E2: Russia's Campaign in Africa

09/26/19 • 27 min

In this episode of Overwatch, Maseh Zarif talks with his ISW colleagues Nataliya Bugayova and Darina Regio about what Russia is up to in Africa. They discuss Russia’s coordinated campaign to gain economic and political influence, and its attempt to create opportunities for expanding its military presence on the continent. Nataliya and Darina also put this campaign in the context of U.S. interests, identifying why the United States should be concerned and what to look for in the coming months.

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E1: ISIS's Second Comeback

In this episode of Overwatch Maseh Zarif sits down with ISW's Research Director, Jennifer Cafarella, to discuss her report ISIS's Second Comeback: Assessing the Next Insurgency. Jennifer discusses her insights into what the group did in Iraq and Syria to survive the U.S.-led campaign and what it is preparing to do in the future. She also describes the current U.S. role on the ground and potential scenarios in the months ahead, and provides her view of how the effort to combat ISIS fits into the U.S. National Defense Strategy framework.

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Crisis Brief: Baghdad Protests

A major crisis is unfolding in Iraq. Protests against the Iraqi government have spread to 11 predominantly Shi'a provinces and become violent. Government forces have used live ammunition against protestors in multiple provinces and are fighting with protestors to secure the Baghdad airport. ISW is providing an update on the situation as of 8pm this evening and outlining the possible trajectories for further escalation.