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Backdrop. we have an imbalance of power that works against us. this could lead to balance of power that more works in our favor. do you think that between the 3,5 3,500 troops in iraq, now the 50 in syria, be united states is engaged in way they will be more in control of situation? what i worry about is at the end of the day this is a very deep sectarian divide. you described it as the middle east 30-year war. can we shape the outcome with these incremental pointed intervention interventions? it s the right thing to say. i think that s only true if your goal is to win war in the traditional sense. i don t think it s our goal to ....
but was the iraq war a hopeless endeavor? you know, people will make their judgments about the war, whether it was wise to get into it the way we got into it, the way we prosecuted it. but by the time the obama administration came into office, that was an inheritance that we had to deal with. and given the extraordinary sacrifice of so many americans, our military, our diplomats and others, we were determined to make the best possible future we could for iraq and to live up to that responsibility. and that s what we tried to do. i think there were moments in the last years when you could see and indeed, we can still see, a way forward for iraq. but again, at the end of all of this, as much as we can do, it s it depends on the iraqis themselves. they have to decide the future ....
Obviously, of taking the initiative. they still have a base and sanctuary in syria. and the one part of iraq where things have been much more difficult is anbar province precisely because of this conflict between a predominantly shia iraqi army and a sunni population. what s changed is the realization this was a problem by the iraqi government in baghdad and a genuine effort for the first time to mobilize sunnis in the fight, to bring them in, to populate the beginnings of a national guard, to bring more of them into the iraqi army itself, to get more control over the so-called popular mobilization forces that have shia militia in them. to actually put in place funds through the u.n. to stabilize areas that were newly liberated. and we re seeing that start let me emphasize start, to work. ....
That s what happened. the body politics was clear on that. the really group that really wanted us to stay was the kurds. they didn t believe it, every step of the way we designed a glide path that would gradually pull us out of iraq. at every step along the way the iraqis didn t believe we would follow through. they didn t believe we would get out of the cities, we did. they didn t believe we would end our combat mission. we had to prove to them that we meant it. in my judgment, at least, we actually had to leave in order to reengage later and get back in. to what extent do you think you do have a coherent, functioning partner in iraq today? we have an increasingly functioning partner in iraq. it s a work in progress. it was important to have a partner on the ground because it ....
Without drastic measures. stunningly youthful award winning skin. never settle for anything less. the regenerist collection, from the world s #1. olay, your best beautiful. here is the number 50. that s the top limit of how many special operations forces the white house says it intends to send to syria as you heard in the last segment. here is a much bigger number. 3,500. that s how many troops the united states already has in iraq fighting isis. ten days ago, one of them was killed. master sergeant joshua wheeler. he was the first american so soldier to die under enemy fire in iraq in four years there. we will deliver isil is lasting defeat. ....