Human Intelligence and the Iraqi Fight Against the Islamic State

Join Margaret Coker, the former New York Times Bureau Chief, as she discusses her new book The Spymaster of Baghdad, which tells the dramatic yet intimate account of how a covert Iraqi intelligence unit called "the Falcons" came together against all odds to defeat ISIS. The Falcons, comprised of ordinary men with little conventional espionage background, infiltrated the world's most powerful terrorist organization, ultimately turning the tide of war against the terrorist group and bringing safety to millions of Iraqis and the broader world. Ultimately, The Spymaster of Baghdad is a page-turning account of wartime espionage in which ordinary people make extraordinary sacrifices for the greater good. Challenging our perceptions of terrorism and counterterrorism, war and peace, Iraq and the wider Middle East, American involvement in Iraq, The Spymaster of Baghdad is a testament to the power of personal choice and individual action to change the course of history.

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Speaker

Margaret Coker

Editor-in-Chief at The Current and Investigative Journalist