As President Trump begins to lay out his policies for the Middle East, he will find a region in chaos -- and impossible choices ahead. But in an exclusive interview with Fox News, the former vice president of Iraq, Ayad Allawi, said he looks forward optimistically to the president's policies, as he looks back sadly at former President Barack Obama’s errors. At a time when Iraq couldn’t stand on its own, Obama left -- leaving a vacuum for Iran to fill. It’s destabilizing Iraq, it’s destabilizing Syria – it’s destabilizing other areas.”This Iranian influence, he said, could be traced firmly back to Obama. But Allawi believes Russian President Vladimir Putin can and should be worked with to defeat ISIS.

Source: Fox News March 05, 2017 20:48 UTC