CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who will be the next US Secretary of State, is going to tell the Senate that the “soft policy” toward Russia “is over”, according to his prepared remarks obtained by the Associated Press.
Pompeo will criticize Russia for acting “aggressively” and emphasize that the US considered Russia “a danger” to itself.
“The actions of this administration make clear that President [Donald] Trump’s national security strategy, rightfully, has identified Russia as a danger to our country. Our diplomatic efforts with Russia will prove challenging, but as in previous confrontations with Moscow, must continue,” Pompeo said in a Congress testimony.
However, Pompeo stressed that Washington’s diplomatic efforts “would continue” as the US had the “duty to lead” and the “war is the last resort”:
“If we do not lead the calls for democracy, prosperity and human rights around the world, who will?”
“No other nation is equipped with the same blend of power and principle”.
It seems that the main goal of Pompeo is to persuade senators that he plans to strengthen the State Department and to re-establish the national security policy. Pompeo is intending to harden the US foreign policy amid the complicated international situation.
This “hardened” policy, especially amid the developing crisis in Syria, will likely become another factor contributing to further confrontation between the US and Russia.
On April 11, the White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders clearly stated that the US does not rule out striking Russian forces in Syria. So, this is not hard enough, right?