Iraq

Given the alarming trends in the Middle East, America should fashion agile media platforms that influence audiences in the region and—even more importantly—say something compelling.

Amanda Achtman recently sat down with Bishop Bawai Soro, an Iraqi Christian leader who serves Canada’s approximately 40,000 Chaldean Catholics and is passionate about exploring the common heritage of Iraqi Jews and Iraqi Christians.

Like many, my reaction to the killing of Iran’s Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani has been an admixture of satisfaction and apprehension.

Assassinating Iranian Major General Qaseem Soleimani was a justified act. But it took place within the context of a largely unjust and strategically indefensible grand strategy, so it is unlikely to be a net positive in the long run.

As American Christians, what is our relationship with the Middle East, and why does it matter to us? How does our relationship contrast to the superficial and shortsighted way governments engage the region?

The debate in America about Iran is not about war vs. peace. That is not the debate because that is not the choice.

The rhetoric about the so-called “War on Terror” has led us down the wrong path for 20 years. Terrorism is…

The US has limited ability to influence a regional cold war and needs to choose its priorities carefully. This will be the most important story for us in the next decade as we try to get out of the Middle East without abandoning our allies and making the situation worse.

The United States and the international community could make a difference in the future of Iraq by informing the incoming government that there will be no investment or access to capital markets until these militias, and Iranian influence, have been eliminated.