obstacle to the reconstruction of Gaza. The board's leader, Nickolay Mladenov, also called on Israel to honour its commitments to the ceasefire, after its att ... Show More
21m 8s
Oct 2020
The Rise of Iraq's Shi'ite Militias
This week Jon is joined by Hassan Hassan, director of the program on non-state actors in geopolitics at the Center for Global Policy and the editor-in-chief of its new online journal, Newlines Magazine. Hassan talks to Jon about his late colleague, Hisham al-Hashimi, and the rese ... Show More
24m 7s
Oct 2019
The Story of a Kurdish General
<p>Turkey has invaded Kurdish-controlled territory in Syria, upending a fragile peace in the region and inciting sectarian bloodshed. The Trump administration has ordered a full evacuation of the 1,000 American troops that remain in northeastern Syria, leaving Mazlum Kobani, the ... Show More
24m 50s
May 2022
Haider al-Abadi: Iraq and the Fight Against the Islamic State
This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dr. Haider al-Abadi, an Iraqi politician who served as prime minister from 2014 to 2018, while the country was battling the Islamic State Group (ISG). They talk about his decision making as prime minister, the Iraqi government's response to the ... Show More
32m 7s