CNN Special Report - Long Road to Hell: America in Iraq (2015) HDTV 720p x264 AAC 2.0 MP4 - PANthR

U.S. President George W. Bush had a dream that Iraq would become a beacon of hope in the Middle East. Now, with the region wracked by chaos, civil war, and violence, some U.S. presidential candidates are pledging to order American “boots on the ground” again in Iraq – this time to fight ISIS. The crucial question is: do we understand the Iraq we would be going back to? CNN’s Fareed Zakaria will take a timely look at the reality of what is left of Iraq in Long Road to Hell: America in Iraq.

Zakaria asks tough questions of many of the key architects of America’s military intervention in Iraq over the last dozen years: Who is responsible for the unraveling of Iraq? Do those who want to send American troops to Iraq again understand the mistakes of the past? And, is Iraq even a country anymore?

Zakaria was himself an early supporter of the 2003 military intervention in Iraq. Explaining how his views evolved over time, Zakaria points out the consequences of the major strategic choices. He argues there were too few troops sent to maintain post-war order once the American-led coalition had conquered Saddam’s army. And, greater inclusion of the sectarian groups in Iraq could have meant more regional support for the nation-building efforts that followed the collapse of the Baathist regime.

In Long Road to Hell, Zakaria examines these vital pivot points and mistakes – some previously unknown until now. Those interviewed in this special include:

(1) Tony Blair, U.K. Prime Minister (1997 – 2007), Quartet Representative for the Middle East (2007 – 2015);
(2) Antony Blinken, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (2014 – present);
(3) Paul Bremer, Presidential Envoy to Iraq (2003 – 2004);
(4) Richard Clarke, Special Advisor to the President for Cyberspace (2001 – 2003); National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism Czar (1998 – 2003); Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence (Ronald Reagan Administration);
(5) Douglas Feith, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (2001 – 2005);
(6) Peter Galbraith, former U.S. diplomat;
(7) Richard Haass, PhD, president, Council on Foreign Relations (2003 – present); former lead U.S. official on Afghanistan and Northern Ireland (2001 – 2003); and
(8) Gen. David Petraeus (ret.), Commander, Multi-National Force in Iraq (2007 – 2008); Commander, International Security Assistance Force and Commander, U.S. Forces in Afghanistan (2010 – 2011); Commander, U.S. Central Command (2008 – 2010).


Initial Airing: 26 Oct 2015

Duration: 42 mins

Specifications:

Container: MPEG-4
Video Codec: AVC H264
Video Bitrate: 8,100 Kbps
Resolution: 1280 x 720
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Framerate: 29.970 fps
Quality Factor: High@L3.1

Audio Codec Name: AAC
Bitrate: 256 Kbps
Channels: 2
Sampling Rate: 48 KHz
Language: English

Subtitles: None