President Obama's plan to combat ISIS "has a chance to succeed," former President Bill Clinton said on Thursday night's Daily Show — and yes, he said ISIS, not ISIL — because it involves forcing Iraq's government to become more inclusive, bringing in the moderate Sunni tribal leaders necessary to defeat the Islamist militants. The U.S. has to bomb ISIS, to show they can't get away with beheading Americans, he added, "but we can't win a land war in Iraq — we proved that. But they can," he said, referring to the Iraqis, "and we can help them win it."
Clinton started out the segment with Jon Stewart asking him about the breakdown in world order. Clinton acknowledged that for better or worse, information technology has made power more diffuse. There are now three models prevalent in the word, he added: the "entrepreneurial nongovernmental model," which includes both the Gates Foundation and ISIS; the "authoritarian capitalism model" used in Russia and, in a different way, China; and the "democracy model," which only works if it's inclusive. For more of Clinton's actually pretty optimistic views on the state of the world, watch below. --Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
What is cloud seeding and did it cause Dubai's severe rainfall?The Explainer The future is flooded
-
American Airlines pilots are warning of a 'significant spike' in safety issuesIn the Spotlight The pilot's union listed 'problematic trends' they say are affecting the airline's fleet
-
6 star-spangled presidential libraries to visitThe Week Recommends These institutions provide insight into American leaders
-
Israel proposes two-month pause in Gaza war in exchange for all Hamas hostagesSpeed Read Deal doesn't include an agreement to end war, but might be 'the only path that could lead to a ceasefire', said US officials
-
Nato official warns of all-out war with Russia in next 20 yearsSpeed Read Civilians must prepare for life-changing conflict and mass mobilisation, says military chief
-
Rishi Sunak visits Kyiv to announce £2.5 billion in military support for UkraineSpeed Read Surprise trip comes amid increased Russian bombardment and escalation of Middle East crisis
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red SeaSpeed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
-
Israel preparing to flood Hamas tunnels with seawaterSpeed Read IDF pumps could drive out terrorists but critics warn of danger to hostages and Gaza water supply
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacksspeed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages releasedSpeed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
