After the US-led coalition's invasion of Iraq and defeat of Iraqi forces in conventional operations, a series of new challenges arose. How can security forces be rebuilt and strengthened, for example, and how can peace and governance be restored? This episode is the second in a two-part discussion with Dr. Isaiah "Ike" Wilson. An Army veteran and scholar of the war in Iraq, he is the author of the book Thinking Beyond War. In this episode, he describes the challenges US forces faced in Iraq and highlights a number of lessons from the conflict—lessons that he says the US military has "gathered" but not yet fully learned. As the episode concludes, the discussion zooms out to take a broader look at the Middle East and the United States' missions in the region.
Optimists argue that alliances are a source of strength for American foreign policy, lending significant advantage over competitors like China. Skeptics argue that the...
Technology is rapidly changing the modern battlefield, making it crucial for armies to adapt how they think, fight, and train. But what should that...
This episode looks back at twenty years of the US-led war in Afghanistan to find lessons for the US Army. How should the war...