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This is the political scene, a weekly conversation with New Yorker writers and editors about

politics. It's Thursday, June 19th. I'm Dorothy Wickenden, executive editor of the New Yorker.

With Sunni militants taking over large parts of Iraq and moving closer to Baghdad, President

Obama is facing pressure to respond militarily. He spoke about administration policy at the White House last week.

The United States is not simply going to involve itself in a military action

in the absence of a political plan by the Iraqis that gives us some assurance that they're prepared to work together.

Dexter Filkins and Steve Kahl are joining me today to talk about the metastasizing crises

in Iraq and Syria and about what works and doesn't work in the fight against terrorism.

So, Dexter, in less than two weeks, much of northwestern Iraq has fallen to ISIS, the Islamic

state in Iraq and Syria.

...