“He told you that 9/11 led my country to abandon
its ideals, particularly in the Middle East,” he
continued. “He told you that the United States and
the Muslim world needed ‘a new beginning.’ ”
Pompeo said that as a result of Obama’s mindset,
U.S. policies created a “dire” situation that
allowed for the rise of the Islamic State and for
Iran to spread its influence to countries such as
Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, including proxies
such as Hezbollah and the Houthis. He said that this
realignment threatened America’s ally, Israel.
“Our penchant—America’s penchant—for wishful
thinking led us to look the other way as Hezbollah,
a wholly owned subsidiary of the Iranian regime,
accumulated a massive arsenal of approximately
130,000 rockets and missiles,” he said. “They stored
and positioned these weapons in Lebanese towns and
villages in flagrant violation of international law.
That arsenal is aimed squarely at our ally Israel.”
He also accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of
genocide towards his own people, similar to what
Saddam Hussein did to his people, including the
Kurds, in Iraq during his own rule.
“Our eagerness to address only Muslims and not
nations ignored the rich diversity of the Middle
East and frayed old bonds. It undermined the concept
of the nation-state, the building block of
international stability,” continued Pompeo. “And our
desire for peace at any cost led us to strike a deal
with Iran, our common enemy.”
“So today, what did we learn from all of this? We
learned that when America retreats, chaos often
follows,” he said. “When we neglect our friends,
resentment builds. And when we partner with enemies,
they advance.”
“The age of self-inflicted American shame is
over, and so are the policies that produced so much
needless suffering,” he said.
‘This isn’t a change of mission’
The top U.S. diplomat proceeded to highlight the
Trump administration’s accomplishments in the region
in that “we’ve learned from our mistakes. We’ve
rediscovered our voice. We’ve rebuilt our
relationships. We’ve rejected false overtures from
our enemies.”
Pompeo cited examples such as the U.S. launching
missile strikes in response to Assad chemically
gassing his own people in 2017 and 2018; the U.S.
withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal; and the
reimposition of sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
And that “99 percent of the territory ISIS once held
is liberated,” he said.
“The Trump administration has moved quickly to
rebuild links amongst our old friends and nurture
new partnerships,” added Pompeo.
Moreover, announcing future plans, he said that
“America will not retreat until the terror fight is
over.”
“We will labor tirelessly alongside you to defeat
ISIS, Al Qaeda and other jihadists that threaten our
security and yours,” he said. “President Trump has
made the decision to bring our troops home from
Syria. We always do and now is the time, but this
isn’t a change of mission” in eradicating ISIS and
other Islamic terrorism.
Pompeo reiterated that the United States will
continue airstrikes against ISIS and support
regional forces, such as Israel, to stop Iran in
Syria and other places.
Finally, Pompeo said that the Trump
administration “will also continue to press for a
real and lasting peace between Israel and the
Palestinians,” and touted its accomplishments there
such as relocating the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to
Jerusalem, recognizing the latter as the Jewish
state’s capital.
“It’s never easy to recognize truth,” said the
secretary of state. “But when we see it, we must
speak it. America has been criticized for doing too
much in the Middle East, and we’ve been criticized
for doing too little. But one thing we’ve never been
is an empire-builder or an oppressor.”
The speech was part of a weeklong visit to the
Middle East by Pompeo.