President Donald Trump meets with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and highlights the message that the ongoing goal of Israeli-Palestinian peace remains vital to regional stability.
. CTH readers are entirely clear-eyed as to the scope of the challenge. No-one amid our association is naive to the seemingly impossible scale against the backdrop of history. It may be that their task is impossible. Yet, if they do not try then how will we know it can’t be done? And if they do not try, it most certainly won’t be done…
There is absolutely no doubt of the work that has been going on for months, quietly, mostly under the radar. National media are completely deficient for not covering the ongoing events and the diplomacy that has been taking place all year. (more…)
King Abdullah II of Jordan meets with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. King Abdullah is a strategic and ideological ally in the ongoing mid-east campaign against extremism, and a central figure in Trump’s peace coalition.
Prior to the election of President Trump it was Egypt (Abdel Fattah al-Sisi) and Jordan (King Abdullah II) who assembled the regional partners (GCC) and pushed back against the political extremism of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is a key and central figure in the successful execution of the MAGA Trump Doctrine. Secretary T-Rex appears on Fox News to review the content of President Trump’s speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
[TRANSCRIPT] QUESTION: Live at the White House for a special report tonight. The focus of the Trump administration this week: international relations. The President addressing the United Nations General Assembly, as we’ve been talking about this morning, making a case for his “America first” policy and against what he called the evil regimes of North Korea and Iran, also mentioning Venezuela.
Let’s talk now with the country’s top diplomat. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson joins us from New York. Mr. Secretary, thanks for being here.
SECRETARY TILLERSON: My pleasure, Bret. (more…)
[…] The United States of America has been among the greatest forces for good in the history of the world, and the greatest defenders of sovereignty, security, and prosperity for all.
Now we are calling for a great reawakening of nations, for the revival of their spirits, their pride, their people, and their patriotism. ~ U.S. President Donald J Trump
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, world leaders, and distinguished delegates: Welcome to New York. It is a profound honor to stand here in my home city, as a representative of the American people, to address the people of the world.
As millions of our citizens continue to suffer the effects of the devastating hurricanes that have struck our country, I want to begin by expressing my appreciation to every leader in this room who has offered assistance and aid. The American people are strong and resilient, and they will emerge from these hardships more determined than ever before.
Fortunately, the United States has done very well since Election Day last November 8th. The stock market is at an all-time high — a record. Unemployment is at its lowest level in 16 years, and because of our regulatory and other reforms, we have more people working in the United States today than ever before. Companies are moving back, creating job growth the likes of which our country has not seen in a very long time. And it has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense. (more…)
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly today in New York.
In a brief joint press availability President Trump stated an optimistic outlook, “an absolute go”, toward the potential for a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.
CTH readers will note the ongoing quiet diplomacy that has been a foundational block of the Trump administration from day-one. In an under-reported recent development Hamas has agreed to hand Gaza to a unity government of the Palestinian Authority.
Those who follow the mid-east closely will note the need for Hamas and the P.A. to align in singular voice was a precondition to the stabilization efforts of Egypt when President Fattah al-Sisi negotiated cease-fire terms in 2014. President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry were cut-out from the conversation that eventually led to that cease-fire. (more…)
The second suspect arrested in the London ‘bucket bomb’ attempt highlights the reality of the multi-year concern about unvetted refugees and the potential for importing terrorism. Yahya Faroukh, 21, is a Syrian national who sought asylum in the U.K. from the civil war. Unfortunately, it appears he carried the civil war of jihad with him. (Via Daily Mail) A Syrian refugee who was taken into the loving care of British foster parents has emerged as one of the two suspects arrested in the wake of the Parsons Green bombing.
Yahya Faroukh, 21, was showered with love by Penelope and Ronald Jones at their property in Surrey.
On Sunday police searched the building along with an address at Heathrow that Faroukh moved to a few months ago, after he was arrested in Hounslow, west London.
He had been placed with the Joneses, who looked after children from war zones, after reaching Britain in 2013. (more…)
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appears on Fox News Sunday with guardian and gate-keeper of the swamp Chris Wallace.
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[Transcript] QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, welcome back to Fox News Sunday. SECRETARY TILLERSON: Pleased to be here, Chris. QUESTION: Before we get to foreign affairs, I want to ask you as a native son of Texas and as the former chairman of and CEO of ExxonMobil your thoughts about Hurricane Harvey and especially the impact it’s having in the oil and gas sector there on the Gulf coast. (more…)
United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, recently visited the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) to review the ongoing JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) as they continue to monitor Iran’s nuclear program.
Ambassador Haley outlined a summary of the IAEA meeting and fielded additional questions about North Korea and Venezuela. She will be traveling to Washington DC on Monday to brief President Trump and Secretary Tillerson.
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As you might note from her remarks (see below), Ambassador Haley is keenly aware of the uniqueness, and effectiveness, of President Trump’s economic approach toward regional national security issues – specifically as it pertains to the recently announced Venezuela sanctions. Strong concise statements. Strong, short, effective and deliberate answers. (more…)
A very familiar pattern is emerging as President Trump turns his attention toward solving the ongoing issues within Afghanistan. A very uniquely Trumpian geopolitical strategy based on assigned ownership, economics and self-interest.
Last night as President Trump addressed the nation to discuss the ongoing conflict within Afghanistan he took the first step: Trump assigned strategic ownership to Pakistan:
[…] “The next pillar of our new strategy is to change the approach in how to deal with Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond.
“Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists. In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies.
UPDATE: After popular request, I finally received a copy of “the map” McGurk is using and added it to the transcript to make it easier. /SD
Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Brett McGurk follows up on the “around the globe” update speech delivered by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. With this update McGurk explains the current status of the D-ISIS campaign in Syria and Iraq. (additional emphasis regionally) WATCH:
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[Transcript] MS NAUERT: Good to see you back. I know, it’s Friday late in the day, summertime. So you all get good camper awards for coming in today. Thank you so much for being here on this Friday. We have our Special Presidential Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, Brett McGurk, who’s here with us. I know you heard from Brett just a couple weeks ago at the end of the ISIS – D-ISIS coalition meeting here in Washington. And so Brett wanted to come in today to provide you all with an update as to where things stand in the campaign.
So without further ado, Brett’s here with that. MR MCGURK: Thank you. Okay, thanks everybody for coming. I thought what I’d do today – you heard from the Secretary for a kind of trip around the world six months in here since he arrived about everything going on in the world and the activity here at the State Department. And what I thought I’d do is drill in a little bit more on what he discussed about the very important – one of our key priorities here at the department, about the campaign against ISIS. (more…)
CTH readers are entirely clear-eyed as to the scope of the challenge. No-one amid our association is naive to the seemingly impossible scale against the backdrop of history. It may be that their task is impossible. Yet, if they do not try then how will we know it can’t be done? And if they do not try, it most certainly won’t be done…
