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.



American Imprisoned in Russia Sentenced to New 15-year Jail Term for Espionage

Pedestrians pass by the Bolshoi Theater decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Pedestrians pass by the Bolshoi Theater decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
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American Imprisoned in Russia Sentenced to New 15-year Jail Term for Espionage

Pedestrians pass by the Bolshoi Theater decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Pedestrians pass by the Bolshoi Theater decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

A Russian-born US citizen already imprisoned in Russia on a bribery conviction has been handed a second 15-year jail term for espionage, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday.
A Moscow court brought espionage charges against Gene Spector in August 2023, although details surrounding the case were not made public, The Associated Press reported.
Spector, formerly an executive at a medical equipment company in Russia, was previously sentenced to 3.5 years in prison in September 2022 for enabling bribes to an aide of former Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. The aide, Anastasia Alekseyeva, was sentenced to 12 years in April for taking bribes of two expensive overseas vacation trips.
Dvorkovich was a deputy prime minister under Dmitry Medvedev in 2012-2018. He is currently head of the international chess federation FIDE.