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Peter Feaver: Iraq War Shows Perils of Intervention but Syria Has Dangers of Inaction

On the 10-year anniversary of the Iraq War, Political Science professor Peter Feaver says the invasion of Iraq reminds the country of the price that can be for military intervention, but the current conflict in Syria shows that the U.S. could suffer from inaction.

Read Feaver's article "A decade later and the Iraq debate is still contaminated with myths." Read More

"Because we toppled Saddam Hussein we were morally and politically responsible for cleaning up the mess that remained, but in Syria we are facing a similar challenge -- a sectarian and civil war could will spill over its borders and destabilize the entire region," said Feaver a special adviser for strategic planning and institutional reform on the National Security Council from 2005-2007.

"We didn't invade Syria but we may end up having to pay a comparable price in managing the security challenges that result," said Feaver, who also directs the Triangle Institute for Security Studies and Duke's Program in American Grand Strategy.