Douglas Silliman: What is Donald Trump's strategy in Iraq?
The Interview
BBC
4.3 • 538 Ratings
🗓️ 15 January 2020
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Though the fear of imminent war has receded, the Middle East has been profoundly destabilised by the American assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. The unfolding US-Iran conflict will impact the whole region, not least Iraq, where the Iranians are intent on hastening the end of America’s military presence. Stephen Sackur interviews Douglas Silliman, former US ambassador to Iraq until a year ago. Does Trump have a strategy - and if so, what is it?
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to a podcast from the BBC World Service. This is Hard Talk with me, Stephen Sacker. |
| 0:06.6 | Thanks for downloading this edition of the program. I do hope you enjoy it. |
| 0:11.1 | Welcome to Hard Talk on the BBC World Service with me, Stephen Sacker. My guest today retired last year after 35 years service in the. State Department. Douglas Silliman spent much of his |
| 0:23.4 | diplomatic career in the Arab world. He is an Arabic speaker and his last posting saw him serve |
| 0:29.2 | as the Trump administration's ambassador in Iraq until his retirement a year ago. In recent days, |
| 0:35.8 | he's been watching the dramatic escalation of tension and |
| 0:39.3 | conflict in his former patch from his new vantage point as a Middle East analyst in Washington, D.C. |
| 0:45.1 | The American assassination of Iran's most prominent general, Qasim Soleimani, continues to send |
| 0:51.3 | shockwaves through the region. While the fears of imminent conflagration have receded, |
| 0:57.0 | few observers doubt that the unfolding conflict between the US and Iran will lead to more violence and |
| 1:03.6 | instability, not least in Iraq, where General Soleimani met his end and where Iran remains determined |
| 1:10.7 | to exercise power and influence. |
| 1:13.8 | President Trump has just made the most dramatic of interventions, but does he have a strategy? |
| 1:20.1 | And if so, what is it? Well, Ambassador Silliman joins me now. |
| 1:24.7 | Ambassador Doug Silliman in Washington, D.C., welcome to hard talk. |
| 1:29.6 | Stephen, I'm very happy to be here. Well, you have a very special perspective on what has |
| 1:34.3 | happened over the last 10 days or so as the last retiring ambassador in Baghdad. He left just one |
| 1:41.6 | year ago. From your perspective, does the assassination of Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad. You left just one year ago. From your perspective, does the assassination of Qasem |
| 1:45.6 | Soleimani in Baghdad appear to you both lawful and wise? I must say, first of all, I'm not going |
| 1:54.2 | to address the question of whether it is lawful or unlawful because I'm not an expert in international |
| 1:58.9 | law or a particularly good diplomatic historian. |
| 2:02.2 | Looking at this from the standpoint of President Trump and the Trump administration, |
... |
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