Foreign Policy Update – USA Gov Policy

MEXICO

In his first foreign trip since assuming office Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the American Embassy in Mexico virtually this week. According to the Secretary, the Consulate General in Monterrey, Mexico managed to “process more than a quarter million H-2 visas last year… Mission Mexico adjudicated more than 40 percent of all non-immigrant visas worldwide.” While the Biden Administration says that the US-Mexican border is closed to illegal immigration, it has not taken steps to continue securing it. Recently, President Biden ordered workers to stop construction of the wall protecting the southern border.

IMMIGRATION

President Biden is allowing in more immigrants. This week he rescinded presidential proclamation 10014, entitled Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risks to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak. The President also suspended the sections of presidential proclamation 10052 and 10131 which continued presidential proclamation 10014 past its original expiration. These proclamations restricted the issuance of certain immigrant visas, according to the State Department Spokesperson.

SAUDI ARABIA

A report declassified by the Biden Administration and released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on Friday, February 26, says Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of U.S.-based journalist and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

“We base this assessment on the Crown Prince’s control of decision making in the Kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Muhammad bin Salman’s protective detail in the operation, and the Crown Prince’s support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi,” the report said.

CHINA

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The Chinese government may have more avenues to influence US foreign policy than previously recognized. It appears William Burns, the nominee for CIA Director, may have lied about his China connections on Wednesday while testifying before Congress. The think tank he leads, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), is linked to a front group for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). CEIP received a quarter to half million dollars between 2015 and 2017 from the China-US Exchange Foundation (CUSEF). Burns claims he cut ties to that company “not long after” he took over CEIP. However, the record indicates that more than 14 months after that the Chinese founder of CUSEF delivered a pro-Beijing speech at the think tank concerning China’s control over the South China Sea. All Burns was willing to admit in testimony was that CUSEF was used by the CCP to “sway public opinion” and build influence” to benefit CCP interests.

IRAN

It appears the State Department believes the IAEA and Iran when it comes to compliance issues surrounding the Iranian nuclear weapons program. “We fully support IAEA Director General Grossi’s efforts to ensure full implementation of IAEA verification in Iran and we have full faith and confidence in the IAEA,” according to a State Department Spokesperson. When asked about past compliance issues by a reporter and previous Iranian violations concerning heavy water and storage issues the State Department Spokesperson disagreed with the reporter and said Iran through May 2018 was in “complete compliance.”

UNITED NATIONS

The Biden Administration announced this week the US intends to seek election to a seat on the UN Human Rights Council starting in January 2022. “The United States has long been a champion of human rights. If elected to the Human Rights Council, we will use the opportunity to be a leading voice within the Council for promoting respect for human rights,” said the State Department Spokesperson. Previously, the Trump Administration questioned its value as members of the UNHRC included countries that regularly violated basic human rights of their own citizens, including China, Venezuela, Cuba, Russia, and Egypt.

Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Department during the Reagan Administration.

Illustration: Pixabay

Quick Analysis

Russia Expanding Aggression

President Putin is using more than one pathway to enter Europe and undermine the West. While most of the world watches the conflict he initiated in Ukraine, the Russian government is actively pursuing a second front in a little noticed campaign in Cyprus. Although the corrupt Cypriot government ended its issuance of “golden passports” in 2020, Russian intelligence is functioning quietly there to transform this EU country into a Russian beachhead of illicit economic activity aimed at penetrating the capitalist West, according to Paul Goble of the Jamestown Foundation. Cyprus is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nor does it receive as much attention as those countries who are member states. That adds to its allure as a prime location for Russia to attempt to gain a European foothold. Last week a NATO report, cited in the European Daily Monitor, noted that Russian intelligence agents have been plotting to destroy European infrastructure across the continent to disrupt states supporting Ukraine. It further suggests that Putin’s immediate goal is to lay the framework for a future move against the security organization’s members. Hungary, in particular, is another country garnering Moscow’s attention as it opposes the Western response to Russian aggression. Russia is focusing its intelligence efforts on other European, non-NATO member countries in addition to Cyprus, including Austria, Malta, and Ireland. The NATO report suggests that Moscow has had success in disseminating the Russian political narrative in these states to advance its campaign against the West. The island of Cyprus is proving to be a good target for Moscow as it is an ethnically divided island that is part of the EU since 2004. Northern Cyprus, officially called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that is only recognized by Turkey. The division precludes it from joining NATO. As Goble suggests, “it offers Russia troubled waters in which to fish.” Over the last 20 years, he points out, Cyprus’ challenges have opened it to a massive influx of Russian citizens, who now comprise approximately 10 percent of the island state’s population. Over 2,900 residents are Russians who entered until the “golden passport” program that allowed wealthy or well-connected Russians to move to Cyprus. It also provided them with documentation to travel freely throughout Europe! Although less visible on the world’s radar than the war in Ukraine, Moscow is also being helped by Cyprus’ banks opposition to seizing Russian assets and its support in evading Western sanctions. Russia has placed tens of billions of US Dollars there for money laundering. It has been more than two years since a single Russian “diplomat” has been deported and, in fact, the Embassy has grown to over 300 staffers on this tiny island state of only 1.2 million people. The Russian embassy in Nicosia has advanced communications antennae on its roof and opened a consulate on the northern end of the island. Moscow’s Ambassador, Mura Zyazikov, is a lieutenant general in the FSB with no diplomatic experience. The FSB, SVR (Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service), and GRU are actively using the island as a base of operations against NATO Member states, Israel, and other Western allies. Moscow backs pro-Russian political parties who in turn influence Cypriot decisions on education, language, and other issues. “Dmitry Khmelnitsky of the Dossier Center says that its findings should be of concern not only to Cyprus but to the West as a whole. Those who ignore what Moscow is doing because Cyprus does not follow the EU sanctions regime are missing something critical,” says Goble. “Cyprus does not seek to get rid of Russian agents and does not interfere with their work,” Khmelnitsky concludes, “despite the fact that what the Kremlin is doing is so clearly visible.” This has an impact not only on the small island but on the EU, NATO, and the West in general. Earlier this year the Moscow Times reported that when the FBI became more interested in Russian business and oligarchs in Cyprus, at least 10 of the major Russian businesses operating there left. Despite the government of Cyprus’ vow to implement plans for new sanctions against Russia, it continues to ignore Putin’s atrocities in Ukraine and to shield the wealth of the 50,000 wealthy Russian citizens and oligarchs residing there. Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept. Illustration: Pixabay