CHERYL: YOU BET.
MARIA: VICE PRESIDENT CAM KAMAL
HARRIS IN AFRICA THIS WEEK, SHE
WILL DELIVER A HE MAJOR SPEECH,
PLEDGING A NEW ERA OF
PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONS IN
AFRICA, IN HER SECOND DAY IN
GHANA.
HARRIS ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY THE
U.S. WILL PROVIDE $100 MILLION
OVER 10 YEARS IN NEW SECURITY,
NEW SECURITY AID A, TO HELP WEST
AFRICAN NATIONS FIGHT EXTREMIST
THREATS BY TERRORIST GROUPS
INCLUDING AL-QAIDA.
HARRIS IS EXACTED TO ADDRESS
CHINA’S INFLUENCE IN THE REGION.
JOINING ME IS FOX NEWS SENIOR
STRATEGIC ANALYST, CHAIRMAN FOR
THE INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF
WAR, GENERAL JACK KEANE IS BACK
WITH US.
ALWAYS A PLEASURE.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE
THIS MORNING.
>> DELIGHTED TO BE HERE.
MARIA: TELL US ABOUT AFRICA AND
THE POWER GRAB HAD THAT CHINA
HAS BEEN TRYING IN AFRICA FOR
SEVERAL YEARS NOW.
CAN THE U.S. OF DO ANYTHING
ABOUT IT?
WHAT IS YOUR SENSE OF KAMALA
HARRIS’ EFFORTS HERE?
>> WELL, CERTAINLY WE WELCOME
WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS
DOING, IT COMES ON THE HEELS OF
THE SECRETARY OF REFRESHLY JANET
YELLEN DOING IT AND ALSO
SECRETARY -- TREASURY JANET
YELLEN DOING IT AND ALSO
SECRETARY BLINKEN I.
WE’RE DOING CATCH UP HERE.
I WAS AT A DINNER TABLE WITH SIX
OF THE AFRICAN PRESIDENTS AND
THE COMMON THEME THEY HAD,
MARIA, IS LOOK AT, CHINA IS INTO
OUR COUNTRIES IN A VERY
SIGNIFICANT WAY.
WE REALLY WELCOME THE
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED
STATES.
WE WOULD RATHER HAVE THE
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED
STATES.
AND WHAT CHINA IS DOING, YOU
KNOW, THE INTERNATIONAL MONEY
ENTRY FUND WAS ESTABLISHED TO
HELP DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND
THEY ALSO WANT THOSE COUNTRIES
TO HAVE -- REMOVE AS MUCH
CORRUPTION AS POSSIBLE SO THEY
HAVE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES THEY
PLACE ON OPEN THEM.
-- PLACE ON
THEM.
CHINA DOLES OUT MORE MONEY,
CHARGES HIGHER INTEREST RATES
AND THERE’S DEBTOR AND CREDITOR
PROBLEMS AS A RESULT OF IT AND
THEY WIND UP TAKING OVER THE
INFRASTRUCTURE THEMSELVES.
THE MERCANTILEISM IS FRUSTRATING
THE AFRICANS OF.
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE,
BECAUSE THE CHINESE ARE PLAYING
A HEAVY HAND, MARIA.
WHY IS CHINA SO INVOLVED IN
AFRICA?
ECONOMIC INFLUENCE GAINS THEM
GEOPOLITICAL CONTROL AND
PARTICULARLY OF RESOURCES IS THE
OBJECTIVE.
AND WE ARE IN CATCH-UP AS I SAID
AT THE OUTSET.
MARIA: YEAH.
AND THE MINERALS AND RARE EARTH
GEMS THAT ARE IN AFRICA ARE
OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING HAD THAT THE
CCP WANT.
BUT I THINK WHAT YOU JUST SAID
IS REALLY NOTABLE, THAT JUST
FROM YOUR OWN ANECDOTAL
EVIDENCE, YOU SITTING WITH
VARIOUS PRESIDENTS OF DIFFERENT
AFRICAN NATIONS, THAT YOU FELT
THAT THEY WANT THE U.S.
PARTNERSHIP OVER THE CHINESE
PARTNERSHIP, EVEN DESPITE ALL OF
THE POWER GRABS THAT HAVE GONE
ON BY THE CCP IN THE LAST
SEVERAL YEARS.
>> YEAH, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.
THEY KNOW WE’VE BEEN PREOCCUPIED
WITH 9/11 WARS FOR 20 YEARS AND
NOW WE’RE VERY INVOLVED IN
RUSSIA/CHINA COMPETITION BUT
THEY WANT TO SEE TO -- WANT A SE
THE TABLE.
THEY WOULD RATHER BE AT THE
UNITED STATES’ TABLE THAN
CHINA’S TABLE.
ALL THAT SAID, THEY HAVE TO TAKE
CARE OF THEIR PEOPLE, MARIA AND
IF CHINA COMES IN WITH BAGS OF
MONEY TO HELP THEM BUILD
INFRASTRUCTURE, ROADS, BRIDGES,
DAMS, ENERGY, THEY’RE LIKELY
GOING TO ACCEPT SOME OF THAT
BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO UPLIFT THE
PROSPERITY OF THEIR COUNTRY.
BUT THEY WOULD RATHER NOT HAVE
TO DO THAT.
MARIA: YEAH.
THAT’S A GREAT POINT.
MEANWHILE, XI JINPING IS PLAYING
POWER BROKER ACROSS THE WORLD,
GENERAL.
HE HELD A PHONE CALL WITH SAUDI
CROWN PRINCE NBS TODAY,
REPORTEDLY STRESSING THE
IMPORTANCE OF THEIR
RELATIONSHIP, DISCUSSED
FOLLOW-UP TALKS BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIA AND IRAN.
ARABIA AND IRAN.
OF COURSE, THEY RECENTERLY THE R
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WAS
BROKERED BY BEIJING.
THERE’S A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT
SAYS CREATING A DIVERSE AND
INCLUSIVE WORKFORCE IS PART OF
THE STRATEGY TO, QUOTE, FLY,
FIGHT AND WIN AGAINST CHINA,
GENERAL.
YOU’VE GOT OUR ARMED FORCES
TALKING ABOUT DIVERSITY AND
EQUITY, WHILE CHINA IS MOVING
FORWARD WITH POWER BROKERING AND
LEADERSHIP ACROSS THE WORLD.
THIS DOESN’T LOOK GOOD TO ME,
GENERAL.
>> WELL, SOME OF WHAT’S
HAPPENING IN THE MIDDLE EAST
SHOULD CONCERN US.
THE ARABS ARE REACTING TO THE
FACT THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION
MADE A STRAY STRATEGIC DECISION
BACK FROM THE MIDDLE EAST, FOCUS
ON CHINA AND FOCUS ON RUSSIA AND
THE FACT IS, WE’VE GOT THREE
AREAS OF THE WORLD WHERE WE HAVE
VITAL NATIONAL INTEREST,
INDO-PACIFIC, EUROPE AND THE
MIDDLE EAST AND IN THAT ORDER
AND WE’VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO DO
ALLTHREE AND STIFFING THE ARABS
RIGHT WHEN THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION CAME IN, THE VERY
MONTH THEY CAME INTO POWER AND
PULLING BACK ON THE ARM SHIPMENT
THEY ALREADY PAID FOR AND WE
WERE GOING TO HE PROVIDE THEM, T
SENT A HUGE MESSAGE TO THEY THEM
THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION IS
GOING TO PULL BACK FROM THEM.
WHAT THE ARABS CERTAINLY WANT
THE UNITED STATES SECURITY
GUARANTEES, WHICH HAVE BEEN
THERE GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT.
DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN
PRESIDENTS ALIKE HAVE FOUND A
WAY BECAUSE OUR VITAL NATIONAL
INTERESTS ARE STILL IN THE
MIDDLE EAST AND FOUND A WAY TO
WORK WITH GOVERNMENTS WHO ARE
DIFFERENT THAN OUR OPEN
DEMOCRACY AND THIS
ADMINISTRATION PULLED AWAY FROM
IT SO IT’S NOT SURPRISING THAT
THEY’RE LOOKING FOR OTHER
GUARANTEES.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, MUCH AS
THE AFRICANS WOULD RATHER BE
WITH US THAN BE BE WITH CHINA,
THAT’S TRUE ALSO OF THE ARABS
BASED ON THE SOURCES THAT I
HAVE.
SO HOPEFULLY THIS IS A WAKE-UP
TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO
GET BACK INVOLVED, STRENGTHEN
THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS, THE ARABS
AND ISRAELIS AND DON’T APPEASE
IRAN AND THAT IS A DISASTER.
WE HAVE NO POLICY RIGHT NOW
DEALING WITH IRAN THAT MAKES ANY
SENSE.
WE’RE STILL TRYING TO PULL OFF
THE NUCLEAR DEAL AND THAT’S NOT
GOING TO HAPPEN BUT WHAT IS OUR
POLICY DEALING WITH IRAN?
IT DOESN’T SEEM TO HAVE ONE AND
THE ARABS FEEL THE SAME WAY
ABOUT IT.
MARIA: YEAH.
AND LOOK AT ALL OF THE
CONSEQUENCES OF HE I DI.
HERING R AROUND WITH OTHER ISSUE
RUSSIA SUPPLIED IRAN WITH CYBER
WEAPONS.
YOU’VE GOT THE OTHER ADDED
TERRORIST COMPONENT OF IRAN
TEAMING UP WITH RUSSIA AND
CHINA.
>> YEAH, WE KNEW THAT THE SHOE
WAS GOING TO DROP.
THE IRANIANS HAVE BEEN HELPING
THE RUSSIANS RATHER
SIGNIFICANTLY WITH THE DRONES
THEY’VE BEEN PROVIDING, HUNDREDS
OF THEM AND THEY’RE ALSO OPENING
UP A MANUFACTURING PLANT IN
RUSSIA TO DO THOSE, IT WILL BE
EASIER TO MAKE THE TRANSFER.
AND RUSSIA CERTAINLY WAS GOING
TO PAY BACK TO THEM.
WHAT THEY WANT IS FIGHTERS AND
MORE AIR HE DEFENSE SYSTEMS FROM
RUSSIA AND HELICOPTERS BUT WHAT
THEY’RE PROVIDING THEM HERE,
IRAN HAS ALWAYS HAD A GOOD CYBER
CAPABILITY, PARTICULARLY
DEFENSIVE.
THIS IS OFFENSIVE CAPABILITY.
THIS MEANS PENETRATION OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
AND WE ALREADY HAVE CHINA DOING
IT VERY AGGRESSIVELY AND RUSSIA
DOING IT VERY AGGRESSIVELY.
IRAN HAS DONE SOME OF IT.
THIS WILL GIVE THEM AN ADDED
CAPABILITY FOR SURE.
WE SHOULDN’T BE SURPRISED BY IT.
IT’S ANOTHER CHALLENGE WE HAVE
TO DEAL WITH.
MARIA: OVER THE WEEKEND THE
STATE DEPARTMENT SAID IT WOULD
SUPPORT A DECISION BY THE UNITED
KINGDOM TO DESIGNATE IRAN’S
ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD AS A
TERRORIST GROUP.
I KNOW THAT MIKE POMPEO TRIED TO
GET THEM TO DO THAT FOR YEARS.
I WONDER IF THE THAT’S ANOTHER
INDICATION THAT THIS
ADMINISTRATION RECOGNIZES THAT
THE IRAN DEAL IS DEAD.
>> WELL, I HOPE THEY RECOGNIZE
IT.
WE SHOULD BE DOUBLING DOWN ON
SANCTIONS.
WE SHOULD BE STRENGTHENING THE
ABRAHAM ACCORDS WITH THE ARABS
AND STITCHING TOGETHER AS BEST
WE CAN AN UNOFFICIAL ALLIANCE
WITH THE ARABS, ISRAELIS AN
UNITED STATES AND CONSISTENT
FRONTINGAND CONFRONTINGIRAN.
A PUSHBACK, I DON’T BELIEVE THE
PUSH BACK IS SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH.
WE SHOULD HAMMER THESE GUYS FOR
WHAT THEY’RE DOING AND MAKE IT
CERTAINLY PAY THE PRICE SO THAT
THEY KNOW COST IS IMPOSED ON
THEM IF THEY DO IT AGAIN,
SIGNIFICANT COST AND RIGHT NOW
THAT’S NOT HAPPENING.
MARIA: REALLY IMPORTANT
CONVERSATION.
GENERAL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
YOUR INSIGHTS.
WE SO APPRECIATE IT.