Hart this path through the challenges ahead in 2018, the president setting the agenda some tweets. With this was the tweet just after 7 00 this morning talking about iran. The people of iran are acting iranian regime. All the money president obama oolishly gave them went into terrorism and their pockets. Eople have little food, big inflation. The u. S. Is watching. A lot to unpack there. Iranian protest, do you agree with the president s read there of why the protests are happening . Guest i think we need to be ery careful, a lot of the protests do seem to be a reaction to economics, it is not lacking food or is a opportunities, it failure to do reform, to provide jobs and income people need and want. It is the fact inflation, as president pointed out deprived savings, their opportunities, it is a very oung country, where young people have stated unemployment of population that may be higher. These are critical factors. Are certainly many liberal that want more socie society, that are calling for change change, but we need to be careful, the president tends to a very hard line. Host the protests going on for world a week, with the community taken by surprise by the protests happening now . Are alwaysink people taken by surprise when you have this happen suddenly. Back at the economic forecast, they actually were a more favorable than they have been in past years and here have been some economic reforms. So this was something of a urprise, but people have said or years that this is a regime that has been oppressive and failed to develop a country, economic needs, to serve the basic interests of the people. Of unrest this sort happens in a country like iran, u. S. s goal, what should we be doing right now in your mind . The one key goal we have is to encourage reform. T is to create a situation where if we can, to get irans military security actions. Potentially at least, for some kind of incentives that would iran more economic opportunities. We need to be very careful, if threaten intervention, if we regime as if seeking change and make this something where the u. S. Appears to be the protest for its own goals, you undermine all of that are positive and there are certainly many iranians that take the threat from the United States and the world serious. Host is the president doing that when it comes to tweets couple days . E past guest i think the president has stand, so has the administration, we havent really decided on what our is yet. And i think the world has the tweets sort of in perspective and wait for path of american action. Host in terms of what our trump is, i know the administration put out a new National Security strategy in 2017, one, what is that, and two, what does it say about iran . Well, one has to be careful, it describes iran, i accurately, as one of the more serious threats against peace. About a very strong its effort to check iran, influence, its nuclear programs. Take a clear stand on the Nuclear Agreement, but talks about very strong support of our allies in the region, including he arab countries and the gulf cooperation. Address oesnt do is any issues now emerging, what happens if you get unrest in how do you deal with the regime and the iranian people . Before this National Security strike was issued, supposed iran strategy, but it kconsisted list of indictments, many correct, against iran. Really any ggest positive policy. Host what is the point of a National Security strategy if it be changed or if events date . That make it out of guest well, reality is when we National Security strategy, it was a 55page outlined goal t after goal as priority actions nder four different major categories, plus a separate section on regional action. Did do is cite primary goals, what it did do is our allies in Many American estated policy in more conservative major it called for defense building. But what it does do is tell administration thinks about protecting america, about economic policy, about allies, about r strengthening defense. Work for s the ground the budgets and in the real world, the strategy documents are mostly goals. Specific nly one statement about the defense in calls ire document, that for Ballistic Missile defense. Really specific reference to Something Like the buried all and it is among some 17 other priorities issue. Aling with the we have to wait until the budget submission comes out in february what it means, if it means all that much. Host spending some time with Anthony Cordesman this morning, goals and ut the issues that will be on the trump administrations radar on Foreign Policy tochlt join the conversation, 2027488000 is for democrats. 2027488001 for republicans. 2027488002 is the number for independents. The ure calling in, president also yesterday taking s to afghanistan and pakistan with a tweet saying the United States is foolishly given billion in aid over have st 15 years and they given us nothing but lies and deceit thinking of our leaders as fools. Safe haven to the terrorists, no more the president said. Mean, no more . Guest i think what it means deal of pended a great the aid. If you take it literally, it means no more aid. Doesnt mean were going to somehow take military pakistan. Ainst it also is conditioned, it gives option of making as usual, tion and the president has taken a hard line. Akistan has taken quite a number of measures to deal with terrorism, but the broad ndictment is correct and now the question is whether suspending aid will accomplish anything. Host how does that impact the military mission in afghanistan u. S. Forces still are . Guest well, the question is a we have one because talked about this again and it hasnt had d that much impact. Pakistan is acted in its own interest, it certainly hasnt acted in ours for those of the afghan government. Talking with Anthony Center n, chair at the for strategic and International Studies. With us for the next 20 minutes, well get to your calls. Texarkana, arkansas, line for independents. Go ahead. Caller yes, sir, thank you for taking my call. Love cspan, it is the only place to get accurate news. Ahead, mike, what is your question for Anthony Cordesman . Caller yes, sir, i have a question for you. Years old and followed politics since eisenhower, i president l any , eeting diplomatic policies statement against pakistan. Weapon has nuclear capability, why do we what is that he does not understand how diplomacy works. Diplomats that are in ffice because of ignorant diplomacy. Uest i think that many people question the sort of tweeting trategy that the president is using. The best i can come up with is tweets, ot of these while i take a hard line, very stand, almost hard sell, to other ften signals countrys and some reinforce u. S. Existed for a long time. They tend to be followed up by pragmatic d more stance. Whether this negotiating tactic works is something that we have yet to see. So far it isnt clear that it is having that much more impact, if any, than more conventional policy options you just talked about. Host well let the tweets continue to be our guide this morning, including one from just 9 00, the president tweeting out, sanctions and other pressures are beginning to a big impact on north korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing korea. H rocket man now wants to talk to outh korea for the first time, perhaps that is good news, perhaps not, we will see, the president tweeted this morning. What signal are you takeing from that . Uest well, i think that this strange newa rather years, were getting an aroundtheworld survey of new president. The host good time to have you on. Guest couple people crossing dmz is not much military sense of defections, these all the time. That they had north korea doing anything in to u. S. Pressure that will serve our interests. F anything, he has turned to south korea and taken more moderate stand because he knows like to rnment would have the option of negotiating, improving relations with north korea and needs it because of olympics and the desire to have secure sort of during the time this is being held. A signal of north korea korea moderation. F anything, there are some signals that north korea even more committed to Nuclear Weapons and missiles than in the past. Host such as . Guest there is a recent uncertain way they have had more chinese even more committed to Nuclear Weapons and missiles than wethe had previously thought and there also are indications they are still able to get oil indirectly russia in spite of the pledges they made to the. N. Host center for strategic and International Studies is online t csis. Org, Anthony Cordesman is the chair in strategy at csis. Georgetown, indiana, line for democrats. Good morning. Caller good morning, sir. Host go than we had ahead. Caller yes, sir. T seems mr. Anthony cordesman was rather grinning at the idea the president and his tweet. Im a democrat, ive been all my i happen to be a legislator. It seems to me this president is to be said. Needs we have been tiptoeing through lips for too many years with these peep and he will they heari wha we have been tiptoeing through the tu lips for too many years with these peep and he will they need to hen wha we have been tiptoeing through the tu lips for too many years with these peep and he will they need to heg whatting needs to b said. We have been tiptoeing through the tu lips for too many years with these peep and he will they need to hearwe have been tiptoe the tu lips for too many years with these peep and he will they lips for too many years with these peep and he will they need to hear some straight talk. Like he said, what we do is a little bit different, but they need to know, indeed there is a in town and im glad years mocrat, and im 81 birthday, so host virginia, what office did office, e in, state local office . Caller it was a local Office Roberts rules are roberts and we need more of roberts rules. Call. Thanks for the Anthony Cordesman, give you a chance. Guest i think we need to be hardline l taking that sometimes exaggerate the case and willingnessmericas to act. It is one thing to take a firm tand and then implement it clearly in ways that other ountries, particularly potential threats, can see. It is another to simply take a stance and not change the path of action. To be hink this is going a critical year, because weve said a lot in the last year and lot of it has not been followed up by action. Going toion is, are we ake tangible actions or make hard statements. Host to virginia, oscar, morning. , good caller good morning, thanks for taking my call. The ike to ask you about pence that Vice President made to afghanistan. Fact that d on the south korea has 28,000 soldiers, nly about a couple thousand afghanistan. Does pence have to make a isit during the holidays to afghanistan or oneday visit, what have you, even if a holiday visit. Why couldnt he have gone to outh korea and visit our most Critical Military apparatus, who are more danger or in line with ire than the folks in afghanistan in the almost 28,000 plus people there, plus their families . Your point, oscar. Guest remember, the president has been. We have had senior american iing als regularly visit korea. Neglecting matter of u. S. Troops in korea and i think ertainly secretary mattis cannot be accused in any sense of the eassuring them kind of support theyre going to need. He Vice President s trip to afghanistan was not announced, it followed rief, problems in arranging a cheduled trip to the middle east, so he took the opportunity to visit u. S. Troops in that,istan, but more than it isnt a matter of just visiting troops, every time you this, you send signals as to support for a s. Given ally and thats the key reason for these visits. I think in fairness, the vice visit was something that had to be rearranged tis certainlyickly not the case that any has neglected troop necessary korea. Ost you mentioned secretary mattis, also want to talk about secretary of state Rex Tillerson turnover when it comes to key leaders, when it comes to Foreign Policy and turnover arew much you expecting in 2018 . You know, i think anybody made any process about turnover administration, almost any administration would be proved ertain to be wrong. T is certainly a question and becoming i think disruptive question. With is e ended up constant doubt in the world as of our the future secretary of state is. That makes it harder to have an harder to support the administration, it creates the of gap between the president and his secretary of state. Be dealt with either by , the ing the relationship timing, the statement on both sides or by changing the of state. But if you do that, youll do it the state department is being reorganized without having reorganized, do it in ways that raise serious questions support ther we still all of the actions that the and secretarytate and fense cooperated on whatever the impact is in the and is massive confusion uncertainty all over the world. Host what was Rex Tillersons in 2017 . Mpact guest i think his biggest bring was to constantly the kind of hard sell from the a more t back into entral position, without moderating or undermining, to how there was practical parliament to cooperate with the secretary of defense and show had a unified approach o actually running the administration. This is a matter of balance and it is a matter of the secretary state and the secretary of under therked closely president and at the same time, rovided the kind of pragmatic following that this president needs. Indiana, urora, robert, republican, go ahead. Soler yes, you know, we get many of these what you call experts about the world today today, it tells you, you will have wars, rumors you will have tornados, is trying tond god show people, in the last days he says they will be blinded to truth. Are blinded to the truth today, i think mr. Trump is alone is job, leave him and let him do it. That is my comment. About obert talking experts. It will take me a long time to biography rough your briefly and where you served around the world and how long doing this. Caller well, i went into the secretary of defense during the kennedy administration. In the office of the secretary of defense in the department, u. S. Elegation to nato, i served delegated to National Security inncil, i was at the embassy lond london. In policy in the middle east. Issues in asia, areas likenvolved in inside of afghanistan, both as a consultant and as an advisor on the genermccrystal. Th assistant to senator john ccain, its been more than 50 years, to put it simply and quite a number of president s and officials in the process. Host and what is csis, for folks who dont know. Guest its center for strategic and International Studies, it abshire, d by david which is where comes from. It is very much not politically n line, we dont have a democratic or republican side. A center for analysis and planning. Of lobbyists. T host we have 10 minutes left to Anthony Cordesman, get as many calls as we can. Grant in d. C. , line for ahead. Ndents, go caller yes, i want to ask nthony what he thinks the u. S. Moral position on Nuclear Nonproliferation is, essentially we waved or president s allowed export,ress to wave arms control prohibition on aid to 1999, mr. D india n. Anthony cordesman himself said 1986, he believed the sraelis in collusion with the plans ownener apollo, pennsylvania, actually stole build 10 pons to Nuclear Weapons. I mean, what is the u. S. Moral nuclear on nonproliferation when were ssentially bit by bit destroying this countrys credibility on Nuclear Nonproliferation . Guest well, first, lets be very careful, i reported and the suspicion there ad been israeli effort to obtain material from a plant. Here it has never been affirmed. When you talk about proliferation, the reality is we have continuously taken a strong attempting to check it. The reality is, when you have confrontation you do indiapakistan, you have to deal with the fact once they with two te, you live major powers that have great influence. Mpact and when you talk about what has appened in israel, and thankfully no doubt that most experts believe israel has a nuclear arm Ballistic Missile force. The u. S. Has pressured israel kind of over at force that might provoke its neighbors. Its put pressure on virtually all of the arab states to not go nuclear. Theres only so much you can do, frankly in the world. T is not simply a matter of dealing with nuclear, you have advances in biotechnology. You have the fact that precisionguided conventional weapons can now take out economic facilities, effectively becoming weapons of effectiveness. These are realities that are steadily more threatening in the future. We can put as much pressure as we can on the new National Strategy calls for that. But we have no unilateral to stop other countries and taking moral stand our influence and ability to work with them is not to achieve any moral effects. Host jay, silver spring, independents, for go ahead. Caller hi, i am so glad that on this someone morning, im sorry, good talk on everyone; to what is going on in the world. I am 75 years old. In a few more days. I agree with what the guest has far, everything he said, i would like to say one thing, him you please have explain why some segment ontainment about obama giving money to iran . Let him do hisnd answer. Host sure. We will hangup and do that. Early happy birthday to you. Anthony cordesman. Guest a lot of this is failure happened. And what he Nuclear Agreement with iran basically led to our essentially iran had oney that given us that was no gift. Recognized death. Iran to nly allowed have the ability to export oil easily and to increase the the export t from that was not an american gift, it was the lifting of sanctions. Itshe process, iran gave up Nuclear Reactor capability to plutonim, put uranium tight ing under international inspection. It had to give up highly uranium materials. Of was a major set sacrifices and it means iran in practice cannot, at least in the term, produce nuclear eapons and missiles with nuclear war. Tradeoff because iran ot something for giving up its Nuclear Systems and it is debatable, if you happen to feel we should never make concessions that you need the perfect arms control agreement. Experts do disagree over this certainly no guarantees for the future, as said, problem we ave, technology advances, our ability to control both nuclear nd biological weapons does decline. Nd negotiation gets harder and harder and trade loss become more host when it comes to iranian what sort of deadline should we focus on in 2018 . Oming months of guest really are a set of inspections. The key issue is how well this inspection process is working. T is how well countries in the group that super flies this actually demand the inspections be fully effective be going through a set of regular that could potentially lead to an end to the agreement . This is something that was always going to be uncertain. Host one more call from california. The republican line. Go ahead. President trumps most recent executive order it seems he has frozen the assets of a lot of prominent people, both domestically and internationally. I would like to know what he thinks about it. The president cant ofeze domestic assets american senators. The only way this can be done is through the u. S. Legal system and the justice system. Dealsis a process that with people outside the United States who are involved in supporting terrorism. The Treasury Department can list people who are financing terrorism. That, the treasury does if the treasury says that, their assets will be frozen and they will not be able to use u. S. Assets and they will be asgged internationally promoters of extremism and terrorism. This has been going on and was a in countering terrorism after the events of 9 11. Treasuryblished on the departments website. It is public. Websitethean to csis. Org if you want to read more. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] announcer live picture from the White House Briefing room. We will have live coverage as soon as it gets underway. More on washington journal, with a look at the congressional agenda. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2017] host staff correspondent with the national