phil everly died at age 74. and he wrote this song which you hear right now. ♪ music ] iraq today and the rough road ahead are the inside story. >> hello, i'm ray suarez. iraq's president saddam hussein used a mix of police surveillance, terror and murder. when iraqis removed his head from his shoulders, the shia took power that it had long been denied. the united states left the country in 2011. the new government has struggled in the year since to run all of iraq in the interests of and to the satisfaction of all iraqis. recent weeks has brought resurgence in conflict. >> reporter: american forces are gone. and in their absence iraqi you's violence escalating by the day. suicide-bomb eggs killed 14 iraqis and wounded another 34. united nations said 7,800 civilians were killed in 2013. that's the highest death toll since the u.s. surged in iraq in in 2007. tensions have mounted between the government and sunnies who say they have been discriminated against. in a concession to tribal leaders, al maliki left local police to handle security. militants then took over police stations,

:00 eastern live on c-span and c-span 3. >> next, a speaker of iraq's council of representatives, osama, jiffy -- who somehow al=-nujafyi. usama he spoke at the brookings institution for about an hour. >> i am very happy to be here with you today. as you know, iraq is a very important country. iraq havew that we in a very particular experience in the middle east. regime is followed by military occupation and a constitution that was written in uncertain conditions. that was also a roadmap the iraqis were not able to contribute to this roadmap because we were in a rush and we wanted iraq to be an exemplary democracy. iraq wasitution in written in very difficult circumstances. period. very sensitive people were arrested or condemned to execution or exile. the psychological environment was very hard and there were mutual fears between the iraqi components. this was the reason why the constitution has some problems. some articles in the constitution can be interpreted in different ways. mechanism to build institutions but the implementation of the constitution was not as it should hav

iraq autonomy that you have there would have been so strong and saw successful if it wasn't for the american invasion and american support in syria if. some of the concessions that both the assad government and the opposition promised to the current it's only because they they want to have them on their side so it seems that it's not so much about peaceful dialogue and negotiations with the authorities but rather any kind of change for you can confluent major political cataclysm don't agree with kurdistan's autonomy has been strong because of the u.s. invasion of kurdistan has been enjoying it is autonomy it is for the region since one thousand nine hundred after the uprising but i feel you can have very argued the united states put a lot of resources into strengthening our. the autonomy of kurdistan having this region secure and safe and burgeoning into. states and again united states did a very important thing by removing saddam from power we can all is that and without the us support the iraqis could have not removed saddam from power but again the kurdistan region did either sta

iraq and he's also author of we meant well how i helped lose the battle for the hearts and minds of the iraqi people gentlemen cross-talk rules in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want and i very much encourage it peter if i go to you first in washington the blame game is raging again who lost iraq who lost afghanistan mr gates is a. memoir of his time in office is really getting a lot of people upset and probably rightfully so from a if you're in the white house i mean and we have to look at what's going on in iraq now what obligation does the united states have to reintroduce itself in a greater military way not with troops not boots on the ground but what obligation does the united states have to save the molecule government well the answer is none and not that anything could actually help the united states state spent nine years applying hellfire missiles and drones and automation and attacks of all sorts of kinds and none of that worked it is the definition of of mental illness to keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results introducing w

to crossfire all things considered i'm peter lavelle when the cure is worse than the disease iraq is clearly again falling back into extreme civil strife washington says it wants to help but most iraqis appear wary of any more american assistance then there is afghanistan washington plans to finally leave this year the sad reality for all involved it's the fact that washington may never be able to leap. to cross-talk iraqi afghan legacies i'm joined by my guest richard murphy in new york he is the former u.s. career ambassador to syria and currently an adjunct scholar at the middle east institute also in new york we have don de bar he is an anti-war activist and host of a daily radio program and in washington we cross to peter van buren he is a veteran of the u.s. state department who served in iraq and he's also author of we meant well how i helped lose the battle for the hearts and minds of the iraqi people gentlemen cross-talk rules in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want and i very much encourage it peter if i go to you first in washington the blame game is raging a

live from moscow you're watching r.t. international with me q thanks for joining iraq's prime minister is calling on al qaeda fighters and all those who joined them to surrender the militant group has occupied k cities in the country's biggest province and the government is struggling to regain control of his middle east correspondent policies following the conflict. well the situation certainly is becoming increasingly volatile but we've now heard from the iraqi prime minister is him urging all those who have joined a kind of to give up the fight he has hinted at the possibility of targeting these militants if indeed they do so they are facing a massive siege that has been launched by the government troops now i think he was speaking in his weekly televised address and he volunteered that address to continue what he calls the sacred war against al qaida is the local branch which is known as the islamist state in iraq and they live and he also said that he would continue to finish the push to retake the key ambar cities off the new shirt and ramadi which earlier were taken ove

saudis support a great allies saudi arabia and the next story in iraq is this the so so-called al-qaeda has made a comeback and is now you know threatening on bob province so it is a good question what what is al qaeda is that al qaeda in in somalia where you have small regional conflicts you know groups with no with no desire for a global jihad it seems to be a pretty convenient term that doesn't mean it doesn't exist but it certainly seems to be overused jarome in tel aviv you like to apply to that i mean it is a term used very very often you almost want to get to the point where it's just a kind of a franchise. since a typical since its inception in one thousand eight hundred eight i think that we don't have to look for new new the phoenicians is one of the crowd sometimes refer to. this and this is a group within its own memory and the person who spoke really now located the pakistan area and there are other groups that are closely cooperating with al qaeda and basically go to the french as from al qaeda central these are for groups like al qaeda in iraq in the islamic maghreb

iraq. they fought and inconclusive eight year war and we blew in and that was the end of their problem. there are other problem was the and sunnie taliban extremism on their other border, in afghanistan. we have pretty much taken that down. aftere often -- also gone their adversaries and al qaeda. but policymakers must scratch their head and ask themselves, what is this american conspiracy that appears to be serving the national interest of the wrong? what is the trick? a view anyt there is and elsewhere that the u.s. is exhausted. is in a kind of retreat from this part of the , they arefrankly reading the country pretty accurately. there is no arguing with that. somehow, the president has to find policies that have enough public support and we have some staying power for the strategy we choose and the uranium's, the saudi's, everybody else understands that these are policies that we are serious about strategically. if the perception that the u.s. is on its way out takes hold, why would you make a deal today if six months from now you are going to a much better deal. ae classic

. you know, with the end of america's military engagement in iraq i think many in the american public urned their attention elsewhere. at the same time america's partnership with iraq, its interests in iraq, its engagement with iraq did not end and iraq's challenges in reconstruction, in building democratic governance in the midst of diversity and very fierce politics, those did not end. iraq continues to work on those challenges and it is challenged today as well by the turmoil roiling its neighborhood. at this moment after a year of tragically escalating violence in his country i can think of no more important time to hear from our guest this morning, speaker usama al-nujayfi. we're very honoredded, mr. speaker, that you have chosen to join us this morning. it's a moment i think for all of us to hear from the speaker about the challenges iraq is facing. how the united states can play a role in helping iraq meet these challenges to stablize his country, to stablize the region and to advance american interests in, i think a long-term u.s.-iraqi partnership. mr. speaker, thank you so m

flexing its muscles all quite a horse of battles over swathes of iraq while washington funnels on tuesday forces for what's predicted to be a bloody counterattack. with a month before the winter olympics down to the host city it's putting a prior to the un security to make sure the games are made safe and undisturbed. last are confidential and the ease leaders has never been to a new poll at least in the hard hit areas of the new world where governments just grabbing for solutions to an entrenched economic crisis. thanks. everyone welcome to you if you're just joining us here on r.t. international it's good to have your company with us this afternoon you're watching me to say on the wiki the black flag of al qaeda was this week raised over true iraqi cities which are now under the control of jihadists bent on creating a new islamic nation but the real bloodletting is yet to begin one experts say rocky on the and tribal militias mobilized and prepared to counter attack these gana chittick and reports. they run on chaos emboldened by the fighting in syria these are all qaeda linked

in iraq. that's next on c-span. in an hour, a conversation on women and poverty moderated by mariah shriver. later, remarks from mike huckabee. and from the republican national committee, a conversation on women in eadership. >> the new movie, "american household" is losely based on the 1970's that led to a conviction of a u.s. senator, six house members and other congressional officials. then a look at veterans' ension benefits. later, "the washington post" reporter will discuss the arraignment of former virginia governor bob mcdonald and his wife following their 14-count indictment this week. you can also join the conversation on facebook and twitter. "washington journal," live each more at 7:00 eastern on c-span. next, the speaker of iraq's council of representatives talks about the violence, security concerns and political challenges facing iraq. usama al-nujafyi spoke at the brookings institution. his is just under an hour. >> in the name of god, the merciful, i'm really happy to be here with you today. as you know, iraq is a central and important country in the world at large,

management of the wars in afghanistan and iraq, and he shares stories about his relationship with the white house and congress. [applause] >> secretary gates, i also want to thank you for being here, especially in light of the fact that you've recently had an injury. i know you're making a robust recovery, but having to wear a neck brace is surely -- has surely complicated your being here and getting here, and we thank you for making that effort. >> until i became secretary of defense, i had never broken a bone or had a surgery. [laughter] february of 2008 i fell on the ice and broke this shoulder in three places. ten months later putting a snowplow blade on a tractor, i pulled the bicep tendon off arm. my security guards quickly came to the conclusion that al-qaeda was no risk to me at all compared to myself. [laughter] and before we start, i'd like to say it is good to be back here at the center and to apologize to the audience on my right for not turning in your direction. but the result of a broken member is somewhat limited mobility of my head. >> well, let's -- that being said, let's

qaeda in iraq is prompting a finger pointing response from two senators against president obama. hear their case on the other side of the break. [ male announcer ] legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses. if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help you turn your dream into a reality. start your business today with legalzoom. >>> more than two years ago, actually, just over that, the final u.s. troops left iraq. i remember because i was riding in the last convoy as we left kuwait. now, analysts say the violence is at a turning point. militants related to al qaeda are holding down territory against the iraqi government, which is united states backs. the islamic state of iraq have taken control of parts of fa lucia. that's triggered a harsh, i told you so, from two senators. they blame president obama for the new violence that has killed 90 people in the last two days. we turn to cnns reporter. what, specifically, did they say? >> you are right. this does amount to an, i told you

al qaeda militants are controlling major cities in western iraq a show of strength not seen since their battles with u.s. forces a decade ago we look at who these insurgents are and how they became so strong. while in syria al-qaeda linked rebels and other opposition groups are engulfed in bloody infighting the forthcoming peace talks are under threat from the growing divisions among those aiming to topple assad. approval ratings for you leaders dip into an all time low as a handful of bloc members face economic hardships tough times are being met with people in the countries adopting new currencies. these colorful rick tend not to money but they have a real value. that the government always acts in their best interests more people are starting to view supplementary currencies as an alternative to europe. playing it safe concerns are growing about how visitors will be protected at russia's fourth coming winter olympics our team is in sochi to see what is being done to secure the olympic host city. and broadcast live from our studios in moscow this is our thomas let's take a look a

iraq's prime minister urges all kind of control of key towns to give up the militants enjoy a rise of influence fueled by the war in neighboring syria. the army's greatest threat to create military is disconnected from the public don't understand what it's actually for that's the claim coming from a parliamentary watchdog. and also the russians sledge hockey team prepares to make its debut at the upcoming paralympics he kept in his family to find out where he's drawing his strength and inspiration from the top stories. from a student center here in moscow this is r.t. international with twenty four hours a day militants have attacked an army barracks north of baghdad reportedly killing twelve soldiers the iraqi government is currently struggling to regain control of key cities in the country's west occupied by al qaeda fighters the prime minister has called on the group to surrender middle east. it's following the conflict. well the situation certainly is becoming increasingly volatile but we've now heard from the iraqi prime minister it is him urging all those who have joined a ki

iraq's cities which are now under the control of jihad is bent on creating a new islamic nation but the real blood letting is yet to begin want to experts as the rocky army and tribal militias mobilized and prepared to come to attack is going to change again reports. young girl not going to do with. integrity they run on chaos emboldened by the fighting in syria these al qaeda linked militants overran parts of iraq including the city of the literature we have said earlier about the serious situation will actually go into iraq and this is what we were warning about chaos in neighboring syria deep as the u.s. and its allies threatened the syrian government sending the signal to the rebels to fight on to the detriment of the political outcome islamic schools have now taken over the opposition movement there and have even chased the western backed leader of the free syrian army out of the country so beason asked you the relieve it along because if you kick it they're going to come out and bite you and that's what we did when we invaded iraq you know three and it can bite not just somewh

iraq's prime minister urges all qaeda fighters in control of key towns to give up now it says the militants enjoy a rise of influence fueled by the war in neighboring syria. greatest threat to the u.k. military is disconnected from the public apparently don't understand what it's actually for that's the claim coming from a parliamentary watchdog. russia's sledge hockey team prepares to make its debut at the upcoming paralympics we meet the captains family to find out where he's drawing his strength and inspiration from. life from a studio center here in moscow this is r.t. international with you twenty four hours a day iraq's prime minister is calling on al qaeda fighters and all those who joined them to surrender the militant group has occupied key cities of the country's biggest province and the government is struggling to regain control middle east correspondent paula slim is following the conflict. well the situation certainly is becoming increasingly volatile but we've now heard from the iraqi prime minister is him urging all those who have joined a kind of to give up the fig

the. kind of militants are controlling major cities in western iraq a show of strength not seen since their battles with u.s. forces a decade ago we look at who these insurgents are and how they became so strong. while in syria al-qaeda linked rebels and other opposition groups are engulfed in bloody infighting the forthcoming peace talks are under threat from the growing divisions among those aiming to topple assad. approval ratings for leaders to an all time low as bailouts and austerity trigger a clearance sale of countries assets to patch up the budget holes are to reports on how many people are upset with the move. by selling. a priceless. price tag to. europeans gather in the streets to protest against the controversial initiative declaring that they are not ready to sell history and culture to keep a commies and help them stay afloat. and playing it safe concerns are growing about how athletes and visitors will be acted at russia's upcoming winter olympics in sochi to see what is being done to secure the olympic host city. and broadcasting live from our studios in moscow

america to help. "consider this" with the u.s. promising military aid and troops, can iraq solve the problem on its own, and what is the reality story. >> 50 years after lbj launched the war on poverty, where are we and why is there disagreement over the government's role to solve the problem? anxiety succeed. >> "downtown abbey" is a hit, but does it accurately portray the relationship between the masters and their many servants. >> we begin with the fall of fallujah, the battle for the city in 2004 was the biggest urban operation for u.s. troops since the vietnam war. fighters were defeated in a fight that killed thousands of them, but left 100 americans da. was the battle in vein. since american troops left the security situation deteriorated rapidly. according to the u.n., 7,870 were killed last year, the highest number in many years. al qaeda returned to fallujah and ramadi with a vengeance. >> joining us from watertown massachusetts, is a former marine private who fought in the battle of fallujah, and is the director of justice for fallujah, an advocacy group dedicated to r

to stop government spying the latest on this push for privacy head. and although the u.s. war in iraq ended two years ago al qaeda has taken over the city of fallujah the u.s. is sending drones to the iraqi government but not troops at least for now what this means for the region coming up. and did you hear about the polar vortex if you've turned on the t.v. this week you've seen the mainstream media obsessing over the cold we'll take a look at how the media has made this cold weather into a hot story later in the show. it's wednesday january eighth four pm here in washington d.c. i'm liz wall and you're watching. the fallout from the ad words snowden revelations continues and some of the most significant changes could first be happening in the states and california state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would ban state agencies from working with the national security agency the bill to prevent the n.s.a. from spying on californians it would do this by denying n.s.a. facilities in the state access to basic utilities like electricity and water the bill also bans officials and agen

tribal forces and police appear to have isolated groups and pockets of the city. >> we begin with iraq. they appear to be at risk of descending into sectarian war. troops were withdrawn in falluja. many see the renewed violence in iraq as an overspill from the civil war which rages in syria. some of the most fearsome insurgents are associated with the islamic state in iraq in syria. secretary kerry has offered assistance to the predominately shiite government. no american troops will be deployed. iran pledged to help iraq but ruled out joint operations with the united states. from washington, d.c., robin wright. she is a joint fellow at the u.s. institute of peace and the woodrow wilson center. she has recently returned from a trip to iran. max boot, a fellow at the council on foreign relations. he also wrote "invisible armies: an epic history of guerrilla warfare from ancient times to the present." and dexter filkins from the new yorker. i am pleased to have all of them here this evening. the question we begin with, max, what is happening? >> nothing good. iraq achieved a measure of s

iraq's cities which are now under the control of jihad is bent on creating a new islamic nation but the real bloodletting is yet to begin want to experts as about you rocky army and tribal militias mobilized and prepared to contra tac artie's ganesh if you can reports. young little with little integrity they run on chaos emboldened by the fighting in syria these al qaeda linked militants overran parts of iraq including the city of fallujah we have said earlier that the serious situation will actually go into iraq and this is what we were warning about chaos in neighboring syria deepened as the u.s. and its allies threatened the syrian government sending the signal to the rebels to fight on to the detriment of a political outcome islamic groups have now taken over the opposition movement there and have even chased the western backed leader of the free syrian army out of the country to beason asked you to relieve it along because if you kick it they're going to come out and bite you and that's what we did when we invaded iraq you know three and it can bite not just somewhere far in a war

coming up on r t in iraq two major cities have reportedly fallen to terrorists fallujah and ramadi are besieged by al qaeda militants while moony iraqis still experience a brutal insurgent bombings the latest on the unrest in the raf just ahead and a series of new developments on n.s.a. surveillance u.s. senator rand paul plans to bring the n.s.a. to court for violating americans rights while the n.s.a. sidesteps the question of whether or not they spied on congress more on that coming up and four states which have foster the nation's energy boom have found that there is a link between fracking and water pollution will look at the states that have found this connection later in tonight's show. it's monday january sixth eight pm in washington d.c. i'm meghan lopez and you are watching our t.v. well over the weekend an already volatile situation in iraq turned deadly when all qaeda linked forces took hold of two key cities in the anbar province numbers with the islamic state of iraq and syria or the i.s.i. yes launched attacks on the cities of ramadi and fallujah now in full moon ful

america. reporting from washington, i am katty kay. the u.s. says it will step up sales to iraq, where they are trying to get areas back controlled by al qaeda militants. much of the u.s. is in a deep freeze, with dangerous temperatures not seen in decades. it is not the most obvious job in the world. the night, we introduce you to a whose products appear on stage and screen. our viewers on public television in america and elsewhere around the globe. two years after american troops pulled out of iraq, tonight, the country is tense and violent, and the future looks uncertain. they called for residents of falluja to expel al qaeda militants that have taken control of the city center. the white house says it will assist by accelerating sales of guns and equipment, but it has ruled out sending in any american troops. >> the fighting in the province continues. clashes insporadic the provincial capital on monday, where they took control of the city last week. have beene troops trying to dislodge them since then. police broke up a sunni protest last week, and the deadly clashes erupted

linked militants have reportedly been killed by an air strike in iraq where government forces are on the offensive against an islamist insurgency the violence is being fueled by the conflict in neighboring syria with militants apparently surging back and forth across the border at the center of the fight in iraq is the city of fallujah and each can reports residents so far who'd seen hell during the u.s. occupation now face their own army's assault on the cd the iraqi government has lined up tanks and loaded fighter jets preparing to drive al qaeda linked militants out of the city the u.s. is packing more hellfire missiles and other weapons for the iraqi army to use and everybody knows when the bombing begins there will be blood brian back with me brian so many innocent iraqis have died in terror attacks do you think this anti terror assault could turn out to be just as deadly as terror itself it could be even more deadly if the people of fallujah have been through this before in two thousand and four twice the u.s. marines committed huge war crimes against the. they called a kill zone a

which is why you should watch only. iraq's prime minister urges on kind of fighters in control of key towns to give that sounds the militants enjoy a rise of influence fueled by the war in neighboring syria. the army's greatest threat to the u.k. ministry is disconnected from the public who apparently don't understand what it's actually for the claim coming from a parliamentary watchdog. and russia's sledge hockey team prepares to make his deputy at the upcoming parlin pigs were made become to his family to find out where he is drawing his strength and inspiration from. this is a international coming to you live from moscow hello and welcome to the program. iraq's prime minister is calling on all kinds of fighters and all those who joined them to surrender the militant group has occupied k cities of the country's biggest problems and the government is trying to regain control let's not get more front aussies middle east than to pull a clear pull of the situation that seems to be becoming increasingly aggravated is iraq on the brink of civil war just like neighboring syria. well th

zakaria. we start today's show with some big questions. is al qaeda back? is iraq collapsing? we have a very sharp panel to talk about the violence in the middle east and what is fueling it. >>> also, have you made your new year resolutions to stay healthy? then you'll want to listen to david amos, who has boiled it down to some simple rules for the new year. >>> and everybody's talking about america's decline, vis-a-vis china. but a major european intellectual says don't believe any of it. >>> and another story on how to ruin your economy in five easy steps. last week venezuela clicked all of the boxes. >>> finally from head to toe covering including the eyes to no covering at all, what is appropriate for the modern muslim woman. i'll share a surprising survey. >>> here's a startling statistic, more than 8,000 iraqis were killed in violent attacks in 2013. that makes it the second most violent country in the world after its next door neighbor syria. as violence has spread and militants have gained ground in several mideastern countries, people have been wondering, how much does this ha

their life for anything that we were doing in iraq but they gave their life to the man to the left and right and that does help me and has meaning that we lead our own lives each day and what we do with the rest of our lives but i try not to tie that to anything that is geopolitical in nature or to the future of a country that we really have no control over. >> rose: our conversation with stanley mcchrystal and a look at the battle for fallujah, then and now when we continue. >> funding for charlie rose was provided by the following. >> >> there is a saying around here, you stand behind what you say. around here, we don't make excuses. we make commitments. and when you can't live up to them, you own up and make it right. some people think the kind of accountability that thrives on so many streets in this country has gone missing in the places where it is needed most. but i know you will still find it when you know where to look. >> rose: additional funding provided by these funders. >> and by bloomberg, a provider of multimedia news and information services worldwide. >> from our studi

militants are controlling major cities in western iraq a show of strength not seen since their battles with u.s. forces a decade ago we look at who these insurgents are and how they became so strong. while in syria al-qaeda linked rebels and other opposition groups are engulfed in bloody infighting the forthcoming peace talks are under threat from the growing divisions among those aiming to topple assad. lost confidence biting austerity is taking its toll on the e.u. leadership with approval ratings hitting a record low for a handful of bloc members. they can dream they can. they can make. each and every kind of. draft. because they don't have to paid instead it's taxpayers who will make up for politicians mistakes even in the e.u. as most efficiently run countries such as germany. and playing it safe concerns are growing about how athletes and visitors will be protected at russia's upcoming winter olympics r.t. is in sochi to see what is being done to secure the olympic host city. broadcasting live direct from our studios in moscow this is shawn thomas glad to have you with us

u.s. occupation so what is the fall of the city signify for not only the progress of iraq but the region as a whole joining me now to discuss is eugene career ordinator for the answer coalition thank you so much for coming on metal thank you so much for having me so eugene what the main factors that contribute to the near failed state of iraq today well i think the key factor that we have to mention is that the occupation of iraq by the united states fundamentally destabilize the country the united states just completely disassembled the iraqi state as it existed and not only didn't really put anything in place but actually set up a structure which made it sort of bit official for forces to become more the cereal to divide along sectarian and other sorts of lines of what we're seeing now is the real fruits of all of these time bombs land mines that were set by the u.s. occupation all coming to fruition all at the same time we saw two thousand and thirteen one of those deadliest years over eight thousand people died in iraq and i think this situation of pollution body is very relat

life iraq too soon or did we not start our third war there early enough. then a new breakthru in marketing. i'll tell you about it after an unskipable 30 minute ad. and my guest david fanning is the eck difficult producer of pbs's investigative news program frontline, dammit, i said i wouldn't pledge, now they're coming to my office. the new ford 5150 is made of 97% aluminum which means it's lighter but you can't put it in the microwave. this is the colbert report. captioning sponsored by comedy central (cheers and applause) thank you, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the report. good to see you be everybody, good to have you with us. >> stephen, stephen, stephen, stephen! stephen, stephen, stephen! stephen, stephen, stephen! stephen, steveen, stephen! >> thank you, ladies and gentlemen, good to have you with us. in here, out there, all around the world, stuff. you watch the show. i certainly hope that you do. because you one thing i said over and over again is that i love west virginia. it is my favorite of the directional virginias. step it up, eastern south. that's right, folk

flexing its muscle al qaida hoist its banners over sways of iraq while washington funnels on to state forces for what's predicted to be a bloody counterattack. the first of syria's chemical weapons i should blog for destruction that is rebel groups turning each other in a merciless turf war with over five hundred fighters killed in clashes over just one week. with a month before the winter olympics stars of the host city is putting a priority on security to make sure the games remain safe and undisturbed. confidence in the leaders has never been called into a new poll at least in the hard hit areas of europe where governments are scrambling for solutions and entrenched economic crisis. you're watching r t international for this week's top stories as well as today let's take a look at what we have this morning the black flag was this week raced over to iraq's cities which are now under the control of jihad is bent on creating a new islamic nation but the real bloodletting is yet to begin when experts as the iraqi army and tribal militias mobilize and prepare to come to attack our

secretary of defense in december 2006, i flew to iraq and visited our troops there. i was struck -- i was struck by the fact that all of them were the very same age as the students i had left behind. except these 18 to 25-year-olds were wearing full body armor, carrying assault rifles, and living in peril, putting their lives on the line to protect all of us, all of you. >> robert gates is here. he served as secretary of defense for two presidents, george w. bush and barack obama. he spent 26 years at the cia and the national city council. this week, he made international headlines with the lease of his new book. "duty am a. memoirs of a secretary at war" it gives a behind the scenes look at the white house and the pentagon under both presidents. some say it is one of the most candid accounts of washington ever written. i am pleased to have bob gates back at this table. so please explain your neck to me. [laughter] >> what i tell people is that my wife and i were sitting at the table and that happened to mention casually that i was thinking about going back to government. the thing i knew

muscle al-qaeda hosts voice its banners over swaths of iraq while washington funnels arms to state forces for what is predicted to be a bloody counterattack. the first of syria's chemical weapons are shipped out for destruction as rebel groups turn on each other any merciless turf war with over five hundred fighters killed in clashes over just one week. with a month before the winter olympics starts the host city is putting a priority on security to make sure the games remain safe and undisturbed. plus confidence in the e.u.'s leaders has never been lower according to a new poll at least in the hard hit areas of europe where governments are scrambling for solutions through an entrenched economic crisis. you're watching r t live from moscow i'm lindsey france thanks for joining me. the black flag of al qaeda was this week raised over to iraq's cities which are now under the control of jihad is spent on creating a new islamic nation but the real bloodletting is yet to begin one the expert as the iraqi army and tribal militias mobilize and prepare to counterattack or to that a teacher

described a dire situation in iraq. american troops are dying at increasing rates. with the insurgents that are gathering force, there is extreme explosive sectarian violence and no apparent plan on the part of the united states government for coping with that. the take away from that part of the book is that we had not planned properly for the occupation. and that that, indeed, it never occurred to military planners that we might be there as long as we had. so why were we so mistaken by that point? why we miss that? >> one of the concluding sections of the book is in effect on lessons learned about war. and one of the things that you would think people would understand would be how frequently people who advocate going to war and who make decisions to go to war almost always are convinced that the war is going to be short. this year will celebrate the centenary of world war i, which is a classic example of where everybody thought the war would be over by october or november of 1914. the problem in iraq in particular and it really is true of iraq and afghanistan, that what began as swif