We made a poor calculation, or so it seems. We had predicted, “somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas Kim Jong-un will announce he has had it with the American double-dealing and perversity and lies and return to firing missiles.” Apparently, Kim Jong-un did not even wait for Labor Day as on Saturday North Korea launched a set of short-range ballistic missiles and on Tuesday fired another missile, this time over the Islands of Japan. The series of missile firing came just days after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson welcomed North Korea’s recent “restraint” suggested talks with Pyongyang may be possible “in the near future,” (Watch video below). Tillerson stated in response to the North Korean provocations that the missiles were a “provocative act” adding that the United States would continue to search for a peaceful solution. This is where we question whether or not Secretary of State Tillerson may be going off the rails concerning Kim Jong-un and North Korea as compared to his stances on Israel, Kurdistan and the Arab World’s general offensive along with Iran and Turkey against the world, specifically the Western World.
Secretary Tillerson, it has been noted in conjecture, has been the driving force driving the Administration’s suspicions and commentary against the Kurdish intentions to vote for a referendum to declare their independence from Iraq and form their formerly promised state of Kurdistan before the British reneged on their promise. The Secretary of State has also been a consistent thorn in the side of relations with Israel. The problems with Israel do not rise to the level that the relations with the Kurds have reached, but Israel has her independence already. Still, having Secretary of State Tillerson constantly promoting policies which reflect the Arabist views of the world in general and the views of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, or potentially Mecca and more appropriately, Medina, is wearing thin as it flies in the face of policies which would be to the advantage of the United States specifically and the free world generally.
We understand that the apparent assignment for the State Department is to play Devil’s advocate and oppose what would be right and best for the United States. This was evidenced when they sent a communist group to assist in writing the United Nations Charter and gave the Soviets advantages at every corner. It was further established with their strong advice to President Truman not to recognize Israeli independence, good thing he ignored their advice. Now they are advising the United States deny nationhood to the strongest and closest ally existing in the war on the Islamic State, the only group to have large success in driving the Islamic State from northern Syria, the peoples whom the United States has been arming and Israel has given tactical assistance yet the State Department claims they are unworthy of statehood as that would detract from Iraqi sovereignty and weaken Iran. We seem to remember some commentary about knocking Iran down a peg or two and rewriting parts of the deal with Iran over nuclear research into nuclear weaponry and the processing of uranium by President Trump. Apparently, Secretary Tillerson is concerned about what effect a Kurdish State might have on Iraq and Iran and very likely the Islamic State and Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad.
These steps come in addition to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson making some antagonizing noise over Israeli “settlements” referring to legally built communities and cities according to the Oslo Accords stipulations while ignoring illegal building by the European Union along with the Arabs in Area C against every stipulation concerning this region by the Oslo Accords. It has become apparent that Secretary of State Tillerson and his State Department have decided once again to adopt the Arab revisionism of the Oslo Accords in which Israel has no right to Jerusalem, Akko, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Tiberius, Eilat, Beersheba and Tel Aviv. This had been the interpretation of the final settlement according to Yasser Arafat and has been adopted by Mahmoud Abbas and the PA and apparently also adopted by Secretary Tillerson in spirit if not in its entirety. Such sophomoric, treacherous and toxic advice can only embolden Abbas and the Arabs to avoid direct negotiations and in its stead demand concessions from Israel which Secretary Tillerson and the State Department will very likely pressure Israel to concede, as they always have, regardless of the position of President Trump or his Middle East envoy Jared Kushner and President Trump’s International Negotiator Jason Greenblatt which appears to be more open ended. While President Trump’s team has stated clearly an Administration position of no preconditions, preconceptions, or premonitions of the design of a solution, the State Department with a few worthy exceptions appears to be backing the continued failings of the “two-state-solution” directly in opposition to all other, including their own, efforts.
Secretary Tillerson also came out expressly against Kurdish independence. One would be following logic and good sense if they were to conclude from previous indications such as the United States arming of the Kurds in Syria and in warning off Turkey’s Erdoğan, who had started a general campaign militarily against the Kurds in Syria and Iraq, thus protecting Kurdish interests, that the Administration would back the concept of a new country named Kurdistan where the Kurds could fulfil their destiny free of tyrannical and counter productive interference from Baghdad. We would and have gone further in suggesting a greater Kurdistan which would span across northeastern Syria, northern Iraq and northwestern Iran and for allowing Kurds from outside the area, from Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran in particular, to return to their newly reestablished homelands free from outside influences or policies. The Kurds were another indigenous group which had been promised a return to their homelands and a freely established state after World War I and the divisions of the great empires of Austro-Hungary, German (which had included Poland within its borders) and Ottoman. One might be led to believe that Turkey would desire such a nation as a place they could force their Kurdish minority to emigrate and end their fears of Kurdish revolt but Erdoğan envisions a greater Turkey which would envelop the Kurdish regions and then the Kurds would be facing a similar fate than that of the Armenians under Ottoman rule. One can only wonder where Secretary Tillerson stands on the ideas of a greater Turkey or a hegemonic Iran which would include much of Iraq plus all of Syria and Lebanon (see concept map below). Greater Turkey would include areas of Syria and Iraq which the Kurds desire for their homelands and extend slightly beyond before they would run into Iranian Shiite opposition but would include Sunni areas of Iraq. Hegemonic Iran would incorporate much of Iraq and Syria plus all, if not beyond, Lebanon, Oman, Yemen, Djibouti and Qatar thus surrounding Saudi Arabia and Jordan who would be thrust together potentially being forced into having relations with Israel. The greater question would be how far along the coast of the Horn of Africa Iran might spread and whether or not Jordan would invite Saudi Arabian protection as part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (included in map).
Our guess of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reacting to such a map as depicted would be outrage that Israel would take control of the lands actually promised her by the San Remo Conference, the Treaty of Sèvres, the Treaty of Lausanne, the Mandate System, the Conventions of the League of Nations and Article 80 of the United Nations Charter making these treaties and the entirety of their implications, promises, stipulations and implications all enforced by the United Nations. He would likely view at such a point as this that Israel rightfully belonged to Saudi Arabia as the British Mandate of Jordan had been included under Saudi protective rule, why not the remaining 22% of the British Mandate. He would question, with the support of the deep state of the State Department, the protestations expressed by the Israelis and would ignore the religious implications and what would verily happen should Israeli citizens ever come under Muslim or Arab rule. Secretary Tillerson would likely read some missive from the Saudi Royals which would be presented as their guarantee of protection for the Jews of Israel as they are People of the Book (أهل الكتاب) and as such a protected class of Dhimmis. He would infer that Dhimmis meant honored guests and a protected group as stated and would ignore the horrid rumors about the Jews being Kāfir (كافر) and thus could be subjected to the choice of convert to Islam or die without ever compromising their Dhimmitude.
Allow us to end with a beseechment to the leading advisors and their coordination impairment and the confusion, embarrassment and detriment they have caused. Please, President Trump and especially Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, Four Star Marine General (ret), clean up the imbroglio which is the President’s Cabinet. First and foremost, determine who amongst them are capable of supporting a single set of ideas and ideals and are willing to cooperate, then be rid of the rest. Next, sit them all down and play for them the main points President Trump promised to accomplish while campaigning. Then ask who would not be capable of not only supporting but actively engaging all their energies to accomplish whatever tasks they may receive to get these things accomplished. Those who appear even the slightest to delay and especially those who cough, hem and haw, be done with them and receive not their counsel. Lastly, ask each Secretary to submit plans to, first, restructure their department, second, cut their department staffing by a minimum of fifty percent, and lastly, to dissolve their department entirely and advising where critical actions could be best served. Then meet with the President and go through these plans and decide which departments need to implement which plan. Just as a starter, may we suggest you get rid of Educations Department, Homeland Security Department; half or more of the law enforcement bureaus starting with BTFE, and have the State Department reduce its staff by fifty percent, at least twice. Advice for President Trump, ignore much of the noise which erupts regularly from the State Department, as often doing the opposite of what they advise is the best move.
Beyond the Cusp