Aftandilian in The Arab Weekly on Obama’s ISIS Strategy
Gregory Aftandilian, Lecturer at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published a recent Op-Ed on President Barack Obama’s strategy on fighting the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria.
Aftandilian’s Op-Ed, entitled “Obama’s Strategy Against ISIS Looks Successful But Comes at a High Price,” was published by The Arab Weekly on November 27, 2016.
From the text of the article:
The offensive against Mosul that is designed to rid Iraq of the Islamic State (ISIS) and increasing pressure on the jihadist group in Syria would seem to vindicate US President Barack Obama’s strategy of fighting with air power and advisers.
The price, however, of this strategy has been a painfully long wait for those suffering under ISIS rule and an unwillingness to intervene in other crises.
Obama entered office as a strong opponent of the Iraq war who was determined to reduce the US military footprint in the Middle East. Although he was by no means a pacifist, exemplified by his frequent use of drone strikes against al-Qaeda operatives and his initial surge of troops in Afghanistan, he said that an ongoing US military presence in the Middle East did more harm than good.
You can read the entire article here.
Aftandilian spent over 21 years in government service, most recently on Capitol Hill where he was foreign policy adviser to Congressman Chris Van Hollen (2007-2008), professional staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and foreign policy adviser to Senator Paul Sarbanes (2000-2004), and foreign policy fellow to the late Senator Edward Kennedy (1999). Learn more about him here.