GINGRICH HYPES TRUMP'S SPEECH IN RIYADH, BURIES THE LEDE
I normally wouldn’t pay attention to anything Newt Gingrich has to say, but in this case I make an exception.
In his piece yesterday in the WaPo Gingrich underscores Trump’s speech in Saudi Arabia challenging the Muslim world to take the lead in driving out terrorists and extremists from the Middle East. Gingrich sees Trump’s speech as a turning point in history comparable to Reagan’s 1982 speech delivered at the Royal Gallery at the Palace of Westminster in London in which he “called on the West to rally in defense of freedom and against communist aggression, . . . predicted the fall of communism and reinvigorated the Western alliance.”
The president just made a titanic foreign policy shift. The media missed it.
By Newt Gingrich May 24 at 7:48 PM
Excerpts:
Never before has an American president tried so clearly to unite the civilized world, including the nations of the Middle East and Africa, against the forces of terrorism. Never before has an American president issued so direct a challenge to those nations to do more in the fight. And never before has an American president so plainly put the ultimate responsibility for eradicating terrorism on the nations of the region. In doing so, Trump’s speech implicitly repudiated the approaches of his two immediate predecessors and promised instead what he characterized as a “principled realism,” based on a clear-eyed view of America’s interests, security and limits.
. . .
And unlike President Barack Obama’s early speech to the Muslim world in 2009, Trump backed up his words with action. The United States and Saudi Arabia signed a $110 billion arms deal, the largest in U.S. history, which will bolster the kingdom’s ability to contribute to counterterrorism operations across the region. This will reduce the burden on the U.S. military and send a clear message that this administration takes the threat of Iran seriously. The agreements also included a new commitment to crack down on terrorism financing in the Persian Gulf states, as well as hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of Saudi investment in the United States.
Comment:
While I wholly approve of placing the burden on Muslims to drive out terrorists and extremists from the Middle East, I see Trump’s statement as simply a forceful restatement of the Obama policy of the U.S. “standing down as allied Arab forces stand up” rather than a titanic shift in policy. Notice that Gingrich claims Trump “repudiated” Obama’s policy without stating what his policy was. What else could Obama’s withdrawal of nearly all U.S. troops from the region mean if not challenging the countries in the region to take the lead in driving out terrorists and extremists?
Gingrich dismisses Obama’s early speech to the Muslim world in 2009 without explanation. It’s good that the WaPo editors provided the link to the speech, because it bears re-reading as a magnificent piece of oratory. In it, Obama issues much the same challenge as Trump would later:
Of course, recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning of our task. Words alone cannot meet the needs of our people. These needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead; and if we understand that the challenges we face are shared, and our failure to meet them will hurt us all. . . Our problems must be dealt with through partnership; progress must be shared. . . . The situation in Afghanistan demonstrates America's goals, and our need to work together. . . . Make no mistake: we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We seek no military bases there. It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can. But that is not yet the case. That's why we're partnering with a coalition of forty-six countries. . . Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism – it is an important part of promoting peace. . . We also know that military power alone is not going to solve the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That is why we plan to invest $1.5 billion each year over the next five years to partner with Pakistanis to build schools and hospitals, roads and businesses, and hundreds of millions to help those who have been displaced. And that is why we are providing more than $2.8 billion to help Afghans develop their economy and deliver services that people depend upon.
. . .
Today, America has a dual responsibility: to help Iraq forge a better future – and to leave Iraq to Iraqis. I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources. Iraq's sovereignty is its own. That is why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August. That is why we will honor our agreement with Iraq's democratically-elected government to remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July, and to remove all our troops from Iraq by 2012. We will help Iraq train its Security Forces and develop its economy. But we will support a secure and united Iraq as a partner, and never as a patron.
. . .
We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.
The Holy Koran tells us, "O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another."
The Talmud tells us: "The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace."
The Holy Bible tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth. Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.
Heartfelt, eloquent and deeply moving. Beautifully crafted to resonate with his audience. While Obama did not offer as “action” backing up words the sale of $110 billion worth of armaments, it did include promises of aid to Pakistan and Afghanistan. About Trump’s speech I would add: never before has the crass commercial announcement of a “titanic” arms sale been gussied up in such elaborate pageantry.
Gingrich’s encomium seeks to make the event more significant than it is, cloaking it in the Reagan mantle. By falsely inflating the importance of Trump’s “challenge,” Gingrich nearly overlooks the real achievement contained in Trump’s speech, adding as an afterthought: “The agreement included a new commitment to crack down on terrorism financing in the Persian Gulf states.” Talk about burying the lede. . .
Personally, I think the U.S. should go all the way in shifting to the Gulf States the burden of resolving the conflagration in the M.E. by completely withdrawing all Western military forces. By ceasing to poke the hornet’s nest in the M.E., a U.S. withdrawal would undermine ISIS’ most effective recruiting tool and deprive the extremist movement of oxygen.
I loved a comment by “Tao” referencing Gignrich’s characterization of Trump’s speech as a “titanic foreign policy shift”: “Iceberg ahead. The news media is the Carpathia of the Trump disaster.” Precious.
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