david: in terms of iraq, where do you think iraq is today? is iraq stable today? gen. petraeus: iraq, the situation obviously improved. with our help, the iraqi forces have been retrained and equipped. we are enabling them with so-called nato approved intelligence assets, drones, precision strikes, industrial-strength ability to fuse intelligence. gradually taking back from the islamic state those areas they seized. we will eventually defeat the islamic state that is the army in iraq. we will then have to help iraqi security forces on the residual insurgents in guerrilla elements and terrorist cells. really the issue is not these battles. i have said for two years, even from the darkest days, ultimately the iraqis would prevail in this with our assistance and that of our coalition partners. the real issue is the battle after the battle. it is very, very challenging in that regard. it is not just sunni and shia arabs. there are areas, there are kurds. all of those people have to feel they are represented in the new government. that new government has to be within means,

tore has never been a move unite syria and iraq. on the whole, the borders have proved resilient, right up until the emergence of isis when we saw a couple of years ago, isis announced that it had erased the border between iraq and syria. >> we will come back to these issues. especially to the stability of the borders and the future of the nationalities. i want to ask evan to offer some starting comments. book, the wise men is the foundation stone for a lot of people as they look at how the post-world war ii order was created. if you can talk about that order or the post world war i order. what was right in one and not so right in the other. evan: it is wonderful to be here. after world war ii, americans wanted to go home. that was a terrible war, they wanted to go home. most americans wanted to go to the movies and drink coke, that is what they wanted to do. a small group realized that was not possible. britain, the pots for konica -- falling andca was the united states could not go home again. in a crisis in 1947, inherited the br

into iraq outgo of idealism. we went out of anger, fear, revenge, we went on false intelligence that saddam had of you m.d.. so it is important to put that in mind that this is not a humanitarian intervention. that's not how it started. in 2003, there was no agreement on what should be done after saddam had been gotten rid of. the united nations was not in support of this war. which iraqis could have ruled? the decision was to do direct rule in japan and germany, but policy decisions taken very early on in the occupation were devastating. toically, the decisions dissolve the civil service, to dismiss the security institutions led to the collapse of the state. i don't think any country in the world could have survived those policies being implemented. the peace settlement we put in place was not inclusive and that is one of the big learnings from both sides. the lack of an inclusive peace agreement, that humiliation and what it leads to. a peace settlement we put in place in 2003 which was in the form of a governi

in iraq they are dependent on american close air support. imagine how humiliating this is likely to the iranians. the fact that for something that is so vital from their perceived geopolitical and, frankly, ideological interest, at least in syria, and iraq, they have a certain jew political interest in iraq, but syria and the lot is a combination. for something that is so vital to them, to depend on superpowers to save them. i can be kind of crude in describing that. it's a very human leading thing for them. i think this is something that change threat perception, the degree of the best way of pushing i think the irgc itself may have to change. ma have to become something different, or they may have to become something different with the irgc. i think this is the big question. they are so do with it. i don't think their figured out the answers to these questions. i think that's why we are seeing them, i think 2015 is an inflection point does you saw the supreme leader talk about these issues, see him talking about offenses. you see them chan

and iraq have lost track of. isis and weapons manufacturers. what about reducing arms sales and the arms flow to the region? >> i think the situation in iraq is very difficult. there is an acute security problem. the iraqi army did collapse in 2014. and the whole country was horrible -- vulnerable to groups. isis was camped on the outskirts of baghdad. there is a key issue to address and part of that is security assistance. i think the real problem here is how that assistance is being managed and audited. and without that, we will see that the lessons won't have been learned and this sort of assistance will only come back to haunt future u.s. administrations. amy: patrick wilcken, thank you for being with us amnesty , international's arms control and human rights researcher. when we come back, we go to syria and then to a new report from the intercept talkingng abt tigerswan being employed by energy transfer partners calling the water protectors the insurgency. stay with us. ♪ [music break] amy: benjamin yellow menendez has died at the age of

in iraq and syria, lies the core area of isis. recent attacks in istanbul, paris and brussels were planned out of isis so-called capital. additional threats to many nations require us to move against strongholds in their hands. east mosul has fallen after tough fighting with u.s. and coalition support. since january, it is returning to get to normal and cleanup is under way and kids back in school. west mosul, in accordance were tactics changed by president trump are in a stiff fight. there is no escape for isis while we do all that is human possible to shep hard the innocent. tella far is surrounded and other pockets of isis exist elsewhere in other provinces of an bar province. we will continue to fully support the iraqi forces and isolating and destroying isis throughout iraq. in syria, we support syrian democratic forces that recently seized mandates and have taken a province vince and attacking to isolate raqqa. they have additional strengths scattered down to the iraq border. we will not stop until they are destroyed. i want

against iraq. if you look at iraq, shiism has been the center, you can't draw a dividing line between these communities as much as the saudis would like that and you have shia in saudi arabia, shia majority in bahrain and kuwait and when they are mistreated as they often are they are forced to look to iran as a protector because it is the largest shia country. we look at this in all its nuances, you don't see it as black-and-white, i am not comfortable with iran supporting the assad regime and the atrocities it committed but there is a reason for iran's involvement in these countries. >> i want to add to that, the narrative that is spreading instability which is promoted very much by saudi arabia and the gulf states and israel, let's look at the facts, playing devils advocate is well and good but we should not get away from the facts. we have only come to understand what the forces are after our invasion of afghanistan and iraq. we started, the united states started the instability in the region. t

fight against isis in iraq and syria. then former new jersey congressman rush holt, now with the american association of science, talks about the science advisory boards. and later, the executive editor of the american conservatives discusses his article on how the u.s. education system has left highly intellectual children and their parents behind. and, we will take your calls and you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. "washington journal" is next. ♪ host: good morning. it is friday, may 20. president donald trump is in saudi arabia, kicking off a nine-day trip abroad. back home committee investigation into potential ties between president trump's campaign and russian officials is intensifying and has reached the top ranks of the white house. post" reports that investigators have identified a current white house official as a significant person of interest in the probe. "the new york times" reported that president trump told russian officials at the white house that his firing of james

in iraq we partnered with the iraqi street forces. us and coalition forces are providing equipment and intelligence, conducting airstrikes and advising military leaders. support and emphasize the fighting interactions been done by iraqi forces and they performed remarkably and it is also sacrificed. david suffered approximately 980 killed and over 6000 wounded. i just comment on the side, in addition to the confidence that they demonstrated in the sacrifice of the one thing i've seen over time in the 15 months i've been back and forth visiting in iraq in this particular assignment is the confidence of the iraqi leaders. some of you in the fall of 2015, it's very you when you go to clear there's confidence of the commanders in their ability to lead and in their soldiers ability to fight is remarkably different than it was a short time ago. in syria working alongside our troops ally and partner forces we've cleared isis from the turkish, syrian border that stemming the flow of foreign fighters, weapons and money to isis frontline. we es

country that supported iran against iraq. so you can't just, if you look at iraq, shiism of course has been the center. you can't just draw a dividing line between these communities as much as the saudi's would like that. of course you have shiite in saudi arabia and the majority in bahrain and kuwait and when they are mistreated, as they often are, they are sort of force to look to iran as a protector because it's the largest shia country. think what were all asking is you look at this in all of its nuances so that you don't see it as black-and-white. certainly i'm not comfortable with iran supporting the asad regime, i don't know how many people are with the atrocities it's committed, but there is a reason for their involvement in these countries. >> i just want to add to that, i think this narrative that iran is spreading instability which is promoted very much by saudi arabia and some of the other persian gulf states and of course israel, let's look at the facts. playing devils advocate is all well and good, but we should

when i was in iraq i saw a young soldier who was standing in front of a video camera. i asked -- don't mean to interrupt you, this is not the original. i am burning a dvd letter to my mom. this dvd, probably obsolete. and vietnam troops, this letter is from the american revolution. one of the oldest war letters, it is as pristine as the day it was written in 177mdcclxxv. moving on the general pershing and world war i. like many americans, survey after survey has shown. i was not interested in the conflict, after the war letters project. after we moved out of the house had burned down, we moved into another part of washington dc called spring valley by american university and as it turned out, a you working during world war i to create the most lethal gas ever constructed by man. dumped the munitions in the ground, and a rural area back then, after we moved in there. the army corps of engineers said we have to evacuate the area, discovered poisonous gas around the area. this is what intrigued me about world war i, i will say as passionate as i feel about these two i hop

iran and iraq bought an eight -- >> iran and iraq fought an eight year war. 60% of the iraqi army at the time was shia. if the shia affinity question was so large, those guys would have maybe switched sides. maybe they would have run away. ms. naraghi-anderlini: they didn't. they fought as iraqis against iran. again the notion of the affinity , and the power and influence is something that probably, it's to their advantage to project but it is actually not as great when you come down to it, in terms of the geopolitical interest. all the way in the back. yes? >> do you view. ms. slavin: can you tell us your name. >> do you believe there's any potential with the u.s. indirectly engaging or directly engaging iran in any diplomatic talks with respect to the potential to reconvene district party talks with north korea regarding nuclear nonproliferation or the water crisis in afghanistan? , do you believe the current administration within the united states could indirectly or directly engage in any diplomatic talks, in any manner? i think it is a good question. i think it allows me to make

i think our object tifsz in iraq should be to make sure that iraq remains a long-term strategic partner in the fight against terrorism and that iraq remains free from iranian malign interference. the precise mechanics of what that relationship looks like and the authorities under which it occurs i think are under negotiation and, if confirmed, i would want to work with counterparts throughout the inner agency and with the congress on what those mechanics should. >> but i take it it would be your recommendation that some kind of total disengage meant would not be good policy. >> yes, sir, i believe history would caution against walking away from our partners. >> thank you. ms. bingen, do you -- you're part of a much larger intelligence community in your position. do you see areas of redundancy and opportunities for better coordination, cooperation, and perhaps even efficiency in terms of the 17 agencies that are involved in the united states government and intelligence matters? >> yes, senator. right off the bat i think that there is an opportunity for greater airspace integration and i

you look at our experience in iraq, ten years ago, we had to change our way of doing business. the iranians it will be tough for them to do this. >> we will go to the audience. rules are waiting for the microphone to come to you, identify yourself an organization, but your statement in the form of a brief question. over here. >> thank you i have a quick question. i'm in journalist. at what point do you see this administration walking away from the ja ocp? if they don't, this obligation how with the united states and the other parties ratify the agreement again on their own obligation to iran? >> i will try to feel that. i think certainly, i don't speak for the president or secretary matus or secretary tillerson or anyone like that but i think the president has expressed, you know, his concerns about the deal and that there are serious issues with it. it is under a review going on right now about how the deal may need to be addressed in the future. obviously, there needs to be concerns about other members of the p5 plus one and out the potential strategies will be pursued with t

led coalition in iraq and syria is very focused right now on giving forces on the ground the time to completely enveloped whatever stronghold they are going after. i think we are seeing that play out right now in the city of raqqa in syria, the islamic state's de facto capital. that operation has been underway for many weeks and slowly but surely, forces that are assembled are sealing off escape routes and once that happens completely, i think you will see an offense if start to move it just offensive -- offensive start to move into the city. host: yesterday, james madison talked about how the -- mattis -- >> president trump directed the department of defense in a comprehensive review of the campaign. we submitted that report and then he ordered an accelerated operation against isis. what does that mean? two significant changes resulted from president trump's review. first, he delegated authority to the right level, to aggressively and in a timely manner move against enemy vulnerabilities. secondly, he directed a tactical shift from shoving isis out of seized locations in an attritio

to the previous caller, we should go to war only what is necessary, not to go to vietnamo or iraq, we found that maybe we didn't really need to do that. maybe we should think things through its and putting our kids in harm's way needlessly for defense corporation. my question is about iran though. iran has never attacked anybody, yes, they are muslims and there are terrorists and just like there are in saudi arabia. saudi arabia are the people who came and attacked us on 9/11. on what's the big deal. why we are is on iran's case in the week over there whether it's bush, obama, trump and their holding hands and sucking up to either saudi arabia, there were make in the big bad bogeyman, iran. i to me i do not see a lot of difference between the two countries. except saudi arabia killed 3000 people here in our country. if you could explain that i would appreciate it. >> that's a lot on pack with those calls. i would reiterate carl's pointnn which is the u.s. military has been a force for good and i'm very proud of our men in uniform. i say that not every decision we have made over the ye

in yemen, the shiite militias in iraq and syria. it is astounding how much iran supports terrorism worldwide. it is also astounding we provide a huge amount of sanctions to iran without asking them to stop. strong supporters of hamas. they talk a lot about how they don't provide financial support but a lot of material support and the like. .hat is still up for debate that is turkey. support for hamas as well, they help iran with sanctions to the tune of $100 billion. there are supports allowing ices to run wild on the 550 mile border. there is no end to the challenges. host: are there ways around that from these countries? guest: there are ways around it. sides.ke to play both we are not in a position in the united states where congress or the executive are willing to take things to the next level. a lot of this is diplomacy, quite conversation here at we have state-sponsored terrorism programs. we are looking at iran primarily right now and also syria which almost does not exist as a state now. these other function, through treasur

volunteer between 2 combat tours in iraq and afghanistan. 's previous service at the pentagon in key areas and more recent service in positions of ever increasing responsibility at the department of energy and as deputy undersecretary of counterterrorism focused on unconventional nuclear threats. .. always a family sacrifice and we appreciate him stepping up in this new role and i look forward to seeing him in his success or convey you. >> you, congresswoman, for coming over and we appreciate your introduction. it's my understanding chairman thornberry wanted to be here, but had another obligation. he wanted to join us to introduce ms. billingham so i was to his statement to the record. he writes ms. being a commitment to service will serve the department of defense and the nation well. so, welcome, witnesses this morning. we thank you for joining us and we welcome your family and friends are with us today. as is our tradition at the beginning of your testimony, we invite you to introduce those that are joining you today. it's a standard to

she was serving in iraq. she wrote home an e-mail about a campfire sing-along with a group of kurdish soldiers who had slightly misinterpreted the famous butyl song that we think has to do with finding peace and serenity and they thought it was about a little green vegetable. i'm knocking to sing this but i will get it view sense of what happened. this is sharon writing home to her family. july 2004, we worked with turks and iraqis. the kurds love us. one guy brought his guitar around and played some music for them sometimes we try to join in. you haven't lived until you see a bunch of kurdish soldiers complete with ak-47s singing with gusto as they mangled the beatles, let it be. what i find myself in time of trouble, merit luther mary comes to me speaking words of wisdom, little peek, little p. they really got into it. little p, lytle p, lytle p yet little p. whisper words of wisdom, little p. that was a good day. not all that we have our combat situation or on a war zone. one of the most powerful i came ac

on 31st may 200 2008 summer was already upon iraq. i woke that day, complete its npt like like ousted, showered, grabbed a cup of coffee and walked over to our hangar to preflight. i was updated by the crew chief on the status of all aircraft and a walk over to joint operations center to report to the daily status of aircraft and received an order for a mission that night. they were shaping up the routine night in support of our rudest counterparts who were a member of our joint task force. around 10:00 we departed the airbase as a flight of two and headed for a mission support site in baghdad. once at the mss we sent an operations brief. british always fun to work with and although we shared a common language, they were often very difficult is that acquired translate over to american forest. the brief for this night had a very heavy accent, and at the end of the breezy i turned over to my guys and they said hey, did you need -- did anybody understand what he just said? everybody shook their head no, we did not. i'll be able to get a

at the time, those of us who protested against the iraq war we re us who protested against the iraq war were accused of being hyperbolic in terms of the disastrous consequences. in terms of the disastrous consequences. if anything, we were not hyperbolic enough. hundreds of thousands dead, millions displaced, traumatised or injured. sectarian bloodbath, contributing to the rise of isis and general destabilisation in the middle east. that is such a colossal catastrophe that it is difficult to get past. the other problem, of course, was the fact that since he has stepped down, he has worked for a variety of unsavoury dictators like the dictator of kazakhstan, who tortures and murders his political opponents. so he is very charismatic. in his day, he was the pre—eminent politician of his time. but his reputation was so sullied by such a monumental catastrophe that whatever cause he now associate himself with — like john, cause he now associate himself with — likejohn, i don't cause he now associate himself with — like john, i don't agree with the cause. i advocated for remain, but

in 2004 shortly combathe end of initial operations in iraq, i traveled to a city in iraq. it was my first time overseas in that part of the world. met withver forget we local leaders, political leaders, and religious leaders. i was with a small delegation of congressman. i witnessed something i will never forget. standing incal imam his traditional apparel. as the local bishop arrived, i saw the two of them embrace warmly. they began to speak with each other in animated ways. the translator said they were speaking about their families. the imam was its appreciation -- expressing appreciation for the condolences he was given for loss and their community. there was warm affection between them. a state department official who , howraveling with us said long has there been a christian church here? said, 1500 years. [laughter] a community of common purpose and affection. it could be that way again. our brothers and sisters in faith i can assure you, we are being carried by the prayers of the faithful across this nation, across the world. you have the prayers of our president an

it's easy. >> would you ever be able to go back to iraq? >> i don't know. really, i don't know. >> reporter: of all the images ar arkady showed us, the most disturbing may be one the soldiers themselves recorded on a phone and sent to him. it shows two soldiers chasing down a handcuffed prisoner and then carrying out a brutal field execution. >> that's extra judicial killing. i don't even have words for it. >> that's a murder? >> that's a murder. >> reporter: in our phone call, captain nazar told us human rights don't apply to people that he suspects of being isis. >>. >> translator: he's not human, he's a monster. >> isn't that murder? >> translator: no, it's not considered murder. >> is there now going to be an investigation? >> translator: i'm already a star. ali would make me a bigger star by doing this. why? my country is longing for someone who would help it get rid of terrorism. >> reporter: the soldiers thought their secrets were safe with arkady. tonight they are learning they are not. for "nightline," brian ross, abc news, new york. >> our thanks

paul adams, bbc news, northern iraq. tim: more than 2.5 million american soldiers have been deployed to iraq and afghanistan in the 16 years since the start of the war on terror. but the politics of war often gets more attention than the men and women who actually fight in them. the national portrait gallery in washington is quite literally putting faces to those who served with a new exhibition, "the face of battle." jane o'brien went along. jane: in spite of the title, "faces of war," some of the most moving faces in the exhibition show nobody these are the empty bedrooms of fallen soldiers. their very actions creating a haunting presence. -- absence creating a haunting presence. ofis captured in the work stacy. >> this is a picture i took of specialist garcia, caught him chain-smoking. air: and are forced -- an force, photographer, she was wounded twice and awarded a bronze star for bravery. >> we have this idea of a soldier being impenetrable, sort of invincible. what i wanted to remind folks photographically is that

. >> gary lynnfoot was paralyzed when serving in iraq in 2008. he's now the first veteran to use full-body exoskeleton technology that allows him to walk again. he told his story at the reagan library in seamy valley, this is an hour. >> good evening. for those i have not yet met, i am chief marketing officer for the reagan foundation and institute. thank you for being here this evening. if you have attended an event here before you know we start each program by reciting the pledge of allegiance, we do it in honor of the men and women who defend our freedom around the world. i ask you to recite the pledge that we do so in honor of those currently fighting, those are missing, those who have perished and those were veterans. please join me in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america. and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. thank you. before we get started there are a few people in the audience i want to recognize. i understand ther

it would be politically destabilizing in iraq. exactly where you would put them in syria if what you want is to develop syrian forces that can actually occupy the area can provide some kind of political and civil stability after. you can't do that with u.s. troops. the saudi's are aware of this at this point as we are. we've already learned the hard way as the limit and what really work on the ground. dmn is an extraordinarily difficult case. the fact is when the conflict started in the uae have that coalition intervened, they comment on mark that ground troops than they thought. they ended up having to rely on air power and limited ground force. the end result has been a stalemate. basically it is not the sub one. it is the sub one and a solid faction and the armed forces acts solid and found one in the struggle. it is also a very serious internal threat from al qaeda and the arabian peninsula. the u.s. basically i began to try to put conventional u.s. ground troops into the middle of one of the most complex ethnic sectarian form

a new exhibition focuses on american soldiers who've fought in iraq and afghanistan. welcome — i'm katty kay in washington — it's may day, christian has the day off — and we hope he is spending more peacefully than the scenes in paris today. a french police officer was engulfed in flames and seriously burned — two more were injured in clashes with protestors. this year's may day demonstrations come just six days before the final round of the french presidential election and in a divided nations it is clearly a tense time. the bbc‘s lucy williamson is in paris and i spoke to her a brief time ago. these marches come just six days before the final vote and i expect they are some gauge of the mood in france and it does not look good does it? these may day rallies are an annual event organised by the main unions here. they happen alongside the political rallies and the unions also have taken on something of a politicalflavour today. we saw clashes on the margins on some of the matches, some provocateu rs on some of the matches, some p rovocateu i’s we on some o

it would be politically destabilizing in iraq. and exactly where you would put them in syria if what you want is to develop syrian forces that can occupy the area and provide civil stability after, you can't o that with u.s. troops. i think the saudis are as aware of it at this point as we are. we already learned the hard way as to what kinds of intervention really work on the ground. yemen is an extraordinarily difficult case. the fact is when this conflict started in the saudi uae led coalition intervened, they counted on more outside ground troops than they got. they ended up having to rely on air power and limited ground forces. the end result has been a stalemate. it is not the houthi solely. it's them and the solid faction f the yemeni military. a great deal of the yemeni forces back the houthi in the struggle. it is also a very serious internal threat from al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. the u.s. -- again, to put conventional u.s. ground troops into one of the most complex ethnic sectarian forms of asymmetric war possibl

great swaths of land, territory falling to isis in iraq. times imperative at that the president on behalf of the united states for military force to address the threats of the region into our interest as well. the president did so expressly on the authority as president and commander-in-chief under article ii of the constitution. era war under the nixon powers resolution, there was raised the question as to whether congress needed to authorize the use of force against isis, or whether that authority, congressional authorization was embodied in the existing legislation. lawyers in the administration to examine that issue, which we did intensely. the 2001ncluded that provided authority the president was ordering in iraq. i believed then and i believe now that was the correct conclusion, and i assume it is that conclusion that provides a basis for our government to continue to prosecute the fight against isis. i also firmly felt then and feel strongly now that it was important, i would even say ,mperative for congress to act for congress to ca

on iraq, your strongest feelings? mr. brzezinski: i think the iraq adventure is a profound misadventure which was wasted in this country by demagogy from the top down. it involved basic misjudgment of what was needed and how to go .bout pursuing what was needed the consequences are visible to all. our credibility worldwide has been shot. our legitimacy has been undermined. last but not least, local respect for our power has been much reduced. to thei want to go back videotape from 1989 and what you had to say about mr. gorbachev and the soviet union. mr. brzezinski: i think one has to differentiate between mr. theachev the person and face of the policies he's promoting. he certainly is a very intelligent person. i've had the opportunity of meeting him. ,e makes a very good impression certainly better than any of his predecessors. that clearly explains why he is so attractive because he stands in such contrast to those who preceded him. his policies, which are based on meaning overords overtness andg there has been talking

it would be politically destabilizing in iraq. exactly where you would put them in syria, if what you want is to develop syrian forces that can actually occupy the area can -- occupy the area and provide some kind of political and civil stability after. you can't do that with u.s. troops. the saudi's are aware of this at this point as we are. we've already learned the hard way as the limit and what really work on the ground. yemen is an extraordinarily difficult case. the fact is when the conflict started in the uae have that coalition intervened, they counted on more outside ground troops then they got. they ended up having to rely on air power and limited ground force. the end result has been a stalemate. basically it is not the goofy -- a solid faction and the armed forces acts solid and found one in the struggle. it is also a very serious internal threat from al qaeda and the arabian peninsula. the u.s. basically i began to -- basically again, to try to put conventional u.s. ground troops into the middle of one of the most com

just has 75 syrian backed militias in iraq.just in iraq. has 75 syrian backed militias in iraq. just in iraq. they are getting involved in syria. they can people in syria, and disposing i2 involved in syria. they can people in syria, and disposing 12 million people there. we are not exaggerating here. gest displacing. we are seeing houthi militias that are operating in yemen and killing ona are operating in yemen and killing on a daily basis. —— displacing. we are putting our hands on the facts are putting our hands on the facts are nothing but the facts. and we need the whole world. the united states and the global community to basically confront iran, because they are the root problem in the region. not only the region, but in the whole world. we will have to leave it there. thank you very much for joining leave it there. thank you very much forjoining us. of course, this is a region where weather is always a metaphorfor what is region where weather is always a metaphor for what is happening politically. this is what is happening on the evening of donald trump state visit.