American diplomat discusses fight against ISIS, legacy of war in Iraq
February 18, 2025UNC Global Affairs
U.S. Ambassador (ret.) Stuart E. Jones reflected on his tenure as U.S. ambassador to Iraq (2014-2017) and previous assignments in Iraq at a Diplomatic Discussion on Thursday, Feb. 13. Photo by Huth Photo.
According to retired U.S. Ambassador Stuart E. Jones, the fight against ISIS in Iraq was a joint effort between diplomats and military strategists. He described close collaboration with his military counterparts to gain cooperation of Iraqi and Kurdish forces, counter extremist influence and navigate the region’s complex political and economic landscape.
At a Diplomatic Discussion on Thursday, Feb. 13, Jones reflected on his tenure as U.S. ambassador to Iraq (2014-2017) and previous assignments in Iraq. He provided a candid assessment of Iraq’s security challenges, from the U.S. invasion in 2003 — which happened before many students in the audience were born — to the rise and fall of ISIS.
“I’m still quite young, but the older I get, the more I see the need for nuance in the face of crisis,” Will Morton ’24, ’26 M.A. said. “[The U.S. invasion of Iraq] was an unimaginably complex situation. What do you wish the average American, especially my generation, was more aware of when it comes to the U.S.’s decisions and role in the Middle East?”
“None of us really understood what we were taking on with the invasion of Iraq,” Jones said. “It brought a lot of pain and unnecessary death. I thought it was not a good idea to invade Iraq, but once we invaded, I felt it was incumbent upon me to do the best I could to have the best possible outcome. Obviously, my success was quite limited.”
ISIS exploited the resulting power vacuum and destabilized the region, and it gained momentum due to the Syrian civil war, posing significant security challenges. During the event, Jones chronicled the terrorist group’s rapid rise across the Middle East.
“When I arrived in Iraq as the ambassador, ISIS was 35 kilometers from Baghdad. It was extremely dangerous,” he said. “Only a few years earlier, our ambassador in Benghazi was killed, so the White House was very concerned about our safety.”
In addition to the region’s volatility, Iraq was experiencing a severe economic crisis caused by the global recession and depressed oil prices. The country was facing relentless insurgent attacks that threatened its sovereignty and strained its military and political institutions. Jones described the crisis from his perspective and shared how the U.S. supported the Iraqi government and suppressed ISIS.
Notably, throughout his career, Jones held several posts in Iraq before serving as ambassador, including deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, governorate coordinator in the Al Anbar Province, and country director for Iraq at the National Security Council. His years of experience culminated in two ambassadorships: Jordan (2011-2014) and Iraq.
UNC Global Affairs organized the event with the American Academy of Diplomacy (AAD), and was the second part of a collaboration to invite speakers from the AAD podcast, “The General and the Ambassador,” to visit Carolina. Jones recorded a two-part episode with General Sean MacFarland during an event at Duke University in 2019.
While in Chapel Hill, Jones spoke with students in two classes: “Conflict in Iraq’s Modern History” and “Company Grade Leadership.” Noor Ghazi, lecturer in the Curriculum for Peace, War and Defense, hosted Jones for an in-depth conversation with students on the liberation of Mosul from ISIS. Ghazi, who was born in Iraq, traveled to Mosul in 2018 and produced Mosul: Mother of Two Springs, a documentary film which documented life in Mosul under ISIS. Ghazi has embraced COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) in the class to connect Tar Heels with students at the University of Mosul to understand different perspectives on recent events in the region.
“Ambassador Jones’ perspective provided a unique angle on Iraq’s story, helping my students understand the significant challenges Iraq faced and the importance of considering multiple perspectives when learning about those challenges,” she said.
Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Klekowski, chair of the UNC Department of Military Science, hosted Jones for a discussion with fourth-year cadets during their final-semester leadership course. Jones emphasized the importance of civilian-military relations to successful foreign policy and shared his firsthand experience working in Iraq with General Sean McFarland — with whom he recorded the podcast — amid the threat of terrorism.
Jones joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1987, in which his grandfather and, later, his wife also served. In addition to his posts in Iraq and Jordan, he served as principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs (2017), deputy chief of mission in Cairo, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, and special assistant to the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He also served in Colombia, El Salvador and Turkey. Jones retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2017 and worked for Bechtel Corporation. In January, Jones became president and CEO of the Middle East Institute.
At the end of the Diplomatic Discussion, Barbara Stephenson, Carolina’s vice provost for global affairs and chief global officer, reflected on the evolution of the Diplomacy Initiative. Stephenson celebrated the launch of the recent Carolina Diplomacy Fellows program, which offers Carolina students a platform to develop key skills necessary for careers in diplomacy in community with other Tar Heels.
UNC Global Affairs’ next Diplomatic Discussion is on Thursday, Feb. 20, with environmental reporter Peter Schwartzstein, who will discuss his new book, The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence. Anyone may register to attend on our website.
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