Q & AMiddle East & North Africa

Can Islamic State Be Contained? Obama Is Betting On It

Can Islamic State Be Contained? Obama Is Betting On It
U.S. soldier congratulates Iraqi army trainees on their graduation from a six-week training course at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 13, 2015 (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel Stoutamire).

This week marks one year since the so-called Islamic State (IS) took control of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The fall of Mosul forced Iraq back onto U.S. President Barack Obama’s agenda and prompted a re-examination of the U.S. policy toward IS. Just yesterday, the White House announced that up to 450 additional U.S. troops will be deployed to train Iraqi forces and help in the fight against the group.

World Politics Review partnered with the Global Dispatches podcast to present this interview with WPR columnist Steven Metz on the evolving U.S. strategy against IS.

Speaking with host Mark Leon Goldberg, Metz explains, “Containment of ISIS is the only strategy that makes sense.”

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