Dr. Henry Kissinger, the former secretary of state of both Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, compared President Donald Trump’s diplomatic achievements in the Middle East to Nixon’s opening of China in 1972. He also warned that the US’s harsh Trump policy on Iran must continue.
‘I think one of the great successes of the previous government was that they set up, what they had achieved, two things in the Middle East. One, to separate the Palestinian problem from all the other problems so that it was not the case, becomes a veto on all other things – and second, to set up the Sunni states in a real or potential combination against the Shiite states, which is Iran, ‘he said.
Kissinger, who spoke at the beginning of a series of talks on foreign affairs – the Nixon Seminars – sponsored by the Nixon Foundation, called the Trump administration’s Abraham Accords a breakthrough in Arab-Israeli relations. The agreements established diplomatic ties between several Gulf states and Israel, as well as Morocco and Sudan, which opened economic, social and cultural ties between the Arab world and the Jewish state. The connections also strengthen the defense of the Gulf states and Israel against Iran.
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“It was a brilliant concept. We were just at the beginning of it. It was like the beginning of the opening of China. Its evolution has just begun,” he said.
Among the seminar participants were former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, and other Trump administration officials. Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, also participated.
Pompeo compares President Trump’s approach to international affairs to President Nixon’s as someone willing to consider unorthodox approaches to foreign policy.
“It was a president who dealt with foreign policy issues in a unique way,” he said of Trump. “I wanted to make sure that the senior people, at least that I brought to the team, understand the environment in which we are going to work and how we are going to deliver President Trump’s foreign policy effectively. that Washington is occupied by many people and very big egos, there were people who were willing to make sure they worked as part of the team that President Trump wanted to deliver on the foreign policy he presented to the American people. ‘
Kissinger said the progress Trump is making with Israel and the Gulf states should not be diluted by the US reaching out to Iran with premature talks. He indirectly warned the Biden government about this possibility, saying the US should not make concessions to Tehran.
“We must not give up the pressure on Iran until we know where they are going,” he warned. “If we break the Iran issue from the overall Middle East issue, we run the risk of losing the two achievements, namely separating the Palestinian issue, which removes it as a veto over all the others, and the Sunni cooperation with Israel, which is unique in its openness. ‘
“Remember, you have to make peace with American diplomacy,” he warns. “That was our guideline then.”
He also advised US administrations never to betray an ally.
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“When we talk about Nixon, we’ve developed a principle, an absolutely important principle was that we would never sell out to people who relied on America to defend their freedom. We will not sell them out at the last minute. ”
He also said that Nixon’s legacy is its lasting impact in the foreign affairs arena.
‘In time, it will be fully understood, the extent to which he has introduced a principle of geopolitical foreign policy into the activities of our government. And that will be his great contribution, in addition to what he has done for the various specific issues he has addressed. ”
The Nixon Seminars are held on the first Tuesday of each month and are available at: Nixonseminar.com, as part of the Richard M. Nixon Foundation Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California, at Nixonfoundation.org.
Ben Evansky contributed to this report