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11-15-2016, 07:51 AM
Rudy Giuliani Says Defeating ISIS to Be Early Focus of Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy
WASHINGTON—Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Monday that President-elect Donald Trump would likely focus much of his initial foreign-policy strategy on destroying Islamic State, setting aside more vexing problems in the Middle East and elsewhere.
The comments came shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Giuliani is one of the leading candidates to become Mr. Trump’s first secretary of state.
During an appearance Monday evening at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council gathering, Mr. Giuliani suggested several times that he would be interested in the post, going into great detail about how he views foreign policy and how his views overlap with Mr. Trump’s.
“ISIS, short-term I believe, is the greatest danger and not because ISIS is in Iraq and in Syria, but because ISIS did something al Qaeda never did—ISIS was able to spread itself around the world,” he said.
Mr. Giuliani didn’t say, however, what specifically the Trump administration would do to combat Islamic State, also called ISIS or ISIL. Mr. Trump has repeatedly said he wants to keep this strategy secret so that the terror network can’t prepare for it.
Mr. Giuliani also said that the Trump administration would work to reset relations with both Russia and China. He said the Obama administration had made Russia into an adversary and said Russian President Vladimir Putin didn't respect President Barack Obama. Messrs. Trump and Putin spoke on the telephone on Monday and pledged to work together on a number of issues.
The Obama administration does have a complicated relationship with Mr. Putin, and they have been at odds for several years over the Syrian civil war. The White House tried to reset relations with Russia several years ago, but Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its support for rebels in Eastern Ukraine has pushed the U.S. and Russia further apart.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly said he wants to work more cooperatively with Mr. Putin, but Mr. Giuliani gave a slightly more confrontational view of how that relationship could develop.
“Russia thinks it’s a military competitor, it really isn’t,” Mr. Giuliani said. “It’s our unwillingness under Obama to even threaten the use of our military that makes Russia so powerful.”
On China, Mr. Giuliani said the Trump administration would prefer to engage with that country on economic issues such as trade. Mr. Trump plans to label China a “currency manipulator” shortly after taking office, a move that will likely escalate tensions between both countries, economic analysts have speculated.
In the Middle East, Mr. Giuliani painted a picture of a collection of countries that are at odds with each other and on the brink of spilling into a broader regional war. He said that Iran had exerted its control over Iraq and Syria, though he didn’t offer specifics on how Mr. Trump would work to address ongoing problems in the region.
On Iraq, Mr. Trump has said the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 was one of the greatest foreign policy mistakes in U.S. history, but Mr. Giuliani had a different take.
“I think the way we exited Iraq was the worst decision made in American history,” he said, saying it allowed Islamic State to flourish in the vacuum that was created. This is a common criticism from Republicans of the White House’s foreign policy.
Mr. Giuliani is well known for his tenure as New York mayor, his work as a federal prosecutor and issues like counterterrorism and homeland security. He is less well-known for his foreign-policy views.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/rudy-giuliani-says-defeating-isis-to-be-early-focus-of-donald-trumps-foreign-policy-1479174875
WASHINGTON—Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Monday that President-elect Donald Trump would likely focus much of his initial foreign-policy strategy on destroying Islamic State, setting aside more vexing problems in the Middle East and elsewhere.
The comments came shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Giuliani is one of the leading candidates to become Mr. Trump’s first secretary of state.
During an appearance Monday evening at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council gathering, Mr. Giuliani suggested several times that he would be interested in the post, going into great detail about how he views foreign policy and how his views overlap with Mr. Trump’s.
“ISIS, short-term I believe, is the greatest danger and not because ISIS is in Iraq and in Syria, but because ISIS did something al Qaeda never did—ISIS was able to spread itself around the world,” he said.
Mr. Giuliani didn’t say, however, what specifically the Trump administration would do to combat Islamic State, also called ISIS or ISIL. Mr. Trump has repeatedly said he wants to keep this strategy secret so that the terror network can’t prepare for it.
Mr. Giuliani also said that the Trump administration would work to reset relations with both Russia and China. He said the Obama administration had made Russia into an adversary and said Russian President Vladimir Putin didn't respect President Barack Obama. Messrs. Trump and Putin spoke on the telephone on Monday and pledged to work together on a number of issues.
The Obama administration does have a complicated relationship with Mr. Putin, and they have been at odds for several years over the Syrian civil war. The White House tried to reset relations with Russia several years ago, but Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its support for rebels in Eastern Ukraine has pushed the U.S. and Russia further apart.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly said he wants to work more cooperatively with Mr. Putin, but Mr. Giuliani gave a slightly more confrontational view of how that relationship could develop.
“Russia thinks it’s a military competitor, it really isn’t,” Mr. Giuliani said. “It’s our unwillingness under Obama to even threaten the use of our military that makes Russia so powerful.”
On China, Mr. Giuliani said the Trump administration would prefer to engage with that country on economic issues such as trade. Mr. Trump plans to label China a “currency manipulator” shortly after taking office, a move that will likely escalate tensions between both countries, economic analysts have speculated.
In the Middle East, Mr. Giuliani painted a picture of a collection of countries that are at odds with each other and on the brink of spilling into a broader regional war. He said that Iran had exerted its control over Iraq and Syria, though he didn’t offer specifics on how Mr. Trump would work to address ongoing problems in the region.
On Iraq, Mr. Trump has said the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 was one of the greatest foreign policy mistakes in U.S. history, but Mr. Giuliani had a different take.
“I think the way we exited Iraq was the worst decision made in American history,” he said, saying it allowed Islamic State to flourish in the vacuum that was created. This is a common criticism from Republicans of the White House’s foreign policy.
Mr. Giuliani is well known for his tenure as New York mayor, his work as a federal prosecutor and issues like counterterrorism and homeland security. He is less well-known for his foreign-policy views.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/rudy-giuliani-says-defeating-isis-to-be-early-focus-of-donald-trumps-foreign-policy-1479174875