Foreign Policy Update – USA Gov Policy

VENEZUELA

At a recent press conference in Dallas, Secretary Mike Pompeo addressed questions about the dire humanitarian situation in Venezuela. He talked about how during his recent trip to Columbia he witnessed the human suffering taking place. “…thousands of people crossing from Venezuela. Now it’s a million-five in Colombia and three quarters of a million in Peru. These people are suffering tremendously. They – literally, they’re coming across the border to try and work a job, make a couple of dollars, buy some diapers and some food for their baby so that they can eat every other day, every other day. This is the Maduro regime’s legacy and it needs to end.” Large numbers of Venezuelans are leaving the country to escape violence, malnutrition, and other harsh economic conditions in the failing state.

The list of abuses by the Maduro government is long and egregious, according to the State Department. In 2017 Maduro created the Special Action Force of the National Police (FAES) which has carried out illegal raids and extrajudicial killings. This 1,300 member force is accused of killing 100 people in the last 6 months of 2018. Maduro also uses the National Guard and civil militias to crackdown on protesters. So far in 2019 they have detained over 1,255 people, are holding over 860 prisoners of conscience, including 95 members of the military and running numerous clandestine detention centers. The United States has pledged humanitarian aid to Venezuela but the Maduro regime is refusing to allow it into the country. Over 208 metric tons of relief supplies remain sitting on the country’s border.

NORTHERN TRIANGLE COUNTRIES

“Hundreds of millions of dollars have been provided to the Northern Triangle countries, and we have an enormous migration problem, people fleeing El Salvador, people fleeing Honduras, people fleeing Guatemala,” according to Secretary Pompeo. He added that “What we’re trying to do is get those governments to take this seriously, to assist their people of their countries so they won’t have to make this long, dangerous trek across Mexico. Pompeo said the goal is to have the people of the Northern Triangle countries remain in their home states, to have food and water, and be able to make their own decisions about how they desire to be governed.

NORTH KOREA

In recent remarks to the media, Secretary Pompeo responded to questions about North Korea and the ongoing negotiations. He pointed out that he personally has received a half dozen assurance from North Korean Kim and that he is “convinced we still have a real opportunity to achieve that outcome, and our diplomatic team will continue to remain in the lead.”

RUSSIA

With the recent release of the Mueller investigation papers Secretary Pompeo pointed out that “Russia interferes in a number of places. I’ve talked about it most recently in Venezuela, but the – they’re impacting Ukraine. The work that they’ve done to interfere with elections around the world, not only ours in 2016 but others, is serious, and there are real interferences. I don’t think there’s been a discussion between a senior U.S. official and Russians in this administration where we have not raised this issue about our concern about Russia’s interference in our elections.”

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Pompeo added that he will talk about the steadfast requirement that Russia not engage in activity that impacts the capacity of our democracy to be successful in the future. E said their interference “on our election creates risk there, and we will make very clear to them this is unacceptable behavior.”

SUDAN

The State Department announced this week that the United States supports a transition to a peaceful and democratic Sudan led by civilians who represent the diversity of Sudanese society. It said that “The will of the Sudanese people is clear: it is time to move toward a transitional government that is inclusive and respectful of human rights and the rule of law.”

Sudan’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism remains in effect, and Phase II discussions are suspended. Washington will continue to calibrate our policies based on our assessment of events on the ground and the actions of transitional authorities, according to the State Department.

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

Part 3: AMERICA’S STRATEGIC POSTURE

We conclude our summary of the urgent recommendation of the Congressional Committee on the nation’s Strategic Posture NON-NUCLEAR CAPABILITIES The Commission recommends: The United States urgently deploy a more resilient space architecture and adopt a strategy that includes both offensive and defensive elements to ensure U.S. access to and operations in space. The United States and its Allies take steps to ensure they are at the cutting edge of emerging technologies – such as big data analytics, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence (AI) – to avoid strategic surprise and potentially enhance the U.S. strategic posture. The United States prioritize funding and accelerate long-range non-nuclear precision strike programs to meet the operational need and in greater quantities than currently planned. x America’s Strategic Posture The United States develop and field homeland IAMD that can deter and defeat coercive attacks by Russia and China, and determine the capabilities needed to stay ahead of the North Korean threat.4 The Secretary of Defense direct research, development, test and evaluation into advanced IAMD capabilities leveraging all domains, including land, sea, air, and space. These activities should focus on sensor architectures, integrated command and control, interceptors, cruise and hypersonic missile defenses, and area or point defenses. The DOD should urgently pursue deployment of any capabilities that prove feasible. The Secretary of Defense and the Military Departments transfer operations and sustainment responsibility for missile defense to the appropriate Military Departments by 1 October 2024. This will allow the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to focus on research, development, prototyping and testing. ALLIES AND PARTNERS The Commission believes it is in the U.S. national interest to maintain, strengthen, and when appropriate, expand its network of alliances and partnerships. These relationships strengthen American security by deterring aggression regionally, before it can reach the U.S. homeland, while also enabling U.S. economic prosperity through access to international markets. Withdrawing from U.S. alliances and partnerships would directly benefit adversaries, invite aggression that the United States might later have to reverse, and ultimately decrease American, allied, and partner security and economic prosperity. Further, the Commission believes that our defense and the defense of the current international order is strengthened when Allies can directly contribute to the broader strategic posture, and the United States should seek to incorporate those contributions as much as possible. The Executive branch should recognize that any major change to U.S. strategic posture, policies, or capabilities will have great effect on Allies’ perceptions and their deterrence and assurance requirements. As a result, any changes should be predicated on meaningful consultations. RISK REDUCTION The Commission believes it is of paramount importance for the United States to work to reduce strategic risks. This involves activities and programs across the U.S. government, including in nonproliferation and arms control, as well as maintaining strong, viable, and resilient military forces. The Commission recommends that a strategy to address the two-nuclear-peer threat environment be a prerequisite for developing U.S. nuclear arms control limits for the 2027-2035 timeframe. The Commission recommends that once a strategy and its related force requirements are established, the U.S. government determine whether and how nuclear arms control limits continue to enhance U.S. security. The Commission recommends that the United States continue to explore nuclear arms control opportunities and conduct research into potential verification technologies in order to support or enable future negotiations in the U.S. national interest that seek to limit all nuclear weapon types, should the geopolitical environment change. Where formal nuclear arms control agreements are not possible, the Commission recommends pursuing nuclear risk reduction measures to increase predictability and reduce uncertainty and the chances for misperception and miscalculation. The 2009 Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States reported that the United States was at “a moment of opportunity, . . .but also a moment of urgency” – because the security environment had improved and the threat of nuclear proliferation was the principal concern. Since 2009, the security environment has dramatically worsened and new existential threats have emerged. This Commission concludes that the United States now faces a highstakes challenge that requires urgent action. Nevertheless, the Commission has not seen the U.S. government demonstrate the urgency and creativity required to meet the challenge. Nothing other than synchronized steps taken by the Executive and Legislative Branches will craft the strategy and build the posture the nation requires. The challenges are unmistakable; the problems are urgent; the steps are needed now. Photo: An Air Force Global Strike Command unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during a test at Vandenberg Space Force Base (DoD)