Pompeo Echoes Reagan’s ‘Peace Through Strength’ Mantra

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is seen on screens as he addresses attendees via satellite during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is seen on screens as he addresses attendees via satellite during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
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Pompeo Echoes Reagan’s ‘Peace Through Strength’ Mantra

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is seen on screens as he addresses attendees via satellite during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is seen on screens as he addresses attendees via satellite during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the policies of “Make America Great Again” as he spoke Tuesday by video-conference to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

He said the Trump administration would echo former President Ronald Reagan’s mantra of “peace through strength” in its dealings with other countries.

“America is committed to helping the Middle East be secure and stable... America will need coalitions built out to ensure that there is Middle East stability,” he said.

He added that Iran is “truly the malign actor” in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. He said that a coalition of US allies is “so central” to creating stability in the Middle East.

Commenting on the next round of US-China trade talks, Pompeo said he was optimistic that the Chinese delegation would be well received and both sides would "have a good outcome from those conversations."

"I don't want to get ahead of the conversations and negotiations that are taking place. There is lots of hard work to do. I am very confident that there will be a bright future for the United States and its people, but for the Chinese people as well," he added.

Pompeo called on Moscow to change its "outlook and behavior", and denied Washington had turned isolationist. 

“It should not go unnoticed that we’ve also defeated the ISIS caliphate in Syria and Iraq... There’s a lot more work to do, and with your help, I know we’ll achieve it” he said.

Brazil’s rightwing president Jair Bolsonaro has prompted fresh alarm among environmentalists after stressing that protecting his country’s unique ecosystem has to be consistent with growing the economy.

Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab said: "We are at the crossroads of the history of humanity. We now have to shape the future.”

“We feel Globalization 4.0 has to be more human-centered… We are now in some ways in a battle between robots and humankind. We don’t want to become slaves of the new technology,” he continued.



White House's Sullivan: Weakened Iran Could Pursue Nuclear Weapon

FILE PHOTO: Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
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White House's Sullivan: Weakened Iran Could Pursue Nuclear Weapon

FILE PHOTO: Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo

The Biden administration is concerned that a weakened Iran could build a nuclear weapon, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday, adding that he was briefing President-elect Donald Trump's team on the risk.
Iran has suffered setbacks to its regional influence after Israel's assaults on its allies, Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah, followed by the fall of Iran-aligned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities, including missile factories and air defenses, have reduced Tehran's conventional military capabilities, Sullivan told CNN.
"It's no wonder there are voices (in Iran) saying, 'Hey, maybe we need to go for a nuclear weapon right now ... Maybe we have to revisit our nuclear doctrine'," Sullivan said.
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, but it has expanded uranium enrichment since Trump, in his 2017-2021 presidential term, pulled out of a deal between Tehran and world powers that put restrictions on Iran's nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief.
Sullivan said that there was a risk that Iran might abandon its promise not to build nuclear weapons.
"It's a risk we are trying to be vigilant about now. It's a risk that I'm personally briefing the incoming team on," Sullivan said, adding that he had also consulted with US ally Israel.
Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, could return to his hardline Iran policy by stepping up sanctions on Iran's oil industry. Sullivan said Trump would have an opportunity to pursue diplomacy with Tehran, given Iran's "weakened state."
"Maybe he can come around this time, with the situation Iran finds itself in, and actually deliver a nuclear deal that curbs Iran's nuclear ambitions for the long term," he said.