libya, iraq syria afghanistan somalia, yemen basically have fallen apart as states because theyna do not have a sense of national identity people are more loyal to their ethnic group, sect, region, tribe man to syria or iraq that results in catastrophic state failures, civil war the oupopulation pushed out. so that is the endpoint of national identity. in a democracy it doesn't mean you are culturally uniform and everybody agrees but they have to agree on basic institutions and the legitimacy and to accept failure through those institutions if they don't get their immediate goals that is the only way it can work i think american and national identity has been weakened over the years with the work of the left and the right. on the left identity politics in this country has perfectly legitimate roots with social injustice but there is an interpretation that says the essence of the american order is racism or the whole country was built on these foundations and there isn't much we can do about it but the other form of identity politics is rising on the right to drag us back to an i olde

in the middle east today you got holsters of countries, libya, iraq, syria, afghanistan, somalia, yemen that it basically fallen apart as states because they do not have a sense of national identity. in every single one of these countries people are more loyal to the ethnic group, their sex, the region, their tribe and they are to entity called, let's say syria or iraq and the result has been -- sacked -- state code, civil war. half of the population pushed out as refugees were killed. and so that's kind of the endpoint of a decline of national identity. in a democracy you also need national identity because i democracy does not mean that your cultural uniform. it doesn't mean everybody agrees but have to agree on certain basic things. they have to agree on certain basic institutions. they have to agree on the legitimacy of those institutions and they have to be willing to accept failure through those institutions they don't get their immediate goals. that's the only condition under which a democracy can work. i think american national identity has been weakened over the years and it's

undeniable that when we going to places like iraq, afghanistan, syria, somalia, there is going to be a never been -- a negative impact on countries in the region who are expected to deal with the refugee flow. the united states has facilitated military cooperation from bases to logistics, other support functions by accepting a share of the burden on those countries the first asylum. not only the countries themselves but also ensuring cooperation of partners on the ground, in the countries effective. finally, this is less tangible but the refugee admissions program serves to promote a positive image of the united states as a welcoming, multicultural society that is committed to the human rights, democracy and the rule of law and is a better alternative to living in society that are closed, authoritarian and run by extremists. that message that the united states has not only championed human rights and democracy rhetorically but it's willing to put resources on the table when needed, counters extremist narratives that the united states is unwelcoming. recent dramatic testimony have bee

and there are still pretty significant numbers from countries like somalia and yemen through libya, syria, iraq, afghanistan pakistan even into southeast asia. what is your sense of how much we one? -- we won. how would you describe al qaeda and how much they could research if they come back? >> it is in transition. let me just use iraq as a vignette . it is in transition . it is probably where, when we left in 2011. so you still have pockets. still have ungoverned space. i think we have seen a small uptick in the amount of attacks in baghdad in iraq. this becomes a constant pressure. we will have to continue to see a iraqi security force . is got to be with them there police force. this threat is not going away. it is morphing into transition into something such as insurgency. there is still present there. -- presents --. you have to keep pressure on this whether it is pressure on the rack or syria, the challenges in africa or look at the sheer size. what i would tell you to do if you think about the five nations in africa. grab a map and then lay it on the u.s. because it will stretch from coast to coast.