President Trump wants the Pentagon to "fight to win," and battlefield commanders now make decisions that used to come from the Obama White House. There's been increased action in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, and a dramatic rise in civilian casualties — providing fodder for Islamic State propaganda. What's missing is diplomacy and political planning for what to do when the wars are over. But even Trump's critics say Obama didn't have any "endgames" either. We hear about America's increased involvement in murky wars where victory might be possible… but not sustainable.
Military escalation… without diplomacy
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Credits
Guests:
- Ben Hubbard - New York Times - @NYTBen
- Peter Mansoor - retired U.S. Army colonel, professor of military history at The Ohio State University - @osuhistorydept
- Richard Schmierer - Middle East Policy Council
- Katherine Zimmerman - fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, focusing on counterterrorism - @KatieZimmerman
- Hassan Hassan - Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy - @hxhassan