Risks and Consequences of Foreign Interventions

October 5, 2017

Shamila Chaudhary, Foreign Policy Institute Fellow
Gregory Feifer, Interim Executive Director of the Institute of Current World Affairs
Andrew J. Tabler, Martin J. Gross Fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Hashim Wahdatyar, Program Officer, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Foreign policy experts visited the Johns Hopkins SAIS community for a panel discussion about foreign interventions hosted by the Middle East Studies program and the Institute of Current World Affairs (ICWA). 

The discussion analyzed conflicts and interventions in Syria, Afghanistan, and other regions of the world experiencing unrest. During the discussion, emphasis was placed on the role and timing of the United States interventions in these areas at a time of mounting global instability and shifting geopolitics.

Shamila Chaudhary of the Foreign Policy Institute (FPI) raised concerns about the United States' wavering commitment to leading global security and its role in ongoing interventions. Andrew Tabler of the Washington Institute discussed the US need for a strategic approach in managing multiple conflicts.

Hashim Wahdatyar of the UNODC observed that western troops and diplomats have a trust problem with the citizens of Afghanistan which cannot be overcome without defining the goals of the US-led mission to restore security in the country. 

ICWA's Gregory Feifer stated that Vladimir Putin is fulfilling his promise of restoring Russia as a global power, although he emphasized that Putin's actions are serving his own personal interests and are damaging Russia's long-term future. The panelists noted that Russia makes an interesting case study in exercising global influence as it strengthens its hand in the Middle East while US leadership in the region is increasingly challenged.