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Can We Make
Sense of Trump?
By Soraya
Sepahpour-Ulrich
December 16,
2016 "Information
Clearing House"
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A month has passed
since Donald Trump was declared president-elect soon to
be the 45th president of the United States.
Since his win, pundits, analysts, and experts continue
to debate the victory – a surprise to most. While the
reason/s for this victory depend on one’s perspective,
most agree on one thing: Trump is unpredictable.
But is he
really?
There is clear indication that US foreign policy will
not change course under a Trump administration – it will
simply change tactic.
Those who continue to believe that the relations with
Russia are headed for a reset are more optimistic than
analytical. US may deviate from the path previously
trodden, but it is still headed for the same goal/s.
Trump resembles
Loki –
a colorful character in Norse mythology. Similar to
Loki, what is thought and said about Trump depends on
the source. And similar to Loki, Trump is a trickster,
a shape shifter (policy shifter). So to understand him
better, we should concentrate on what we do know – his
team.
Judging from
his picks, Trump considers Islam as the number one
enemy, followed by Iran, China, and Russia. The
ideology of those he has picked to serve in his
administration are supporters of this continuity in US
foreign policy, and, contradicts his campaign slogan of
‘non-interference’. Numerous articles analyzing Trump’s
choices point to the mindset of his team (click on names
to read relevant articles) including
Mike Pence ,
General Flynn, James Mattis, and
John Bolton, (see footnote for additional links)
Additionally, Israel’s domination of US policy has never
been more apparent. Decades earlier many considered
other than occupied Palestine
“….the White House occupied territory”. Donald
Trump proved them right.
His son-in-law Jared Kushner will have an office in the
West Wing of the White House. Kushner has
financed illegal, Jewish settlements on
Palestinian land.
The above
stated information is the obvious – what meets the eye.
What is more crucial is obfuscated. While Trump has
made his position vis-à-vis China, Iran, and “radical
Islam” abundantly clear, the media has led us on a
different path where Russia is concerned. As such, one
could be forgiven for thinking that Trump will reset the
button with Russia. In fact, in the scheme of things,
Trump is attempting to wean Russia away from China,
Iran, and Syria in order to continue and accomplish US
goals: Total domination, prevent Russia from
re-emerging, contain China, contain Iran, Israel
expansion.
It is important to Trump team to weaken both Russia and
China by creating a divide between them
- favoring one over the other. Trump defends Russia
against allegations of hacking. To the unsuspecting
eye, he has appointed a seemingly “Russia friendly”
Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson (though undoubtedly
the hawkish under-secretary of state John Bolton will be
behind the wheel). Though under close scrutiny,
Tillerson as Secretary of State is certainly not an
‘offering’ to Putin, although but he may well be a
Trojan Horse.
What we are
told of him is the fact that he is the CEO of Exxon
Mobil Corporation. That he knows Putin; and that he
opposed sanctions against Russia. What we are not told
is that he is also a Trustee at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies (CSIS) – a neoconservative
think tank. (Click
HERE for full description of CSIS).
Henry Kissinger, Richard Armitage, and Zbigniew
Brzezinski are some of his trustee colleagues at
CSIS.
Further, while
Tillerson/Exxon has ties to Russia, it also has ties to
Ukraine. In 2010, CIA/State Department propaganda
voice, Radio Free Europe,
announced that
“Ukraine
has been the target of democracy-promoting Western
foundations, such as the National Endowment for
Democracy (NED), for a quarter of a century”.
NED’s
counterpart in England, the UK funded
Westminster Foundation for Democracy was an active
partner in the endeavor. It was the Westminster
Foundation that
coopted the “Ukrainian Foundation for Democracy” –
The People’s First Foundation that later same year would
become a member of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council
(USUBC).
Senior advisors
to the USUBC came from pro-Israel think tanks such as
the Heritage Foundation and Brookings, and Board of
Directors executives selected from powerful players such
as Raytheon and Boeing.
Exxon joined USUBC in 2010.
Why has the
media left out this contentious fact? And is this
censorship directed at the West, or at Russia?
It is
worthwhile mentioning that Exxon recently signed deals
for oil exploration in Iraq and in defiance of the Iraqi
government who asked President Obama to halt the
exploration for fear
that it would cause instability. Of note,
Turkey is a part of this deal!
Iraqi oil has been exported to Israel by the Kurds,
and Israel considers oil from Iraq’s Erbil to be
profitable for Israel. Aware of the Israeli domination
of Washington,
the Iraqi Kurds are in league with Israel and have
solicited their help in establishing independence.
As with every
other administration before it, the Trump administration
will serve Israel. Serving Israel will come at the
expense of the region, and Russia. There has always
been a conflict between Israel and Russian interests
(see for example the Ukraine case
HERE). Netanyahu, exuberant with a Trump victory
and Kushner in the White House, this week embarked on a
visit to two vitally imported states:
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
These two
countries have been on Israel’s radar for well over a
decade. Since Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are not OPEC
members, and both produce high volume of oil, control of
these would erode OPEC’s power. US administration
promotion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline has been
to bypass Iran and Russia.
Netanyahu aims
to promote business with Kazakhstan – a founding member
of Shanghai Corporation Organization (SCO). The import
of SCO in countering American-led ambitions cannot be
adequately emphasized. No doubt it is this
significance that has renewed Israel’s interest and
taken Netanyahu there – to divide, corrupt, and
weaken. A similar undertaking was taken with regards to
BRICS.
Azerbaijan has
particular value for Israel. Israel views Azerbaijan
as an ally against Iran and Russia.
As reported by JTA in 2002: There were many
similarities between Israel and Azerbaijan. “Fear of
Iran and radical Islam; suspicion of Russia; friendship
with Turkey, and a desire to be part of the West.” It
is also hoped that Azerbijan would fan flames of
hostility and stir up discontent among the Azari
population in Iran.
As the incoming
Administration continues to take shape, and we are being
distracted with “news”, battle lines are being drawn up.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember and
believe about Trump is his fondness of ‘surprises’.
Soraya
Sepahpour-Ulrich is an
independent researcher and writer with a focus on U.S.
foreign policy and the role of lobby groups in
influencing US foreign policy.
The views
expressed in this article are the author's own and do
not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House
editorial policy. |
