Samuel Helfont
Associate professor of strategy and policy in the Naval War College program at the Naval Postgraduate School, author and historian specializing in Iraq who wrote The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford UP, 2025).
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Dec 24, 2025 • 1h 2min
Samuel Helfont, "The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction" (Oxford UP, 2025)
Samuel Helfont, an associate professor and historian specializing in Iraq, dives into the complexities of the Iraq Wars in this discussion. He emphasizes the interconnectedness of the Gulf War, the 2003 invasion, and the rise of ISIS. Helfont reveals Saddam's multifaceted motives for invading Kuwait and critiques the US's messy handling of the conflicts. He argues that the Iraq Wars should be viewed as a continuous chain of events. Ultimately, he addresses whether the conflicts have truly ended and shares insights about his future research plans.
Dec 24, 2025 • 1h 2min
Samuel Helfont, "The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction" (Oxford UP, 2025)
Samuel Helfont, an Associate Professor at the Naval War College and an expert on Iraq, discusses the complexities of the Iraq wars over the past three decades. He highlights the interconnectedness of the Gulf War, the 2003 invasion, and the rise of ISIS, emphasizing the lack of U.S. planning post-Gulf War. Helfont critiques U.S. military strategies and the missteps during the occupation, which led to instability. He also explores the roots of ISIS and evaluates whether the Iraq wars have truly ended, while sharing insights from his new book, aimed at offering a concise understanding of these conflicts.
