AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was despised by many American allies, ridiculed by adversaries, and disliked by a significant number of his own diplomats.
By rejecting the traditional role of diplomacy and mirroring President Donald Trump’s own unpredictable style, Pompeo’s strategy backfired, the New York Times said in a report, citing foreign policy analysts and a large number of diplomats at the US State Department.
As he leaves office, Pompeo, 57, has been described by a number of US officials and analysts with the dubious distinction of the worst secretary of state in American history, the newspaper reported.
That distinction will come back to haunt Pompeo as he considers running for president in 2024 or seeking another elected office, as he is widely believed to be doing.
“The glass is far more empty than it is full,” said Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security and a former diplomat.
His turbulent tenure at the State Department was characterized by a series of investigations, some of which continue, including whether he violated ethics laws by engaging in political activity while on the job.
Pompeo was at the fore of the Trump administration’s hostile actions against China, Iran and Venezuela, using a mix of economic sanctions and provocative policy shifts.
However, Fontaine noted that the Trump administration failed to reach its objectives against any of those nations.
Washington’s standing in the world declined significantly during Pompeo's time in office, according to many career diplomats.
In dealing with Venezuela, Pompeo marshaled about 60 countries against Maduro after disputed elections and battered the government in Caracas with sanctions. But Maduro has remained in power.
Regarding Iran, Trump withdrew from a landmark 2015 Iran nuclear agreement with Tehran in May 2018, just weeks after Pompeo moved to the State Department. Over the next two years, he repeatedly vexed efforts by other world powers to keep the 2015 nuclear deal intact.
In stark contrast, Pompeo was a dedicated supporter of the Israeli regime, defying internationally recognized norms, such as supporting the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.
Pompeo also showed his steadfast support of Israel by moving the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds and declaring Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian territory of Golan Heights.
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source : Yahoo News
Tuesday
19 January 2021
9:52:17 AM
1107186
Outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was despised by many American allies, ridiculed by adversaries, and disliked by a significant number of his own diplomats.