THANK YOU.
ARTHEL: AS GREG IS REPORTING,
TENSIONS STILL SIMMERING BETWEEN
WASHINGTON AND TEHRAN.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT SLAPPING
NEW SANCTIONS ON THE IRANIAN
GENERAL ACCUSED OF ORDERING
TROOPS TO OPEN FIRE ON
PROTESTERS BACK IN NOVEMBER,
AROUND 150 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN
THAT INCIDENT.
WE ARE ALSO LEARNING THAT 11
AMERICANS WERE HURT LAST WEEK
AFTER IRAN FIRED MISSILES AT TWO
IRAQI BASES HOUSING U.S. TROOPS.
PRESIDENT TRUMP NOW ENGAGING IN
A WAR OF WORDS WITH IRAN'S
SUPREME LEADER SAYING ON
TWITTER, QUOTE, INSTEAD OF
LEADING IRAN TOWARD RUIN, ITS
LEADER SHOULD ABANDON TERROR AND
MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN.
WHERE DOES DIPLOMACY GO FROM
HERE, LET'S BRING IN VINNIE
BOWLES, THE ARMY'S FORMER
ASSISTANT DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU, ARTHEL.
ARTHEL: THANK YOU.
>> ALWAYS A PLEASURE.
ARTHEL: IS DIPLOMACY DEAD,
GENERAL BOWLES?
>> NO, IT'S NOT DEAD.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE FOCUSING ON
THE WORDS.
AS ALWAYS IN THAT PART OF THE
WORLD, BEHAVIOR IS BELIEVABLE.
I WOULD WATCH WHAT IRAN DOES,
NOT JUST WHAT THE AYATOLLAH
SAYS, SPECIFICALLY WILL THEY
TAKE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
MOVE FORWARD AND ENGAGE IN SOME
KIND OF A NEGOTIATION TO GET TO
LOWER THE TEMPERATURE OR WILL
THEY CONTINUE TO EXPLOIT THEIR
TERRORISM AS THEY DO THROUGHOUT
THE REGION.
ARTHEL: SO THAT CHANNEL
DIPLOMACY IS ALIVE.
MEANWHILE, MORE U.S. ECONOMIC
SANCTIONS RAINING DOWN ON
IRANIAN LEADERS.
AND IRAN HAS INTERNAL PROBLEMS
WITH MORE LOCALS PROTESTING
AGAINST THOSE IRANIAN LEADERS.
SO WHO OR WHAT COUNTRY IS
PROVIDING IRAN WITH A LIFELINE
AT THIS TIME?
>> THREE PREDOMINANTLY, NORTH
KOREA IS PROVIDING THEM MISSILE
TECHNOLOGY AND HAS BEEN FOR
QUITE A FEW YEARS AND THEN ON
TOP OF THAT ALSO, AS RECENTLY
HAPPENED, RUSSIA AND CHINA WERE
ENGAGED IN NAVAL EXERCISESES
WITH THEM IN THE PERSIAN GULF.
THAT'S SOME AREA THEY'RE GETTING
STABILITY AND SOME SUPPORT FROM
I THINK AS WELL AS SOME NATIONS
IN THE REGION WHO HAVE MAYBE NOT
BOLDLY BUT AT LEAST SUPPORTED
THEM.
ARTHEL: ALL THAT, AS YOU LAID
OUT, WHAT'S THE U.S.'S NEXT
MOVE, DIPLOMATICALLY, MILITARILY
OR OTHERWISE?
>> FROM A MILITARY PERSPECTIVE,
IT HAS TO BE SECURITY.
I THINK THE UNKNOWN IN THIS
EQUATION IS IRAQ.
IRAQ, WHAT WE REALLY HAVE TO
WATCH IS IRAQ DOES NOT WANT TO
BE SER
BE PERCEIVED AS THE CHEW TOY
BETWEEN AN IRAN, U.S. FIGHT AND
DON'T WANT TO BE PERCEIVED AS
OUR LACKEY AND DOING WHATEVER WE
WANT THEM TO DO.
IRAQ IS THE UNKNOWN.
IT'S UNFOLDING.
SO I THINK DEALING WITH THE
IRAQI ADMINISTRATIONS THAT ARE
THERE NOW WITH THE PRIME
MINISTER AND THE FORCES THERE
AND MAINTAINING THEIR STRENGTH
AND STABILITY IS KEY FOR US.
ARTHEL: WE KNOW PRESIDENT TRUMP
IS SAYING THAT THE U.S. IS GOING
TO KEEP THE TROOPS IN IRAQ, I
BELIEVE WE HAVE SOME 5,000,
5,300, AND IF YOU HAVE TO YOUR
POINT, IF YOU HAVE IRAQ WANTING
TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A SPINE
AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE
ORDERED AROUND BY AMERICA, HOW
DOES THAT WORK OUT?
WHAT'S THE NEGOTIATION THERE, TO
KEEP THE AMERICAN TROOPS THERE,
TO KEEP STABILITY OVER THERE,
AND TO LET IRAQ CONTINUE TO BE
INDEPENDENT?
>> WELL, CANDIDLY, WE HAVEN'T
HANDLED IT WELL, IN MY OPINION.
THE PRIME MINISTER HAD ASKED
THAT THE U.S. SEND A DELEGATION
OVER SO THEY COULD DISCUSS THE
STATUS OF FORCES AND THE U.S.
TROOPS IN THE REGION, YOU HOW
THAT COULD BE MANAGED -- HOW
THAT COULD BE MANAGED.
THE RESPONSE FROM THE SECRETARY
OF STATE AND OTHERS WAS TO FUSE
THEIR REQUEST AND SAY WE'LL BE
HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT COST SHARING
AND BURDEN SHARING BUT THERE'S
NO NECESSITY FOR US TO GO OVER
AND TALK ABOUT REMOVAL OF U.S.
FORCES ORS TROOPS.
DESPITE OUR BEST EFFORTS, THAT
CAN'T HELP BUT COME ACROSS TO
BOTH THE IRAQI ADD A MEDICINE
STRAYINGS AND THE --
ADMINISTRATION AND IRAQI PEOPLE
AS ARROGANT.
ARTHEL: WE'LL SEE HOW THAT
PLAYS OUT AND WE'LL HAVE YOU
BACK TO ANALYZE THAT FOR US.
FINALLY, WE HAD GREG PALKOT
REPORTING THAT IRAN IS GOING TO
SEND THE BLACK BOXESES FROM THE
UKRAINIAN FLIGHT THEY
ACCIDENTALLY SHOT DOWN.
IS THAT THEIR WAY OF SAYING
WE'RE TRYING TO BEHAVE MORE LIKE
A NOR L
A NORMAL STATE?
>> I THINK IT'S THEIR WAY TO
TRYING TO SHOW A OTHER NATIONS,
UKRAINE, CANADA, EUROPE, THIS IS
AN EFFORT TO SHOW THOSE NATIONS
THAT IRAN IS NOT WITHOUT A
HEART, NOR WITHOUT A BRAIN TO
ACTIVELY OPEN THEIR -- OPEN
THEMSELVES SO THEY CAN HANDLE
THIS ISSUE.
AND IT'S THEIR APOLOGY AS WELL