WATCH: Susan Rice and David Ignatius discuss counterterrorism, Obama’s legacy

President Obama's national security adviser Susan Rice described the United States' state of war with the Islamic State Thursday in a wide-ranging conversation with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. As part of a live event series by The Post called Securing Tomorrow, Rice said she couldn't say with confidence that the ISIS capitals of Raqqa and Mosul would be captured by the end of the president's term. (Video: Washington Post Live, Photo: April Greer/Washington Post Live)

The next commander in chief will have to shape America’s role in a complicated world marked by wars and terrorism, polarized by ideological beliefs and divided by seismic shifts in geopolitics.

The U.S. is struggling to contain a growing Islamic State. Syria’s humanitarian crisis and civil war has deepened and become more complicated. China’s economy is contracting and new dangers and threats are posed by Russia each day. Rogue players have access to the Internet and how the U.S. keeps pace in a rapidly changing world will take epoch-making consideration.

In a year voters are anxious and angry, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius will interview newsmakers in national security, intelligence and defense in live onstage conversations to better understand what’s at stake for the world in 2016 and beyond.

Ignatius’s second conversation in the series was on June 9 with Susan Rice, the president’s national security adviser.

Rice, who previously served as President Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations and on the National Security Council during the Clinton Administration, has called for a more agile policymaking process in creating foreign policy.

She and Ignatius examined the fundamentals of U.S. foreign policy strategy, including the White House’s approach to counterterrorism, Russia, China, ISIS, and President’s Obama’s legacy.

President Obama's national security adviser Susan Rice offered a forward-leaning statement about Ukraine Thursday in a wide-ranging conversation with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. (Video: Washington Post Live, Photo: April Greer/Washington Post Live)

President Obama's national security adviser Susan Rice discussed ISIS, counterterrorism, Russia, China and Obama’s legacy with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius Thursday, as part of live event series by The Post called Securing Tomorrow. (Video: Washington Post Live, Photo: April Greer/Washington Post Live)