JERUSALEM, Israel – Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo played a key role in the foreign policy accomplishments of the Trump administration. He sat down with CBN News’ Chris Mitchell in Jerusalem to talk about what he sees as some of the major foreign and domestic challenges facing the United States and Israel.
Nearly two months after the US pullout from Afghanistan, Pompeo explained how the consequences are playing out in Israel and beyond.
“I’ve heard from many of the Israeli leaders, security establishment. They’re very concerned. They’re concerned not only about the increased terror risk, that there’ll be room for Al Qaeda or for ISIS or for both to grow in the region and in Afghanistan, and that this will embolden Iran,” said Pompeo.
“They’re worried because they saw America execute a withdraw from Afghanistan that can only be described as a debacle. Not only did we have 13 Americans killed so tragically, but we still have Americans who are behind enemy lines. It made no sense to me, the way the Biden administration executed that withdrawal. And I think America’s credibility in the world was damaged as a result of that. I pray that we’re able to get that credibility back.”
Pompeo said the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan is “interconnected” with the growing threat of China.
“Leaders around the world watch how American presidents behave…They can sense American weakness, that America is not prepared to honor the red lines that it has drawn to protect America’s vital interest,” Pompeo explained. “I think what you’re seeing from the Chinese communist party is precisely what you’d see follow from that. They’re going to test; they’re going to push. And the first place we’re seeing this test is 150+ aircraft flying into the air defense identification zone for Taiwan. I hope the American administration is prepared to do the right thing to support the people of Taiwan.”
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
Pompeo sees more potential fallout from another upcoming move by the Biden administration – re-entering the Iranian nuclear deal.
“You’ll be that much closer to the Islamic Republic of Iran, a kleptocracy, a theocracy now led by a fellow named Ibrahim Raisi, a complete butcher,” he said. “You’ll have a nuclear weapons program and it may be a year. It may be two years before they get it, but they will have a clear lawful pathway to a nuclear weapons program that is unacceptable…I can assure you the nations all across the Middle East feel the same way. Not only the Israelis but the Gulf State Arabs.”
Pompeo also shared what concerns him the most as a former CIA Director.
“You know, the single biggest thing that keeps me up at night today is the fact that we are teaching our kids in school, things that are so deeply disconnected from the American tradition. That it is incomprehensible for me to understand,” he said.
“We now have teachers who want to tell our kids that our nation was founded on a racist idea,” he continued. “They want to tell children that because of their race, they may well be the powerful and the other group be the victim. This is not the America that I have known. It’s not the America that I’ve read about. It’s not the American tradition. We, had a noble founding. We are the most exceptional nation in the history of civilization. And if we refuse to teach our children that, then the Republic is at risk. Because it is that grounding, it is that central understanding of our Judeo-Christian heritage that has empowered people to innovate, to create, to protect their families, to say, ‘Yes, I want to sign up and I’m going to sign the set up for the US military. I’m proud to represent the United States of America.”
Lastly, Pompeo shared what it is like visiting Jerusalem as an evangelical Christian.
“I was at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre yesterday, where Jesus was crucified, died and buried, and then rose from the tomb. This is at the center of who we are as Christians,” he said. “This place is a reminder of how central Christianity is to humanity and how important it is that it as we enter public life, that we keep Christianity and our faith at the center of it. And we never, we never fear. We are disciplined. We are true. We are tolerant of people of other faiths as well, but we know who we are as believers in Jesus Christ.”
The remainder of this article is available in its entirety at CBN