we put a lot into iraq. how much more should we put in, and what should we maybe do less of so we have more bandwidth to do more with iraq? sen. duckworth: well, i think that iraq is very important to u.s. security. and i think that where isis is underground, if we do not do something to support the iraqi government and help them move the ball forward and encourage them to deal with their internally displaced persons, help them deal with isis widows and orphans, other than the current situation of putting them in a camp in the middle of the desert and do nothing because that is just an isis training camp waiting to happen. i think we need to do that and help them deal with these issues . and will allow them to grow become stronger and be a region -- leader in the region. iraq has the potential to be a leader and a real ally to us. once they are independent in terms of natural resources. they have got the stuff to be a real leader in the region. they just have to figure out their internal -- there is so much

is iraq a place where the u.s. can count on iraq's government? is iraq a place where it can be against expansion or are things just not that bad? i guess from what we sort of discussed before we began the , i think we need to not assume that a direct confrontation with iran is underway. in some respects, we are already as a lot ofiran high-ranking military officials have pointed out, we are at war with iran over sanctions and over their proxies. we are not in a direct military confrontation, but we are already, more or less, at war with iran. i think this is a critical point, so we should step back and understand that a direct military confrontation does not necessarily have to happen. unfortunately, we are in this situation where it is a guessing game, the iranians are guessing what the next move is and they are making assumptions, the hardliners inside the country -- theirally assuming propaganda is there is a war and that is where they are acting accordingly. think that is a starting point, that we are in a critical period and it is important

we go to iraq. how much influence do we really have or is this something falling to its equilibrium? >> we definitely need to engage amore. we were joking in the back and the best description i got as they hold the coalition together a super concrete crumbles and ad although we don't need to be the main forces we need to be with our partners and that is on the military side one of the complaints i heard is it's flooding the economy and it's not good stuff it's like so this is where the young people over and we need to engagee economically as well as diplomatically and militarily. >> to change some of the issues for example the visa process is in baghdad if you are an american businessman you want to do business in baghdad it takes three months to get a visa and it's a single entry. you go to the kurdish area you get a multi-entry and you either get in and out and have some sort of ability to build those relationships and make those investments and in baghdad the prime minister is working hard to abb

and iraq and the kurdistan region. i often say to our american friends you've invested so much in the country but how well do you know us? you don't know our music word cuisine. you probably do by now but since they've invested so much in the country in human capital, political, treasure and blood we need to get to know each other and the commercial and cultural ties as you said are the key. it's a struggle for us as well help to maintain the interest. what we fear is that iraq, kurdistan, all of us will muddle through the challenges in the organizations. many of them are not really under control. we will somehow muddle through while others turn their attention away and then there will be another crisis and everybody will have to parachute him again. how can we avoid that without being overly alarmist and being realistic? we need the united states to be the course and do their rounds to remind people don't focus all of your attention elsewhere. i think the u.s. should be able to multitask and maintain an eye on iraq an

iraq. a country recovering from decades of war sanctions and sectarian divisions and the rise and fall of lysol. it's achieve some progress in recent years thanks to its oil industry. but public 2nd largest producer is now trying to diversify its economy by making it easier to attract foreign investment. iraqis still suffer from a lack of adequate facilities bureaucracy and deep rooted corruption. additionally regional politics and u.s. sanctions against iran one of its major partners impacting its economy. so can iraq overcome years of conflict to face the challenges ahead. iraqi deputy prime minister and oil minister time out of money talks to alter their. myth of one now that we've seen that sanctions have been levied against iran by the united states is one of your biggest trading partners how are you going to be affected by it and what is your plan that has been clearly stated that core not be part of the. good or for alliance against another alliance and the area our main objective is

, and later the shia militant groups in iraq. and so, our co-author, jim powell, his research into the way the awakening generated and spread at the tactical level, his study of how battalion commanders, and company commanders, and local sheiks and so on interacted during that time, embarked on a series of confidence building measures, took some leaps of faith. the way in which that interplayed with the arrival of more u.s. forces on the ground, the way in which general odierno and general petraeus assisted and built confidence on both -- to build confidence in both sides and really punch al qaeda in iraq in the nose in 2007, 2008, is a story that hasn't been explored that well before. i think that readers will appreciate those chapters, which came from the pen of jim powell. third point of i think historical new ground that i like to point out is our co-author, matt morton, who is here today, did research on the period after -- from 2011 onward. from 2011 to 2012 in particular, and he was able to examine using interviews and usi

army's 2 volume report the war in iraq. the co-authors outlined there's report at the center for strategic and international studies. >> good morning everyone. thank you for coming to csis today. i'm the director of csi project on history and strategy. -- csis history and so strategy which is there novel and probably naove idea that people may want a little more history to go along with their tweets when they are talking about state strategy and military affairs. what better way to kick off that hypothesis with 1500 pages of military history? that seems like a good test case for whether we can succeed or fail in this endeavor. i want to thank peter and ken who are my co-conspirators deciding we should give a little extra publicity to this terrific piece of military history. as all of us know the iraq war has become an ideological referendum on america's place in the world, and what's more striking about it is how little actual history has been written about the iraq war from the perspective of a professional historian. as w

iraq still in all blood. in all. it's like a distant bell ringing in the back of wired's always reminding us where we came from. i still miss but. i wouldn't let her go now because it's all in the belly it's the places i know. i'm not the same. it's it's big that to remember. everything as it is or as it was as it was sorry it. was dreamy. eco india. on the camel trail. these amazing dromedaries protect the desert ecosystem. in the radical right camels do far more. their owners tell us about their incredible value. next on. in good shape for answers just a lot like aspirin is for us today it was a cure for many things. and that still holds true today. whether for cancer diagnosis auto hema therapy or blood transfusion. or read the links of life has many uses. 30 minutes on d w. look closely. carefully. don't know this suit me you need to get. discovered the. subscribe to the documentary on youtube. activists have rallied in london brussels and paris to call for action on climate change and paris demonstrators poured

in iraq have been defeated there was a a a group coming up at the time called the islamic state in iraq again another threat to iraq and what happened was the shia led government in baghdad really completely ignored the concerns of the sunnis particularly any province and for years the sunnis protested saying they were promised all. sorts of things jobs within the military civil service things like that for defeating al qaeda in the things they were given things are getting better i mean that sounds like a very bleak picture but things are getting there because prime minister howard other body is pushing forward with with reforms but these reforms are being met with with stiff resistance from those people who have entrenched positions and well let's just pause for a 2nd because i want to bring someone else into our conversation to talk a little bit more about the human cost of these last few years joining us from beirut all right general who is amnesty international's advocacy director for the middle east and north africa it's nice to have you with us right in runs giving us a really go

iraq is currently stable up until this moment we have not seen any military escalation in iraq iraq has expressed this to the u.s. secretary of state iran is iraq's most important ally in the region sharing strong political economic and military and religious ties iraqi politicians and religious leaders have said they will not accept any interference in iraq's sovereignty by any country including iran. the conflicting statements about possible threats from iran has raised concerns that some parties in washington are exaggerating intelligence in order to build a case for some sort of military action against the country now the u.s. state department has ordered the immediate departure from iraq of all known emergency government employees and many iraqis are increasingly anxious that after suffering years of conflict and political instability there may be more to come china stop at al-jazeera baghdad. tehran and just a moment 1st let's go to. baghdad so what is the latest on this warning coming out of the u.s. state department. well so far we've been talking to a u.s. official who didn't w

like iraq itself, they are facing their gravest threat yet. last summer was a warning to the country that the rivers that created these extraordinary wetlands are under assault. and unless iraq gets to grips with its water crisis, millions could be forced to move and away of life could be wiped out forever. for many of us the bank holiday weekend got off to a decent looking start with some sunshine. in fact a beautiful day here on the north coast of northern ireland, but has not felt so special and colder plunging down from the north and also showers. this is the radar picture from saturday and you can see the way in which those showers worked across eastern parts of england, some heavy and fun to read. winter showers through the day across scotland. for sunday high pressure is making a bit more progress building in from the west. that will kill off quite a few of the showers are not quite all of them but this weather set up will bring us a feed of cold air from the north. having said that the winds won't be as brisk across eastern parts of en

northern iraq his homeland. from which he ran. camera in hand he retire. to film whose turn it is to run. a story soon transformed by a chance encounter. the girl who saved my life i witnessed documentary on mountains in. celebrations in sudan all in after the military council and opposition alliance finally reached an agreement on a transition periods but sticking points remain. and how he'd say this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up. signs of weakness for china's economy as growth in retail sales hits a 16 year low. arrests in sri lanka as the government investigates growing violence against muslims. and lights camera action we're in the french riviera where the cannes film. 1st of all it's off to a scary starts. but 1st the u.s. state department says ordered all non-emergency governments employees to leave iraq immediately this comes amid rising tensions in the region last week the u.s. deployed warships to the gulf in a move that it said was a response to indications of threats from iran well let's cross no live to rob matheson he joins us fr

here how paul govern iraq they did leave iraq but they give iraq to iran. and to iraq like this if not the americans here knew jeff he says his forces have made great strides to rid his city of al-qaeda i thought the guy. and he is shape. and he. said in the. one that the men knew how would and your show and mahalo. always applied to him was a one a what up a notice on at all. but with armed police a school to last time next destination it's clear the. fear still remains mosul streets are eerily quiet and this is a sense that the violence for which the city is notorious is never far away. the family i'm about to meet protected me from that violence and this is the 1st time out of seamen since their youngest son and the reuters photographer whose work is on exhibit here was killed by u.s. soldiers. who say i want to hear. what you feel when you hear that right i mean it's still. very sad still here that it's. close in doha. we saw the story. ok on the reuters wire. so i called you i think at that time and i asked you to call not be able because i couldn't ge

assets in iraq. iraqis filled tahrir square in the heart of baghdad on friday demanding that their government put iraq's safety 1st and that their country should be at the center for talks to find a solution. at the how. iraq has become a bridge where meetings have been held at the iranian embassy with european diplomatic missions and it's taken the decision to start talks with moderate countries and affected by the situation to lobby the united states and iran to try to extinguish the fires of war. iraqis may need more evidence to convince them that they won't be dragged into an unwanted conflict rob matheson al-jazeera baghdad. let's bring in our guests here in the studio is andrea scrag assistant professor of the defense studies department at king's college london in beirut sami the director of the levant in 6 years for strategic affairs and. roberts goes she. associate professor at lancaster university has edited and written books on the u.s. politics including the trump presidency journalism and

iraq still in all blood. in. it's like and distant battle ringing in the back of a heads always reminding us where we came from. i still miss but. i wouldn't let the going out because it's all in the in. the places i know. i'm not the same. it's that to remember. everything as it is or is it well as it was. i was dreaming. upgrades from modern living babies don't give a thought to updating their minds and bodies but manmade systems need constant attention and improvement. just ticks through traffic payment systems the internet. or in fact society as a whole there is always room for improvement to morrow to the. kind of minutes on g.w. . i'm secure in that my work not hard and in the end is a me your not a lot of the year and more we will send you back. are you familiar with this. when the smugglers were alliance of the what's your story ready. i mean when i was a women especially of victims of violence in terms of take part and send us your story we are trying always to understand this new culture. another visito

the iraq war is a lot of different conflicts rolled into one. what interested me was just in listening to different comets made this morning you put all of that. people were talking with terrorist attacks, and there was a terrorism component to this conflict, and people talking at insurgency, and it was an insurgent component to this conflict. and people were talking about civil civil war, and there was a civil war component of this conflict. and what was required to ultimately turned things around in that 2007-2008 timeframe was to start to change a whole series of different american activities that got to all of those different problems. now, i will also say that i think, i wonder, put it that way, i wonder to what extent we paid the price for never fully grasping what this conflict looked like at the time. what i mean by that is, english is a lovely language and it expresses so many different things but there's so much ambiguity in it as well. i do want to have much of a conversation about semantics that it actually matters here. we talk abou

policy in iraq. the illinois democrat is a former almy -- army helicopter pilot and served in the veterans affairs department before being elected to congress. the center for strategic and international studies hosted the event. studies this is just under one hour. >> good afternoon. [inaudible] it is my special pleasure to welcome toit is my special pleasure welcome senator tammy duckworth. if anything happens, i will be the control officer and i will direct you either out or back. someplace to go. senator duckworth is the senator from illinois and recently elected. the first senator to give birth in office. this is a wonderful achievement and previously represented illinois and house of representatives where she was elected after serving in iraq. she just came back from iraq from her first trip after leaving iraq under different circumstances and is here to talk about what she saw and what she learned and how that should help inform us moving forward. sarah, thank you for coming. >> thank you. >> s

here how paul govern iraq. leave iraq but they give iraq to iran. and iraq like this. if not the americans here knew jeff he says his forces have made great strides to rid his city of al-qaeda i thought the now. and then and he. and he. said in the. well that the men knew how would and yes show and mahalo of. a with a high def it was a one a what up and no nation on earth. but with armed police a scolding us to our next destination it's clear that fear still remains most all streets are air really quiet and this is a sense that the violence for which the city is notorious is never far away. the family i'm about to meet protected me from that violence and this is the 1st time out of seamen since their youngest son and the reuters photographer whose work is on exhibit here was killed by u.s. soldiers. he said i want to hear. what you feel when you hear that well i mean it's still. very sad still here that's. pows in doha. so we saw the story. ok on the reuters wire. so i called you i think at that time and i asked you to call not be able because i couldn't get through to

assets in iraq. iraqis filled tahrir square in the heart of baghdad on friday demanding that their government put iraq's safety 1st and that their country should be at the center of talks to find a solution. to let up at the how loud the legitimacy on iraq has become a bridge where meetings have been held at the iranian embassy with european diplomatic missions and it's taken the decision to start talks with moderate countries affected by the situation to lobby the united states. and iran who want to try to extinguish the fires of war out of minute iraqis may need more evidence to convince them that they won't be dragged into an unwanted conflict rob matheson al jazeera baghdad. is a former iraq ambassador to the u.n. and now director of the center for the study of the middle east that indiana university he says it's more likely that a european country will lead any mediation i have always been skeptical that iraq can ever play that role there are other countries in the region that have also that mig

wore off iraq is currently stable up until this moment we have not seen any military escalation in iraq iraq has expressed this to the u.s. secretary of state iran is iraq's most important ally in the region sharing strong political economic and military and religious ties iraqi politicians and religious leaders have said they will not accept any interference in iraq's sovereignty by any country including iran. the conflicting statements about possible threats from iran has raised concerns that some parties in washington are exaggerating intelligence in order to build a case for some sort of military action against the country now the u.s. state department has ordered the immediate departure from iraq of all known emergency government employees and many iraqis are increasingly anxious that after suffering years of conflict and political instability there may be more to come china stop at al-jazeera baghdad you know iran's foreign minister says his country is exercising maximum restraint in the face of u.s. sanctions that will reimpose after washington withdrew from the nuclear deal same

led coalition in iraq and syria it added that his remarks speak about us. garia not the overall geopolitical situation in the region major general great career was speaking about a very specific area in which the u.s. led operation inherent resolve operates he wasn't speaking about the wider geopolitical situation in the region but considering the specific area he's talking about is iraq and syria you'd think his words might hold some weight because for the last few decades every time the alliance fights together so you always see caution from the british side or the americans tend to be more gung ho they share the same intelligence and if they're to blaring contradictions it doesn't really look good for the coalition obviously one of them is lying or at least it seems to be that there is clear misinformation from one side. now paris has hosted a summit on countering online extremism in the wake of the crisis shootings in new zealand part of the focus was on facebook which failed to prevent the killer from live streaming the massacre the social media giant

iraq still in all blood. in. it's like this in battle ringing in the back of violence always reminding us where we came from. i still miss that but. i wouldn't like to go now because it's all in the really. the places i know. i'm not the same. it's that to remember. everything as it is or is as well as it was. i was dreaming. small acts klinsmann to be changing the people making it possible for eco africa fantastic right trying that as they set out to save the environment. that i've learned from one another. and work together for a better future. i think. the 30 minute spot in d w. i'm scared that the my work that's hard and in the end it's a me you're not allowed to stay here anymore we will send you back. are you familiar with this. with the smugglers one liners and. what's your story ready. i mean when i was a women especially in victims of violence in. part and send us your story we are trying always to understand this new culture. another visitor another yes you want to become a citizen. in for migrants your

has fought to keep iraq's oil wealth flowing to iraqis not just the phone companies iraq's deputy prime minister for energy says that the deals the government has signed with foreign investors are reaping rewards we have already increase our production to $3000000.00 barrels per day and during this it will add another. half a 1000000 or more but it appears the so the progress is there. but despite record output in $50.00 this frustration the companies developing the fields are importing labor. and that there is no meaningful legislation to protect iraq he jumps. on that it isn't to be looked at and that it isn't to be affected and i think it will go about our an end to the i'm in mind that i'm on you might talk about this is. you could be an end to that and then. i left have i wanted to get up i said because. saddam he says it was the u.s. decision to dismantle iraq's army and national industries in the name of the both a vacation the coolest widespread unemployment and created a launch pool of angry men ready to take up arms. from basma we joined north toward men jack. along the road l

forces in iraq well if both as. senior british commander and america central command share the same intelligence have similar information on terrorist locations airstrikes and danger zones how can i give statements that are so different the u.k.'s ministry of defense has distanced itself from the remarks made by the british major general claiming he spoke in the capacity of a military officer in the u.s. led coalition in iraq and syria it added that his remarks speak about a specific area not the overall geopolitical situation in the region major general great i was speaking about a very specific area in which the u.s. led operation inherent resolve operates he wasn't speaking about the weight of geopolitical situation in the region but considering the specific area he's talking about is iraq and syria i think his words might hold some weight. under law in the lineup for a desire to his professor of political communication at the university of tehran good to have you on for the situation in iraq obviously unstable o

it is disastrous not just for iraq but for the people. at the end of the day in afghanistan for example,, based on the culture and otherd dy dynamics, they are not ready for our system of government and to impose that by force does not lead to goodod outcomes. you shouldn't you use force if there is a clear objective objective to a threat to the united states overseas we don't think imposing our system ofst government to secure hour national interest. >> we think american troops that the peace process continues we are very pleased the trump administration is pursuing that but you don't have to have a massive military presence in afghanistan for the peace process to continue. >>ace it for promise of afghanistan we were always to broad for a focus. but the military had played a role in the conversation on the boundaries beyond the 2001 au m mf. >> good morning go ahead. >> as an ordinary us citizen i have the highest respect for our veterans and it breaks my heart that the same bad actors that god us into the unnecessary invasion of iraq ,

officials in iraq to evacuate as soon as possible after raising the alarm on the international stage over supposed increased threats coming from neighboring iran. also this hour the u.s. attorney general investigate the legality of evidence seized in the russian trunk collusion probe although it doesn't question the findings of the report. because the latest campaign in norway sparks anger from some as it features a crescent moon as part of its logo to coincide with ramadan. you're watching art international coming to you live from the russian capital where it's just turned 4 pm welcome to the program leave iraq now as fast as possible that's the dramatic warning that's been issued by washington to u.s. employees in the country it comes amid a heightened sense of urgency from the american side over what it calls the increased threat coming from iraq's neighbor iran i'm joined now live in the studio by daniel hawkins who's oppose this development for us now dan the u.s. seems to have gone almost in panic mode here it's about getting people from neighboring iraq what's going on well i

forces in iraq well if both as. senior british commander and america central command share the same intelligence have similar information on terrorist locations air strikes and danger zones how can i give statements that are so different well to help carry fire this r.t. has sent requests to operation inherent resolve and the u.k.'s ministry of defense so far there's been no response. we go live now to military analyst come on for more on this now the situation in iraq has been increasingly unstable as of late but now the u.s. is talking about a substantial risk from iran is that really the case here. i think this is more of politics from washington because this is in building up for the last 2 years and came into office because iran was clearly identified as a major threat to the nuclear deal was broken from the u.s. side and then sanctions were slapped on iran's g.c. so this is not complete surprise and probably the real threat on the ground is no different to what it was a year ago or 2 years ago but the levels o

iraq iraq has expressed this to the u.s. secretary of state iran is iraq's most important ally in the region sharing strong political economic and military and religious ties iraqi politicians and religious leaders have said they will not accept any interference in iraq's sovereignty by any country including iran. the conflicting statements about possible threats from iran has raised concerns that some parties in washington are exaggerating intelligence in order to build a case for some sort of military action against the country now the u.s. state department has ordered the immediate departure from iraq of all non emergency government employees and many iraqis are increasingly anxious that after suffering years of conflict and political instability there may be more to come china stop at al-jazeera baghdad well let's hear the view from tehran now his. in the past few weeks whenever the united states has raised the stakes with regards to iran or ratcheted up the pressure leaders in teheran have said that this is simply psych

led coalition in iraq and syria it added that his remarks speak about a. syfy garia not the overall geopolitical situation in the region major general great guy was speaking about a very specific area in which the u.s. led operation inherent resolve operates he wasn't speaking about the weight of geopolitical situation in the region but considering the specific area he's talking about is iraq and syria think his words might hold some weight. former u.k. army officer and security analyst charles shubert joins me very good evening charles situation in iraq so to member a time when it wasn't unstable but apparently things are getting worse u.s. talking about the substantial risk coming from iran do you believe that assessment a substantial risk. the problem is that this is unverified intelligence and its source isn't known or at least isn't publicly known. it's so so because it's so vague and it seems to be also coincided with indeed many of the u.s. claims that it's actually the cause of us to promise to the region that it could actually provoke the attack i

and presence from iraq. how do you reflect on that now? >> well, i was the cia director at the time that this sion was ongoing about whether or not we should leave, say, roughly 10,000 troops -- combat troops -- in iraq, because we did leave some trainers and advisers. the irony, of course, is that, at the end of that administration, we were back in iraq with combat forces and about 5,000 or,000 of them. >> you have said that, in terms of political will, in the previous administration to the one you served in cia director, there were video-conference links with the political leadership of iraq and the american political leadership every single week, which helped make gain in terms of security and a political consensus in the country. >> yep. well, first of all, les just recognize that th commitment that president bush made when he decided on the surge was very substantial. and, of course, he did this against the advice of aumber of his military and civilian advisers. i mentioned to the president one time whe

this and iraq. this is 30 minutes. [inaudible conversations] >> thank you, everybody, for joining us. welcome to center for american security. i run the middle east program here, can is today we're going to spend a couple hours talking about the future of the middle east. and specifically, you know, how we think about american policy in the context of, you know, the aftermath of at least the end of the isis caliphate but, obviously, isis very much remains a factor as we saw just last week in sri lanka. and if also looking more broadly at the region and all the various challenges we face. .. ultimately for american policy in syria based on level of commitment the united states wants to make on the level of investment the united states wants to make as well as looking at the question of how we want to and what posture we want to take toward a thought. second report to counter regular work there there is a lot of research in the past on why efforts for the united states to work together with arab partners have failed in t

of the electricity and gas needed in the south of iraq but iraq also relies on u.s. and foreign troops to combat the threat of i saw it also means foreign investment. this rally is being called by mcdonnell saw that these are shia cleric is also a leader of one of the biggest political blocs in the hall and he's also a nationalist he's made no secret of the fact that he wants troops from the u.s. foreign countries out of iraq but he like many other iraqis across the political and religious spectrum that i've said that they want iraq's safety and security to be paramount and they want iraq to be central to any negotiations not have marjon if we are having discussions with the u.s. and iran and will be sending delegations in a few days to various foreign countries especially tehran in washington to try to push for calm. iraq has been relatively quiet since the threat from isis began to decline last year iraqis like these now fear their country could be dragged into another conflict rob matheson al jazeera back down. stratford to also in baghdad and joins us now so clea

coalition against iraq. president bush and george w. bush said we are not into state building. 9/11 happened and we engage in our biggest nation and state building effort since world war ii. president obama found himself in a third middle eastern war. we are very unpredictable from their point of view. and also very unsettling. let me talk about their way of war by way of getting ready to wrap up. iran, and this feeds into the discussion about the preferred modus operandi, iran's way of war is to avoid or deter major conventional conflicts if possible by advancing its agenda through shaping activities which are mostly through proxy operations and information activities. this is in part a lesson from the iran-iraq war, and watching two u.s. invasions of iraq and afghanistan. they learn from their own experience that major conventional conflicts are often costly and protracted and easier to start than stop. iran wants to avoid a repeat of that traumatic experience of the iran-iraq war. that partially cleans a

like iraq itself, they are facing their gravest threat yet. last summer was a warning to the country that the rivers that created these extraordinary wetlands are under assault. and unless iraq gets to grips with its water crisis, millions could be forced to move and away of life could be wiped out forever. is bank holidays go this one is far from our warmest and maybe one of the chilly is on records since the 70s. this week we hold onto the chilly air, disappointing temperatures in the coming days, which made when week as well. this afternoon a weather front is across southern scotland and northern england keeping the cloud of thick, breaking we see some sunshine and it may help the patchy rain to develop into more thundery showers so that could be heavy downpours by tea—time. to the south of the cloud building, sunshine to the north across scotland but the northerly wind bringing further wintry showers and a raw feel and all the way down oui’ and a raw feel and all the way down our north sea coast. through the evening and overnight the w

games that been played iraq cannot. become part of this greater challenge that's facing the area we do know we do need a regional solution to this problem a regional solution to involve turkey saudi arabia iraq iran maybe egypt we need these countries to come up with a solution to this battle and to leave the united states alone and maybe now britain also to face iran and we pay the consequences our thing that will be that is. a game that we will not take part and remind me about the actual war that's been going on for so long the economic sanctions britain obviously sanctions iran as well especially your country of course half a 1000000 children unicef said were killed by bill clinton and madeleine albright when sanctions were applied to iraq yes we had these atrocities were taking against iraq and for from 1991 till the end of 2003 and the iraqi people paid tremendous price so the more sane was building his castles and his palaces while their rocky people were facing death daily and they could not take their children

iraq is currently contested territory. it is contested in the political sense between washington and tehran. both sides are trying to woo baghdad. washington is trying to make sure that iraq is strong and sovereign and stable, and capable of rejecting iranian influence. hence the surprise visit there, designed to offset iran, designed to pre—empt iran‘s puncturing of iraq state and society and economics. iran is trying to subvert iraq, habits, proxiess run amok, and be part of iran's larger "axis of resistance in the region." there is an argument of course, isn't there, that iraq is iran's backyard, it is kind of more entitled to be there than the united states is. iraq is iran's backyard, but you don't do things in your neighbour's backyard than you would do in your own. there is a boundary there, there is a fence there, and of course there is cultural ties there, there's business ties, but there is also ethnic and strategic enmity. these two countries fought a war with each other and if washington is being invited in

forces should stay in iraq to keep an eye on iran iraq a prime minister under lobdell mehdi says iraq will continue a balanced policy that builds bridges of cooperation and friendship with all neighbors including iran. iraq a mom of iraq is facing a dangerous situation it is under both u.s. and iranian pressure but iraq could play a negotiating role between the u.s. and iran and between saudi arabia and iran i believe there is an acceptance for that role to be played iraqi politicians and influential religious leaders who have repeatedly said they will lot smaller rate any threat to iraq's sovereignty by any nation including iran after decades of conflict and political instability here the u.s. iran crisis is presenting the baghdad government with a delicate diplomatic challenge where any mistake by washington tehran or indeed pro iran armed groups here could mean the iraqi people being the victims of violence again charles strafford al jazeera baghdad a venezuelan opposition politician has sought refuge in argentina's embassy and caracas richard blanco was one of several opposition f

in order to try to move iraq's loyalty away from iran but once again this is putting iraq front in the center of a potential conflict that it does not want to be involved in all right rob matheson their banks so that from baghdad joe rubin is a former u.s. deputy assistant secretary of state he says saudi arabia is approached iran still needs to be clarified. the question about iran as a regional actor that is creating very difficult circumstances chaotic circumstances in syria in lebanon on in yemen that is not in dispute but there is dispute about saudi arabia's role as well and engaging iran in those fights so to see these meetings come out with a little more of a diplomatic boost for saudi arabia that does give them some way to the sales but it doesn't answer these core busy questions which is how will the regional states saudi and the u.a.e. in particular how will they engage iran in a manner that avoids a major war because that's what everyone here in washington right now is very much concerned about dealing with iran but not sparking a major regional war that we here in the u.s.

troops in iraq, almost 7,000 contractors in iraq and syria. mostly in iraq, half of whom are u.s. citizens. others are third country nationals. what's the latest thinking over there at the pentagon about what iran is up to in iraq? >> well, this is one of the very critical issues, wolf, because these iranian-backed militias, iran's revolutionary guard corps, led by the most militant wings, these are the portions of iranian security, military force that often may not be under complete control of the central government in iran. so what are their intentions? what are they planning? and there is a real concern that it is those very militia groups that exert tremendous influence in places like iraq and syria, but they are not always under control of the government. and if they are the ones, especially the revolutionary guard corps, stirring up this kind of trouble, that's something the u.s. may find even more difficult to try to get a handle on. wolf? >> you know, we're just learning right now, even as you're speaking, barbara, that cnn has just learned that the secretary of state, mik

assets in iraq. iraqis filled tahrir square in the heart of baghdad on friday demanding that their government put iraq's safety 1st and that their country should be at the center of talks to find a solution. and iraq at the. iraq has become a bridge where meetings have been held at the iranian embassy with european diplomatic missions and it's taken the decision to start talks with moderate countries affected by the situation to lobby the united states and iran to try to extinguish the fires of war. iraqis maybe need more evidence to convince them that they won't be dragged into an unwanted conflict rob matheson al jazeera back. several kurdish politicians and thousands of prisoners in turkey have ended their 200 day long hunger strike they were responding to a call from their leader. who's been in jail for 20 years protesters politician leila groovin started her hunger strike in november in a push to improve auto loans access to lawyers and prison conditions while syrian government forces have regai

is currently stable up until this moment we have not seen any military escalation in iraq iraq has expressed this to the u.s. secretary of state. iran is iraq's most important ally in the region sharing strong political economic military and religious ties iraqi politicians and religious leaders have said they will not accept any interference in iraq's sovereignty by any country including iran. the conflicting statements about possible threats from iran has raised concerns that some parties in washington are exaggerating intelligence in order to build a case for some sort of military action against the country now the u.s. state department has ordered the immediate departure from iraq of all known emergency government employees and many iraqis are increasingly anxious that after suffering years of conflict and political instability there may be more to come charles stop al jazeera baghdad u.s. president donald trump has signed an executive order barring american companies from using telecommunications equipment made by firms that pose a national security risk the move paves the way for a ban

and the shia militant groups later in iraq. so the co-author, jim powell, his research into the way the awakening generated and spread at the tactical level, his study of how battalion commanders and company commanders and local shakes and so on interacted during that time and embarked on a series of confidence building measures, took leaps of faith, the way in which that in a played with the arrival of more u.s. forces on the ground of the way in which the generals were able to deploy new forces into tribal areas in order to assist in the awakening and to build confidence among the two sides and to really punch al qaeda in iraq in the nose. during 2007 into 2008 it's a story that has not been asked or that well before. so i think readers will appreciate those chapters that came from jim powell. the third point that i like to point out is our co-author matt morton is here today did research on the period from 2011 onward and he was able to examine using interviews and internal journals and so one from u.s. forces under the gene