[inaudible conversations] good morning, everybody. Welcome to the institute. Im the senior vicepresident or foreign and defense policy studies here at aei. Et cetera its an honor to welcome mike pompeo for the first time in this current role, in this current roam. Im going to read your bio. This isnt always something i do. Those who know me know i race through, but i sat down and looked at the bio and was ennorm mustily impressed. Ill read it and embarrass you. Sworn in, he was on select committee on intelligence and energy and commerce, and he was on the house select benghazi committee. He headed up his own company. Number one graduate in his class from west point. Along the iron curtain when we had an iron curtain although were well on our way back and graduated at harvard, law review. Thats impressive and honored to have you serving in our government and delighted to see it. Normally i would give you a little bit of a rundown on what the director was going to say, but unusually, per
That, he served on the Benghazi Committee but before that, he was in business for himself, he headed up his own company and he was a graduate, the number one in his class served with the for the idea along the iron curtain when we still had an iron curtain and we are well on our way back and graduated after serving from Harvard Law School at the lot review, that is pretty impressive. It is really an honor to have you serving in our government and i am delayed to see it. Normally i would give you a bit of a run down on what the director was going to say but unusually perhaps in this administration, i had no idea, no leaks out of the cia, you imposed a discipline on everybody that is here to for a minute. This director was before a little while and then he will sit down with aeis on market for a conversation and then some questions for the audience. Without further a do, mr. Director. [applause] director pompeo good morning everyone. This will be one year to the minute when i was sworn i
This is the story of syrian president bashar assad a tyrant who has waged a brutal war against his own people hes used chemical weapons should this despotic butcher be allowed to take part in peace talks with western states. We have to talk to assad and his representatives. Assad and his russian allies have after all played a key role in helping the west defeat Islamic State forces but can really help to stabilize the middle east as a useful tyrant. And. Here visit Syrian Government troops in the summer of twenty sixteen the Syrian Government has been fighting a bitter civil war for more than six years more than three hundred thousand people have been killed in the conflict. Ten million have been forced to leave their homes tens of thousands have been arrested and tortured in government prisons but assad could still prove useful to the west. As a mudra bosher are i suspect in some measure is always trying to live up to the image of his father. The latest wave of terrorism in europe the
The subtitle, gives it away, the secret history of israels targeted assassination but im taken by the title of the book that says rise and killed first. You say it comes from the babylonian town heard, if someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first. That dates back at least 15 centuries yet you seem to suggest its still equally relevant today. I plan to start with what to me, is one of the central premise of your book which is the very existence of the jewish state is founded on the principle that assassination of key individuals are key to survival. You still have that sense after all of your interviews and all of your understanding that this is indeed a core reason for the existence of the jewish state today . First i would like to thank you for inviting me. It is a great honor. The last weeks were happy and i was pleased with the reception the book had with the American Media. It doesnt have one engine of President Trump. So the main secret, the American Media can like som
Time in this current role. Im going to read your bio, this is something i dont always do. Raise through but i sat down and looked at the directors bio and i was really a impressed. Im going to read it and embarrass you. Someone in as director of the cia in january of 2017, he was a the committee on intelligence and committee on energy and commerce prior to that, he served on the Benghazi Committee but before that, he was in business for himself, he headed up his own company and he was a graduate, the number one in his class served with the for the idea along the iron curtain when we still had an iron curtain and we are well on our way back and graduated after serving from Harvard Law School at the lot review, that is pretty impressive. It is really an honor to have you serving in our government and i am delayed to see it. Normally i would give you a bit of a run down on what the director was going to say but unusually perhaps in this administration, i had no idea, no leaks out of the c