Zócalo Public Square

When George W. Bush declared the Iraq War finished in May 2003, it was far from over. Over the next several years, terrorism and sectarian conflict continued and American troop levels increased. Now, after Barack Obama’s own speech declaring the combat mission complete, conflict wears on. As the U.S. turns its forces toward Afghanistan, how can America learn to bring conflicts to an end? Driven by ideology or constrained by domestic politics, presidential administrations throughout the 20th century have botched postwar planning, and successive leaders have failed to learn from the past. In an event co-presented with the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, Gideon Rose, editor of Foreign Affairs and author of How Wars End: Why We Always Fight the Last Battle, visits Zócalo to chat with Burkle Center director Kal Raustiala and explain how to conclusively and effectively end our wars.