Точка Синхронізації

Acclaimed author and investigative journalist Steve Coll appeared on the CBS News podcast 'The Takeout' on June 16 to discuss the intricate and often volatile history of the United States' relationship with former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. During the interview with Major Garrett, Coll detailed how pivotal geopolitical shifts occurring in 1979 laid the groundwork for decades of conflict, including the eventual September 11 terrorist attacks and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The discussion served as an exploration of the long-term consequences of American foreign policy in the Middle East, highlighting how decisions made during the Cold War era continued to ripple through the 21st century. Coll, whose extensive research focuses on the intersection of intelligence and diplomacy, emphasized that the year 1979 was a definitive turning point for the region. It was the year Hussein officially rose to power in Baghdad, but it also saw the Iranian Revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. These concurrent events forced the U.S. government into a pragmatic but dangerous alignment with Hussein’s regime to counter the influence of the newly formed Islamic Republic of Iran. This 'enemy of my enemy' strategy created a complex dependency that would later collapse into open hostility. The journalist also contextualized how the American response to regional instability inadvertently fostered the rise of radical movements. By examining the intelligence failures and diplomatic trade-offs of the era, Coll argued that the road to the Iraq War was not a sudden pivot but the culmination of a half-century of entanglement. He noted that the lack of deep cultural and political understanding by Western officials often led to short-sighted policies that Hussein was able to exploit for his own domestic and regional ambitions. Ultimately, the conversation underscored the importance of historical perspective in understanding modern American security challenges. Coll’s analysis suggests that the legacy of the 1970s created a cycle of intervention and blowback that redefined the U.S. role on the global stage. By revisiting these archival narratives, Coll seeks to provide a clearer picture of how the pursuit of regional stability in the short term can lead to catastrophic geopolitical transformations in the long run.