April 10, 2017
We Are Now Part of This War
In March 2003, during the invasion of Iraq, then–Maj. Gen. David Petraeus turned to embedded reporter Linda Robinson and famously asked: “Tell me how this ends.”
That question has never fully been answered in Iraq, despite the expenditure of huge sums of American blood and treasure. And yet, it’s the right question to ask of any military endeavor, because it links current operations to a desired future objective, lest all that blood and treasure be wasted for war’s own sake.
The same question ought to be asked now, the day after President Donald Trump ordered cruise missiles to strike a Syrian airfield in response to the brutal killing of Syrian civilians with chemical weapons two days earlier. What comes next, and how this ultimately ends, depends on what military steps come next—by the United States, as well as the Russians, Syrians, Iranians, and others active in the region. Moreover, Thursday’s strike complicates nearly everything we are now doing in Syria, potentially setting in motion a chain reaction of conflict whose end is difficult to foresee or control.
Read the full article at Slate.
More from CNAS
-
Middle East security director on the continued violence in Gaza, Israel
Video
President Biden today called for de-escalation of violence in the Middle East. Ilan Goldenberg, Middle East Security Program Director at the Center for a New American Security...
By Ilan Goldenberg & Shepard Smith
-
What Would a US-Led Global Technology Alliance Look Like?
Commentary
In its early weeks, the Biden administration has wisely signaled that it plans to shift U.S. focus away from the Middle East and toward global competition with China. In addit...
By Ilan Goldenberg & Martijn Rasser
-
Sharper: The Next 100 Days
Commentary
As the administration marks its 100th day in office, what lies ahead?...
By Anna Pederson & Chris Estep
-
Returning To The Iran Nuclear Deal Is Essential For Biden's Foreign Policy Agenda
Podcast
Ilan Goldenberg speaks with Franco Ordoñez about the importance of returning to the Iran nuclear deal for President Biden's foreign policy agenda. Listen to the full conversa...
By Ilan Goldenberg
