Foreign Policy Update – USA Gov Policy

CHINA

The US announced it is prepared to spend almost $100 million in existing funds to assist China and others impacted by the novel coronavirus. The State Department already has facilitated the transportation of nearly 17.8 tons of donated medical supplies to China this past week.

In a written statement Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said this shows the American people are committed to helping the world in times of crisis. Over the last 25 years the United States through USAID has invested over one billion dollars in 25 nations to help prevent, detect, and respond to existing and emerging infectious disease threats.

“Since 2015,” Pompeo wrote, “under our commitment to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), this support has helped improve surveillance and laboratory systems, risk communication, outbreak response, and address the rising threat of anti-microbial resistance.”

VENEZUELA

Special Representative Elliott Abrams, in a briefing updating the media on Secretary of State Pompeo’s meetings in South America, said that Russia may soon find in the coming weeks that its continued support of Venezuela’s Maduro will no longer be cost-free. The country has been the center of a bipartisan effort in Congress and inside the Oval Office to support Juan Guaido as the legitimate leader of the Venezuelan people after his election to the post last year. This was reinforced when President Trump invited Guaido to this year’s State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. Guaido sat in the audience and was recognized by President Trump during the event as the rightful leader of the Venezuelan people.

In a further statement on Venezuela, Abrams condemned as cruel and indefensible, the long and unjust detention of all persons who are being detained for political reasons, including National Assembly deputies Juan Requesens, Gilber Caro and Ismael Leon.

“Our message to those nations is that increased and strengthened travel and financial sanctions on key figures in and around the Maduro regime will accelerate their abandonment of the regime and help to end it. But as Treasury always states, when imposing sanctions, sanctions need not be permanent for those who want to contribute to Venezuela’s democratic future,” stated Abrams.

SYRIA

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In a meeting with members of the press, James F. Jeffrey, Special Representative for Syria Engagement and Special Envoy to the Global Coalition To Defeat ISIS, said that Washington is very concerned about Russian activities in the area. He pointed out that Americans are seeing much more aggressive Russian action in Idlib and at the UN. Jeffrey notes that Washington has made offers to the Russians in an attempt to reduce tension in the region. He added that the Syrian conflict need to be “Brought to an end.” And, that Russia needs to change its policies.

TAIWAN

The State Department Spokesperson, Morgan Ortagus, said the United States is “deeply concerned” about actions taken by the International Civil Aviation Organization to suppress freedom of expression and curtail important discussion of Taiwan’s legitimate role in international issues. Blocking Twitter users who make reference to Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, noted Ortagus, “particularly given the global response to the coronavirus crisis, is outrageous, unacceptable, and not befitting of a UN organization.” The United States supports Taiwan’s involvement in transnational health issues, and has long supported its active engagement in international venues, including ICAO.

GREAT BRITAIN

In an interview with a British radio station Secretary Pompeo talked openly about Washington’s views on Huawei and the G5 network. Pompeo said he views the “intrusion of the Chinese Communist Party into information technology systems as a very grave risk – a national security risk as well as a core privacy risk.” He added that if one’s health records are on a system that belongs and is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, “that’s not something you’d probably choose in the first instance.”

He said that the US is working with its British partners on the security elements and then working alongside them to develop trusted networks. He ended by saying that “It’s not about Huawei. It’s about ensuring that the information that we put our citizens’ data on is secure and safe.”

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

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