Foreign Policy Update – USA Gov Policy

SLOVENIA

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo during his visit to Ljubljana was asked about the realignment of troops in Europe and if any would be headed to Slovenia. He said the military relationship with the US is “very powerful” and that Washington is committed to ensuring Europe is secure. It is not just about tanks, he added, but cyber threats, space, aircraft, counter terrorism, and other elements to create the right defensive posture.

CHINA

In response to Chinese aggression, the US this week declared China’s Confucius Institute US Center a foreign mission due to its propaganda activities. The change in designation means that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) funded organization will have to provide the US Government with more information on its activities, source of funding, and personnel.

The US-China relationship is not one of the US against China, according to Pompeo, but one of a conflict between freedom and tyranny. “The Chinese do not intend well for Western ideas. They have a different model, “ he noted. Things have become “more dangerous” and insecure for the West. “The Chinese are engaged in a global fundamental commercial espionage effort the likes of which the world has never seen, and it’s something the United States simply doesn’t do. We don’t do commercial espionage. We don’t come steal secrets for the purpose of making our companies more productive and more powerful,” he said.

CUBA

The State Department announced that Secretary Pompeo has requested that the Department of Transportation suspend private charter flights to all Cuban airports, including Havana. It said this action will suspend all charter flights between the United States and Cuba over which the Department of Transportation exercises jurisdiction, except for authorized public charter flights to and from Havana and other authorized private charter flights for emergency medical purposes, search and rescue, and other travel deemed in the interest of the United States.

The Trump Administration plans to continue to target and cut the revenue the Cuban government earns from landing fees, stays in regime-owned hotels, and other travel-related income because the Cuban military and intelligence services own and operate the great majority of hotels and tourism infrastructure in Cuba. This will deny economic resources to the Castro regime and inhibit its capacity to carry out abuses, according to Pompeo’s statement.

“Our message to the Castro regime has been clear: The United States will continue to stand up for the Cuban people and against the regime’s abuses and its interference in Venezuela to prop up Maduro’s illegitimate hold on power,” it said.

The Castro regime has not changed its repressive and undemocratic behavior and continues to imprison journalists and democracy activists, to oversee horrific physical abuse, to perpetuate the de facto dictatorship in Venezuela, to repress freedom of religion or belief, and to silence and intimidate those who speak truth about the reality in Cuba, according to the Department.

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ISRAEL / UAE

In an August 13, 2020 statement released by the Secretary of State, he called the normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE “an historic day and a significant step forward for peace in the Middle East.” He said that after vigorous diplomatic outreach, President Trump, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed, signed an agreement to “fully normalize relations.”

“This is a remarkable achievement for two of the world’s most forward leaning, technologically advanced states, and reflects their shared regional vision of an economically integrated region,” according to Pompeo. This may be a first step in ending 72 years of hostilities in the region.

TAIWAN

US HHS Secretary Alex Azar traveled to Taiwan to talk about the Covid-19 pandemic in the highest-level official visit since the US normalized relations with the PRC. The Chinese reacted as expected, falsely calling the visit a betrayal of a US promise not to deal with Taiwan.

Secretary Pompeo, when asked about last week’s visit said: “Secretary Azar is there for the singular purpose of working with the Taiwanese Government on something that’s important to everyone in the world – making sure we come to understand this Wuhan virus, to make sure we understand the threat, to make sure we know how Taiwan so successfully dealt with this issue in their own country. We want to share with them what we’ve learned, what we know too. We know an awful lot about this. That was the purpose of his visit.”

He added he was surprised China would feel so threatened by someone on a “noble humanitarian” trip with the purpose of reducing risk to citizens all across the world, including Chinese citizens. In a swipe at the communist giant, Pompeo quipped that he thinks it “tells you a lot about the weakness of the Chinese Communist Party and the fact that it could feel threatened from such a visit.”

DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government. Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.

Illustration: Pixabay

Quick Analysis

Election Day is Only the Beginning, Part 2

There is a stark contrast in foreign affairs between the Biden-Harris record of a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Putin invasion of Ukraine, China’s assault on the Philippine exclusive economic zone, and the widening Middle East catastrophe. The Trump White House archives provides a lengthy list of foreign policy results. “President Trump restored American sovereignty at home and American leadership abroad, partnering with strong and responsible nations to promote security, prosperity, and peace. Instead of sending American troops to fight in endless wars or giving cash to terrorists in countries like Iran, the United States under President Trump used bold, creative diplomacy to secure peace deals with our allies across the world. With the same “peace through strength” foreign policy that President Reagan once used to win the Cold War, President Trump rebuilt American deterrence power to hold our adversaries accountable. Perhaps most important, the Trump Administration reversed Washington’s decades-long, bipartisan refusal to confront China over its unfair trade practices, intellectual property theft, and more. Specifically, the Trump Administration: “Secured a $400 billion increase in defense spending from NATO allies by 2024, as the number of members meeting their minimum financial obligations more than doubled Credited by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for strengthening NATO Worked to reform and streamline the United Nations and reduced spending by $1.3 billion Allies, including Japan and the Republic of Korea, committed to increase burden-sharing Protected our Second Amendment rights by announcing that the United States will never ratify the UN Arms Trade Treaty Returned 56 hostages and detainees from more than 24 countries Worked to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific region, promoting new investments and expanding American partnerships Advanced peace through strength Withdrew from the one-sided Iran Nuclear Deal and imposed crippling sanctions on the Iranian regime Conducted vigorous enforcement on all sanctions to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero and deny the regime its principal source of revenue First president to meet with a leader of North Korea and the first sitting president to cross the demilitarized zone into North Korea Maintained a maximum pressure campaign and enforced tough sanctions on North Korea while negotiating denuclearization, the release of American hostages, and the return of the remains of American heroes Brokered economic normalization between Serbia and Kosovo, bolstering peace in the Balkans Signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act and ended the United States’ preferential treatment with Hong Kong to hold China accountable for its infringement on the autonomy of Hong Kong Led allied efforts to defeat the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to control the international telecommunications system Recognized Jerusalem as the true capital of Israel and quickly moved the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem Acknowledged Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and declared that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are not inconsistent with international law Removed the United States from the United Nations Human Rights Council due to the group’s blatant anti-Israel bias Brokered historic peace agreements between Israel and Arab-Muslim countries, including the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Sudan Brokered a deal for Kosovo to normalize ties and establish diplomatic relations with Israel Announced that Serbia would move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem First American president to address an assembly of leaders from more than 50 Muslim nations, reaching an agreement to fight terrorism in all its forms Established the Etidal Center to combat terrorism in the Middle East in conjunction with the Saudi Arabian government Announced the Vision for Peace Political Plan—a two-state solution that resolves the risks of Palestinian statehood to Israel’s security, marking the first time Israel has agreed to a map and a Palestinian state Released an economic plan to empower the Palestinian people and enhance Palestinian governance through historic private investment Reversed the previous administration’s Cuba policy, canceling the sellout deal with the Communist Castro dictatorship Pledged not to lift sanctions until all political prisoners are freed, freedoms of assembly and expression are respected, all political parties are legalized, and free elections are scheduled Enacted a new policy aimed at preventing American dollars from funding the Cuban regime, including stricter travel restrictions and restrictions on the importation of Cuban alcohol and tobacco Implemented a cap on remittances to Cuba Enabled Americans to file lawsuits against persons and entities that traffic in property confiscated by the Cuban regime First world leader to recognize Juan Guaido as the Interim President of Venezuela and led a diplomatic coalition against the Socialist Dictator of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Blocked all property of the Venezuelan government in the jurisdiction of the United States Cut off the financial resources of the Maduro regime and sanctioned key sectors of the Venezuelan economy exploited by the regime Brought criminal charges against Nicolas Maduro for his narco-terrorism Imposed stiff sanctions on the Ortega regime in Nicaragua Photo: Trump site