Welcome to the War on the Rocks podcast, covering strategy, defense, and foreign affairs.

My name is the Kostanforth, editor and host of the show.

I've now succeeded in getting our speakers to pause for long enough that we can start the

podcast and then they will all continue talking.

I delighted to be here with three of my favorite Iraq analysts we have in alphabetical order joining us at the War on

the Rock's office in Southeast DC. Dr. Denise Natale, the director of the

Institute of National Strategic Studies at the National

Defense University who previously served as the Assistant Secretary for the

Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations at the Department of State. Thank you. Thank you. Nick, it's pleasure to be here.

We're also joined by Doug Olivet, a retired Army officer, longtime friend of War on the Rocks,

and former National Security Council director, as well as managing partner at Mantid International.

Thanks very much, good to be here.

And finally, Dr. Bilal Wahhab, the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner fellow at the Washington Institute, who was previously

taught at the American University of Iraq and Sulemani, where he established the Center for Development

and Natural Resources.

Thank you for having me.

Great, thank you all for coming to sit down today.

We, as I think we just talked about, have way more than we're going to be able to cover in half an hour.

But to try to get off,

started off on the most general footing,

because I think this might get in the weeds a little bit,

but trying to keep it general for now, I wanted to ask each of you to give us a quick overview

...