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)[i]
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’.
[i] Mattis approved by Jewish Institute for National
Security Affairs (JINSA) - one of the most powerful Jewish lobby groups
Mattis on Syria and Iran
