security. this is unlikely to warm any of our relations with russia. and this is something that vladimir putin might have a broader strategy regarding. it is the opportunity of the us to push back against the broader aggressive strategy that russia is putting forward? i think we have a multipronged strategy with russia. we saw a week ago or so when the president had a very friendly conversation over the phone with president putin. there was some cooperation on counterterrorism. i think there is a little bit of albeit constrained, opportunities for us to work together with the russians encounter narcotics and counterterrorism while at the same time serving our own national security interest. in this case in the ukraine. it could also be opportunity on arms-control discussions. maybe something limited unlikely as well. it is a complex relationship. i think we have to understand the nuance and those who made too much of the presidents
and that s why we need to have the multipronged strategy, including our muslim allies. because at the end of the day, it s going to be muslim soldiers in iraq and in syria that are going to ultimately defeat isis it won t be the united states alone. mike mcfaul, wendy sherman, thank you so much. we have to leave it there. happy holidays, happy new year to you both. coming up next, spike lee on his controversial movie chi-raq and the conversation he wants his film to inspire. i want people to think
did the president hurt his leverage overseas? especially in the persian gulf with arab leaders by note using force against assad back in 2013? i think what we have to look back to 2013 is to see that, in fact, what the president did working with secretary kerry and i was part of that effort as well was to get chemical weapons out of syria, which was very critical. because if we had this situation now where assad had chemical weapons, we would have an even more dire circumstance. but i think the point today, andrea, is that we have to be as secretary clinton has said about resolve, not about fear. that s what america is about. and the president and, quite frankly, the democratic candidates, have talked about a multipronged strategy, not just slogans. slogans are not a strategy but it s multipronged strategy that not only defeats isil but stops recretement, stops financing of isil, make sure we take care of this not only for the immediate but the long term as well. america matters
and that s why we need to have the multipronged strategy, including our muslim allies. because at the end of the day, it s going to be muslim soldiers in iraq and in syria that are going to ultimately defeat isis it won t be the united states lone. mike mcfaul, wendy sherman, thank you so much. we have to leave it there. happy holidays, happy new year to you both. coming up next, spike lee on his controversial movie chi-raq and the conversation he wants his film to inspire. i want people to think
did the president hurt his leverage overseas? especially in the persian gulf with arab leaders by note using force against assad back in 2013? i think what we have to look back to 2013 is to see that, in fact, what the president did working with secretary kerry and i was part of that effort as well was to get chemical weapons out of syria, which was very critical. because if we had this situation now where assad had chemical weapons, we would have an even more dire circumstance. but i think the point today, andrea, is that we have to be as secretary clinton has said about resolve, not about fear. that s what america is about. and the president and, quite frankly, the democratic candidates, have talked about a multipronged strategy, not just slogans. slogans are not a strategy but it s multipronged strategy that not only defeats isil but stops recretement, stops financing of isil, make sure we take care of this not only for the immediate but the long term as well. america matters