Episode #6: On ISIS With Guest Ryan Crocker

Ambassador Ryan Crocker is a career ambassador within the U.S. Foreign Service. Ambassador Crocker was in the Foreign Service for 37 years and, after retiring, was recalled to active duty by President Obama in 2011 to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan. His previous appointments included service as the U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Lebanon. Crocker became dean of Texas A&M University’s George Bush School of Government and Public Service in 2010. In this podcast Ambassador Crocker and the host engage in a discussion about one of the most concerning events in recent international affairs, the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS). A few days ago, up to 235 people were killed in a terrorist attack in Egypt, one of many that have occurred in the region, Europe and the United States. While no group has claimed responsibility until now, witnesses report that the assailants carried ISIS flags. In recent years ISIS has turned into a global threat, supplanting almost completely the danger posed by Al Qaeda decades earlier. ISIS has become infamous for its brutal and ruthless style of terror, with images that are still vividly haunting. Is the Islamic State a symptom or a cause of bad governance? What will ISIS do after it has lost its physical hold on territories around the Middle East? What are the implications for US foreign policy in the region and beyond? Is America retreating from its policing role in the international arena? References: For a recent analysis of President Trump’s policy towards the State Department written by Ambassador Crocker for the New York Times follow the link here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/27/opinion/dismantling-foreign-service-budget.html For a full bio of Ambassador Crocker at the Wilson Center follow the link. here: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/ryan-crocker To watch the documentary Losing Iraq follow the link here: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/losing-iraq/