Counterterrorism

The "surge" of US troops to try to smother the violence was a success because it created the environment that allowed the Americans to leave. It didn't solve any of the underlying problems in the country.

The cabinet also called on all political, civil and community groups to support current security efforts to establish stability and security and confront crime across the country.

Maliki blamed the resurgence of al-Qaeda in Iraq on the Arab Spring revolutions that toppled longstanding dictatorships, but, he said, “were not able to fill the void in the right way.”

U.S. Special Forces haven't found Joseph Kony. Several African governments have searched in vain for the notorious Ugandan warlord. And a social media campaign among young Americans, which last year focused attention on Kony's atrocities and went viral, has waned.