>> good afternoon, welcome to the center for strategic and international studies. i'm the acting direct tore of the humanitarian agenda here.

the humanitarian agenda is a project that seeks to leverage the expertise of our scholars and programs to shine a light on the pressing humanitarian issues and offer policy solutions. before we begin, i would like to direct everyone's attention to emergency exits and encourage you to turn your phones to mute. i want to acknowledge before we begin the partnership that our program has at the u.s. agency of international development office of disastrous assistance to put on discussions. we have a short time today. all of us here today are aware of the suffering taking place in syria. family and individuals have been forced into forced displacements and attacks on civilians and hospitals and clinics which challenge our notions of this violence increased the urgency of finding durable solutions to

the humanitarian problems. while we are very grateful to our speaker today for joining us and hosting and having this event today, i find it deeply distressing and disappointing that we continue to be hosting events on the same topic highlighting the same challenges and we continue to find ourselves asking what we can do. and without further ado, i turn it over to one of our regular partners. e senior vice president on global security and is the director of the middle east program here and he will introduce our speaker here today. [applause] >> thank you very much, jake and thanks to the humanitarian agenda and usaid support for these kinds of programs.

the horrors playing for those who wish to know them. almost a million people are stranded along a border and trapped between armies. in the provinces has doubled its population since war broke out and syrians sought refuge. three million syrians are suffering from cold and lacking water, sanitation and medical care. this has been occurringous the republic not because it is unnoticeable but because the public is uninterested. coronavirus and presidential campaign and shaky economy, the united states and elsewhere the crisis gets little attention. that's what brings us here. nd we are here to speak to a forceful humanitarian whose organization has been doing

tremendous work to try to relieve some of the suffering. david is president and c.e.o. of the international rescue community where he oversees the humanitarian relief operations countries in cted over 20 u.s. cities. under his leadership, it has rapidly responded to humanitarian cries sees and meet the needs of unprecedented number of people uprooted by conflict, war and we are bringing clear outcomes and strong evidence and system atlantaic research to the humanitarian programs through collaborative partnerships through the public and private sectors. he did other important work from 2007 to 2010, he was the foreign secretary of the united kingdom and graduated from oxford in

1997 with first class honor's agree in p.p.e. and got a masters in political science from m.i.t., which he attended as a kennedy scholar. his accomplishments have earned him a reputation and former clinton's words as one of the ablest most creative public servants and advocate for the uprooted and poor people. i am pleased to introduce to ban. mr. david mil

also for the absence of the united states is a real and present danger not just to humanitarian need, but also to wider regional stability. my purpose in making this speech

today is in part to bring the humanitarian reality of to speak for our staff and the people they serve in the hope that there is still room for humanity and principle. there are few countries with the u.s. is one of them. so i hope there is ress nance in what i describe today as well as brainstorming amongst all of us here in the conversation after my speech about what to do about it. as well as bringing the situation today, i want to make a wider argument and this is the wider argument that i will try to make. the war in syria is not just a disaster. it's an argument that the war in yria will dangerously become a biword a precedent of a new normal of brutal company

contagious conflict. stalling of diplomacy, the u.n. pulled from pillar to post, the aid system inadequate. neighboring states creeking under the sustains of refugees. western policy be feudled by a mixture of disfunction, denial. that is the reality of the syrian story that jake referred to and the danger is that it becomes copied elsewhere. here's what i'm going to do today. summarize the current situation in syria. second, splin how we see syria as a warning of the changing nature of conflict around the world today. third, set out short-term imperatives how to save lives today and fourth, draw wider lessons for hurens and

diplomats. i think we all know that the assault is intended by the syrian government to represent e grim climb action of the nine-year-long civil war. 400,000 ave fled and are joining them. the largest displacement since the war started nine years ago. there are debates over nine years, but this is the largest displacement reflecting the most fighting. every single day, another 11,000 civilians join hundreds of thousands of civilians on the run. staff who ocal our attempt to preserve their own work as well as their own families as they do so. 80% on the run are women and children, many are in the cold

braving freezing rain and snow, which has led to the deaths of seven children in the last months. deaths from freezing. attacks on health facilities represent some of the most's griegeous war crimes and taking place despite u.n. security resolutions. in the past three weeks alone, organizations have had to suspend operations in a number of health facilities and relocate an entire fleet of ambulances because they were being attacked. more than 80 facilities have now been closed. it's also the case that the situation has deteriorated so far that all of the u.s.-based n.g.o.'s have come together in the humanitarian alliance to launch the second ever joint appeal to raise funds for

deployment inside. the fact that the exodus is the greatest since the war began, its testimony to fighting there. i don't think it should obscure there are risks in other parts of the country, too. in the northeast of the country, 70,000 people are still dispoliced and the region is still recovering from the turkish offensive fighting against the kurdish forces. last month, a u.s. convoy exchanged fire with a pro- checkpoint. the islamic state has been damaged but not vanching issued. the group remains a persistent threat carrying out shootings east of the river and temporarily cop turring villages. in areas previously of

opposition control which has been taken by the syrian military, we know from our own staff that the end of formal fighting has not led to an end to violence or improvement to he civilian situation.

are on track to enter this fiscal year. that's what the reduction in the refugee resettlement program has

been for the syrians. the government has made no secret that syrians who have fled to neighboring countries as refugees are not welcomed back. they have leveled charges meaning risk imprisonment and torture and used the law 10 to appropriate and redevelop land that once belonged to displaced refugees. finally, the conduct of the war will make reconstruction attempts to create some sense of abnormality all but impossible. 9% of the syrian population are served by waste water treatment plants and some facilities are not functional with one in three schools damaged or destroyed. this is a decade-long trauma that is going to affect future generations as well as the

current one. the broader point that i think is really point. the catastrophe and the wider and this is the third thing, how we should understand the situation in syria today as symptom matic of a wider what i call age of impunity. the steve and the wider consequences are symptoms of utter failure of diplomacy. ut it also foreshadows an even darker trend towards impunity and disregard for the rule of international law and equally grave deficit of international diplomacy, which allows the suffering of civilians to continue unabated. the brutal takes the air strikes and recruitment of child oldiers, use of public

beheadings. these crimes are bad enough. but accountability has so far been all but nonexist ant. the majority of the blame lies highthe allied as the u.n. commission for human rights pointed out 300 civilian deaths % were caused by the syrian government and its foreign allies. in the process of so blatantly violating the war, they have spurred a race to the bottom and gives me no pleasure to take it back, the u.s.-led operation destroyed 11 million buildings and no responsibility for reconstruction. this could undermine calls from restraint from russian forces in italy. i believe what we are seeing in syria is not unique and

foreshadows a dangerous trend where the laws of war have carefully built up have become optional. i think it's important to understand what the drivers are of this age of impunity and put to you there are four. first, war is now increasingly urban so the disstimpingon is eroded. the war in syria has displaced more than 11 people. here's an interesting thing, according to carnegie, since 1945 an afpblg of five people were displaced for every one person killed in conflict. ratio a that five-to-one is 25-1. the battlefield is filled by nonstate actors like extremist roups like islamic and the

u.s.-backed syrian backed forces from turkey and u.s. the involvement of so many groups, more than 100 in syria location and event data project has fractured the battlefield given the often unclear chain of command within each of these groups. furthermore, and here's the point, it's not just -- i'll get to the point. third point, the large presence of foreign militaries has made the war far deadlier for civilians due to the increased fire power. as demonstrated by the widespread russian air strikes. it is not just the imbalance of foreign forces in syria but the mere presence of them. in total, 70 countries contribute conflicts in other

countries. so the syria phenomenon does not stand alone but increasingly common elsewhere. . ink about somalia, issuing and the fourth age of this drive of impunity needs to be talked about. it's an obvious point dramentized in this year's munich munich conference. it was called westlessness. it takes a german speaker to ind a way of encapsulating the auma or the dysfunction of westlessness. the absence of the west is not only a military question outside the northwest of the country. syria is low, very low on the western diplomatic priority list and foreign policy is very low

on the political priority list. n fact, fear of entanglement outweighs commit mountains to all the suffering and the roots of its absence are the results of lingering effects of the financial crisis. when they are and sebt, those who regard those rights are given free rein and that is what we are seeing. syria is the poster child of the age of impunity, if you look at civilian deaths, if you look at killing of aid workers, if you look at a range of indicators of children caught up in conflict, syria is not an outliar but part of a trend. or eads to the concluding

the prescriptive part of my remarks. i want to talk about short-term relief and come onto the wider lessons. the immediate need in syria is a ceasefire and increase to civilians in need. there is no chance of this happening and little point in people calling for it without a strategic decision in washington and european capitals that syria matters enough to require all the costs that come with engagement of any kind. since i'm running a humanitarian n.g.o., i have to steer away from the military side of these questions other than saying that all military decisions should be taken with a view to military consequences. even short of the military questions, once a decision is taken that engagement is right, there are ways to increase the

costs on those who are perpetrating crimes on the battlefield. for example, instead of u.n. member states and u.n. first expecting each other to address the crisis, both need to step up. and moscow andis new york. the security council itself in my sue should be meeting at the ministerial level. it shall convene in ministerial which the commission of inquiry briefs members and requires them to account for the human rights abuses that are taking place in syria. there needs to be engagement with the serious of the situation. a meeting was planned and seems to be off between chancellor merkel and presidents in the next few days and seems to be a bilateral putin andered juan

meeting. where is the u.s. in that story? also, the widening of aid corridors and cross-board aid and reopening of the cross border in east. two were closed in january. and another two will be closed in july. make no mistake, the humanitarian situation could deteriorate much further. further, we need accountability for crimes committed following up on each of the media reports that contain such chilling footage. it is surprising to see there are no e.u. sanctions on russia. accountability needs to start with the report of the board of inquiry into attacks on civilian infrastructure due to report next week. the inquiry is a litmus test for meaningful accountability and judge the report.

it should remain perpetrator and findings must remain public. finally, the multi lateral framework for political talks that has been elbowed aside, that's russia, turkey, iran and syria is essential. the participants are not providing protection or improve the humanitarian situation in the country. the fact that there is something called a u.n. process shouldn't anyone to think that it exercises real leverage. there won't be a solution until that changes. now in addition to these short-term measures which are my day-to-day concern, i think it is incumbent me to discuss a far more far going set of issues that are raised by the conflict n syria as the danger it por

tends. it is important to have some humility. hindsight is 2020 and never a clear or obvious path to resolving the war and preventing civilian suffering. but some things are obvious and actually pointed out by people at the time. for example, assad must go is not a strategy. neither is keep the oil. red lines are not red unless they are enforced. counterterrorism is a band-aid, not a solution. other things though, other lessons are more complicated and more difficult. and for the benefit of the discussion, i want to highlight four lessons that i think are serious because syria doesn't represent an outliar but a

trend. the first that humanitarian law will become optional unless it receives a surge of support. i want to quote from russia, u.n. general assembly, he said attacks on international law are looming large. many will see some irony in this given the situation in syria. he called out what he sees as an american fill os question of quote, i do as i please. i do as i please is precisely the problem but to state the obvious is not confined to the u.s. i want to remind you that international humanitarian law was developed on the basis of the lessons of history. after the second world war with a view of ending the war, period. these laws do not judge the military mission but they demand it be pursued with proportionate

and disstimpingon. e laws of war limit harms to civilians in conflict zones and offer soldiers to pursue their mission with honor and valor intact. international humanitarian law is under siege. its defense needs a three-pronged effort from civil society, from us, in the absence of government leadership. first, we need to strengthen the ability of people on the ground to safely record and document abuses. second, on the basis of that document, we need to use the laws that exist to push back against the perpetrators. that just doesn't mean the international court to which syria is not a signatory. the german n.g.o. which has iled a criminal sought against

syrian generals. and third, countries who support international humanitarian law should use the economic tools at their disposal. farther those who are response i will for violations. the second lesson of syria is we need the independent, principled and loud voice of the united nations more than ever. reporting on breaches of the u.n. charter, exposing abuses of human rights and overcoming the obstacles that are put in the i way of basic u.n. principles. the work of u.n. staffers on the ground around the world as i have seen for myself committed and brave. but the gridlock at the security council and need to gain support of national governments in countries where the u.n. works threatens the freedom of the u.n., its agencies and officials

to speak out. this needs to be of widespread concern. the ability to speak truth to power is one of the u.n.'s great strengths. when high commissioner of human rights condemned what happened in 2017 as quote, a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, his words revere beer ated around the world. to whom the truth needs to be spoken are the people whose funds pay the bills and control aagenda as. it is said that the u.n. is only as strong in principle as its member states especially the permanent members on the security council. but the charter gives independent backing to u.s. officials. on the issues of climate change and the independent work of u.n. bodies has been vital in building what is necessary to urge the world to act. i would act in peace and

security we cannot afford the power of the u.n. to bear witness to be compromised. the third lesson concerns the danger that military power renders diplomacy irrelevant. in syria, russia and iran have shown how hard power still matters. how many times diplomats say there is no military situation and remains the case that it can subjugate populations and win wars. the government is willing to kill its own people challenges diplomacy as well as law. and here, i think for an american audience, it is important to draw the contrast between northeast syria and northwest syria. it is striking and sfructtive. in the former, in the northeast, there is a tenuous balance of power sustained by american military decisions and some

scope for power sharing. in the northwest, there is no similar balance, no constraint on the use of russian and iranian power and turkey has proven both unable to turn to aggression and willing to emphasize to the protection of its military efforts. i think all of us have far more serious thinking to do what is meant by a quote, unquote political solution. the truth of the last nine years, people want to see what a transition from and not a transition to. we have to think much harder about what conditions are possible to bring about a political solution and the consequences for diplomacy when those conditions are not present. when the presence of troops are not sufficient to fix the solutions, their absence can make political reconciliation

impossible and representing an agency that works in all of the world's conflict zones. the fourth and final lesson of syria the regime of refugee support has never been more needed. this needs another lecture. first, countries like lebanon, turkey and jordan have been sheltering refugees but the borne has been. hosting refugees is a global public good and needs to be supported by the international system. and we need to go further. second, refugees been assumed to be in greater need than those internally displaced. one lesson of syria, this assumption does not always hold true. the internally displaced are more at risk than their relatives who made it out of the

country. third, the loss of the u.s. as a hampion of refugee rights is echoing. the resettlement numbers will never match those in lebanon and jordan. the value of a resettlement program is high. and its absence has made it harder for refugee-hosting governments to step up to their legal obligations. the west can make no claim to help refugees when they refuse to take them in and then expect host governments to pick up the tab. this leaves the headlines. turkey, using refugees has desperate leverage against europe and europe, not really knowing how to react.

the boomer and effect of neglecting refugee support now comes home to roost. europe needs to be more on the alert but galvanized into action to prevent another refugee crisis in europe. let me finish on the following note. there is no doubt that about the scale of the syria fatigue that is felt outside the country. you referred to the difficulty of getting attention. my point would be, what right do we have to be fatigued compared to the people who are inside syria? those million people displaced over the last three months have n many cases been displaced, two, three or four times before. the population of the province has been doubled by influx by those displaced elsewhere in

syria. if we know anything, it's this. what starts in syria does not end in syria. that should worry us all. and this issue belongs at the top of the agenda of policy makers as well as hurens. syria's trauma represents many of the since of commission but also since of omission. this is what we must seek to put right unless this decade buns one of impunity. thank you very much indeed. [applause] >> david, thank you for that very powerful talk. it gave us a lot to talk about. i was struck by that phrase that you used, the age of impunity. and there are arguments that some make that we need to recognize.

that it is conquering the last remaining corners of the country and we have to deal from that reality especially because there is no diplomacy that is going to change that reality. how as a humanitarian who in many ways has had to work with repressive governments all the time, how should we think about he rehabilitation of the assad regime, the assad government and what message that sends about impunity for actions going forward? is that a reward to assad? >> if you are a humanitarian organization or a humanitarian aid worker, you don't take sides. you are on the side of the people in need. as it happens, we worked in syria before 2011. we were there from 2003 to 2010 and the reasons we were asked to

leave were never made clear and we hold to the principle that we do not judge the merits of the side that we are working on. however, secondly, we do have to speak to reality and 7 million of syria's remaining 16 million population are living outside of government control. they are living in the northeast of the country. now here's the thing about the bottom barredment that is happening at the moment, the military action. no one can show that it is advancing the military goal that is being set. russia set the military goal. president assad has signed up to it which is to remove those in governments of that territory, a group affiliated and various others.

the bombing that is happening at the moment is killing civilians, it's not removing terrorist groups or other nonstate actors. and we have to speak to that reality. we are bearing witness to that reality every day. thirdly and finally, you referred to the rehabilitation of the assad regime. i would argue that any government has in its own hands to rehabilitate itself through its actions. it's not the the point about accountability for war crimes, is it does not lapse. it is essential. peoplemessage is that will be held accountable for their crimes, then you are encouraging more. that is why i think it is important that civil society plays the kind of role that i alluded to in my talk. it is not about denying the

reality on the ground. it is not taking sides in the dispute. it is not recognizing that if the law is upheld, then the law. >> how would you make the case to the american public that is fatigued by almost 20 years of war in the middle east, that they should care about international humanitarian law? that it affects things here, in addition to things there? >> i think there are two parts to that. i don't think we should stop the moral argument. really important speaking to any audience, not running away from the moral argument. i am happy to make the argument to any american audience that italyath under trees in is a moral outrage that they should be outraged as human

beings. arefact that those children freezing to death because they have been bombarded from their homes by their own government, i think is double the case. anyone who tries to only sit on the moral high ground is doomed to failure. i would also say that it is essential, i think that is something you mention, that we should make the strategic geopolitical interest based argument, as well as the moral humanitarian argument. is geopolitical argument that american interests are engaged. they are engaged in the following ways. one, america has interest in the middle east and what is happening in syria will not end. thosewill destabilize allies. second, the russian reentry into is a very east

significant geopolitical change, and if america wants to be playing a role in the middle east, it is going to show how it is going to be done. thirdly, america's role in the global system, and american interest in the global system, are not just those that are demonstrated by those that are giving, they are demonstrated by taking. america has been able to benefit from the rule of international law around the world, and it loses when those laws are undermined. fourth and final point. whohappy to be a brit refers to himself as a european. that america has a strong interest in its democratic allies in europe being sustained in their strength and their stability. there is no question that already with the dangers that

pose from migration flows from libya. onch is something very much european policymakers minds. they also have to be concerned about a further unplanned, unregulated, disorganized flow of people from the middle east as well. for that reason i would say there is an american interest in that. in a world where 100 and 13 countries have3 laws against freedom, it is important that the u.s. and europe stand together. -- don't have to tell me that is the best i can do. >> let me ask you a british question. it is notable that britain does not really have, is not at the forefront of diplomacy on this issue. britain desperate town,

--briton, is there anyway way that britain might demonstrate the role of upholding a moral structure that the united states -- >> i would hope so. it grieves me that i could make a speech about then on again off again meeting. i have heard no clamor over the last week of people saying no. absence just a real there. a is striking to me that country which is still a member of the security council, whose diplomats make strong statements at the security council, has not politically wants to engage in this geopolitical question. over claim for

what the u.k. can do. i am deeply concerned that an era of brexit will be an era of british isolation, and modestly i would suggest that it is not good for the waterworld either. -- one more question before we go to the audience. the u.s. and its allies have been pretty adamant that there will not be of assistance to syria until there is a political settlement. is that sustainable? does there come a point where should relax for the good of the people who you rightly described will be suffering? very strong view that if you are a civilian in a government controlled area or in syria, you have rights to aid in

the same way that if you are a civilian in a rebel held area you have that right. when you say the u.n. is delivering aid inside government health areas of syria, that is being paid for by american and european taxpayers. you are right that reconstruction aid is being withheld, but humanitarian aid is not being withheld. and i would argue strongly against humanitarian aid being withheld. one of the levers that does is put by european polls is that is a card that can't just be given away. i don't think that is trading away the lives of syrians. if you are living in a government controlled area and your government is not meeting your needs, and you are getting

u.n. eight, you should be saying thank you to the u.s. and european countries who are the main funders of those programs. i think the reconstruction of the country is a broader political construct where you can expect the allies of that country to be engaged, not just those who have raised profound questions about its actions. we have time for a few questions. wait for the microphone if you would. >> i have never been hindered by not having a microphone. thank you for an exemplary talk, and one that hits beautifully all the high points. i am aware at this time of another train wreck in the offing. that is the strike of coronavirus on populations like refugees in africa and other places where, there is no health system, or where the health system is very deeply

undermined. expertsning i heard repeat the view that between 40% and 70% of the world's population in one way or another will experience this. thesn't something that refugees are likely to escape. thatis clearly something involves people all around the refugee areas. has there been any thinking about this, and any way to prepare for it? secondly, is there any longshot ofe where the devastation perhaps 10% mortality in this tod of situation could lead some kind of cease fire? we have seen this in other humanitarian tragedies in the past, short term sometimes,

sometimes long-term. sometimes leading to peace conversations. it is just an idea at this point, but no tragedy i think in one way or another should be allowed to happen without thinking through the full range, would love to hear your comments. if you really want to know the way out of the syria mess, you should listen to him. on coronavirus, two things. first of all, by a stroke of luck, the places where we do most of our work across accurate east,ica and the middle have been relatively speaking spared so far. goondly, things could easily very bad indeed, very quickly.

if you think about the rate of spread in where there are advanced health systems, where there is advanced public health, where it is easy to access hygiene measures, just think of the speed of spread amongst populations where those things don't exist. whether is it republic health infrastructure. a quarantinea of is absurd in any kind of mass movement of people, whether ipp's or refugees. here it is worth going back to that statistic. one in every one of five people on the planet has been displaced by war and conflict at the moment. maybe 60% of them are in urban areas.

so you are absolutely right to draw attention to it. we are certainly scrambling to figure out the impact on our own stock, the impact on our own program. staff getent that our it. that raises an outbreak -- fear of an outbreak among our clients. if you want to get more depressed, you just think of the spread of coronavirus in the populations that we help. that is certainly a real clear and present danger. if not this episode, then perhaps in the second half of the year. >> compared to many countries in the middle east has a very robust public health service. i run which has been devastated, is not among the most decrepit. --iran which has been devastated. hand over here? good to see you again.

thank you for your comments. to go back to your point on technology, you have the reputation of being very creative with use of technology. i'm just wondering if you have been out to silicon valley to challenge them to do more. have they come up with good ways to deliver for example? i am very impressed with the amount of video footage in syria as compared with libya 10 years ago. helped deliver the needs? >> yes and no. . have been to davos we have also done work with partners in silicon valley and a shining example of what we have been able to do

is an information platform for refugees called signpost. it was developed with software engineers from one of the leading companies, refugees use it on arrival in greece. we have now expanded signpost to el salvador, and it is actually taken on a 24/7 human ability to ask questions. you could say i am on the run from a gang in el salvador, i need to find a safe house. we are able to answer. we would like to expand that to mexico and actually to the u.s. as well. on the side of safe reporting, i remain very concerned. i think those who are caught in the midst of the fighting are obviously in grave danger, but they are also in great danger if

they get stopped at aon the chet . there remains a lot of work to do to remain safe to upload secure information. i wanted to focus on one of your last points from your presentation which is, reconstruction aid being withheld but humanitarian aid is not. the reason i am asking this work at thei turkish border with syria. in 2017 was an implementing partner with the state department. buildingam was called the legitimacy of local councils was supporting the opposition councils to make sure at the time, and 2017, our presumption. test was the power would be got. it would be a vacuum.

don't leave a lack of governance for isis and other entities. we wanted to make sure the local councils had the ability to deliver services once assad was gone. that hasn't happened, so i am concerned because i have been out of the picture for over a year. do you think there should be a push to continue reconstruction aids along the lines of supporting local councils? it sounds like right now if that is being withheld, we are allowing their to be a vacuum in certain areas. >> i can't speak to the details of the program you are involved in. i know that in the northeast there have been more efforts to develop the kind of systems that you are speaking to. certainly our experience in isivering humanitarian aid, partnering with international players. it is actually a very healthy model. i can't speak to the details of what you are talking about.

i certainly think that any northeast of the country, the need to help organize civilian termsas well as military is evident. it would stand to reason that it would make sense in the northwest, but i cannot speak to the details of the program. >> we have time for one more question. in the front. >> thank you. i am a syrian american. you talked earlier about making the case for engagement in syria. syrian americans have in making that case for the last nine years, both morally and from a geopolitical standpoint. hearing your remarks, i know we have not been alone. i noted that you were following the democratic base, including last week when there was mention of islam on the stage. getting ingine of

the point about engagement in syria within a limited amount of time. my question is, perhaps there are parallels between the trends in the labour party and the democratic party here in the u.s.. in sort of the growing space and permissibility -- for this information within the left-wing movements, and particularly how progressive actors in the space who want to find the words and nomenclature for engagement in places like syria, but making some of the irresponsible -- responsible voices aren't getting airtime. in america when people say that's a great question, they don't know the answer. that is a great question. i think this information isn't confined to one side of the political spectrum. -- did think it was

good at the debate last week, frankly two 32nd articles -- answers were allowed were about what not to do or not an encouraging tens. we were then told we had to discuss the mottos of each candidate. i think there is no question that the failing and failings in iraq has cluttered a lot of the debate. you can say the syrian people are paying a price of the failure in iraq. i do think though that the contrast -- if i had 30 seconds i would have talked about the contrast between the northeast and the northwest. i think it is a teachable moment, and it is instructive. that american

presence or absence makes a difference, and mitigates the temptation for broadbrush answers that try to make this a very binary divide. equally, i suppose there are two other things i should have said. got a lesson to learn in the humanitarian movement, that the real voices that are persuasive are not mine, the voices that are persuasive are on the receiving end. the more that beneficiaries can be the spokespeople, these -- the stronger the case is made, the more able one is able to appeal to people's sense of humanity and interest. that therething is is a danger -- it ends up sounding like you're asking for the whole of the u.s. government to throw everything into syria. difference you can

make with a small amount of effort. you're not asking for the whole government to be turned over to a policy problem, we are actually able to make more difference -- and maybe that is an argument that needs to be made. the outside contribution that american word and deeds can have on this. i think your reflection on nine years of banging your head against the wall is sobering, that is why i think we have to find different ways, different spokespeople, everett arguments to make the case. i do think that america suffers when a war like that in syria takes the turn that it has. that is a sobering observation. i think you have given us some tools to think through the future of this idea, the age of impunity is an idea that we should be turning over as we think about how we get into the next phase. not only in this conflict, but

in resolving this conflict by dealing with the extraordinarily real and pressing humanitarian needs that you accurately describe. please thank me in thanking him. [applause] -- please join me in thanking him. [no audio] >> moore campaign 2020 coverage coming up here on c-span. it is super tuesday tomorrow, minnesota is one of those states. bernie sanders campaigning there tonight. we will go live in st. paul in just a bit and take you live here on c-span when the event gets underway. in the meantime we will show you

a democratic presidential candidate mike bloomberg today in washington at the aipac conference. [music playing] >> thank you. good morning. i can't hear you, good morning. i can't tell you how glad i am to be here at aipac. [applause] and i don't think i have ever talked to as big a clout -- crowd. thank you all for doing this. [applause] israel is a small but resilient and surrounded by adversaries. if you caught the last couple presidential debates, you kno