December 15, 2016

Obama has degraded ISIS. Can Trump finish the job?

Featuring: Julianne Smith

Source: CNN

Journalist: Nicole Gaouette

The Obama administration is publicly handing Donald Trump a gift as he prepares to enter the White House: a degraded ISIS. The question is what the President-elect will do with it.

The US has said that US-led airstrikes have killed up to 75% of ISIS fighters and 180 of its leaders, assessing that the international anti- ISIS coalition has choked the group's ability to recruit foreigner fighters, undermined its propaganda efforts and helped Iraqi forces retake territory.

Pentagon officials say a lot of work against ISIS remains, work that Trump has signaled he would tackle with a more intense military approach -- characterized by his campaign pledge to "bomb the s--- out of them."

Read the full article at CNN.

Author

  • Julianne Smith

    Former Adjunct Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Security Program

    Julianne (“Julie”) Smith is a contributing editor to Foreign Policy, where she coedits “Shadow Government.” She is also a senior advisor at WestExec Advisors, an adjunct senio...