Welcome, everyone across myriad platforms and around the world and live on cspan2 to Atlantic Council front page 4 the hash tag for the twitterratti among you. Its our honor to host the 70th secretary of state mike pompeo, former director of the Central Intelligence agency, former member of congress, former u. S. Army officer, finished first in his class at west point, Harvard Law School graduate and of course, much more. Im fred kemp, president and ceo of the Atlantic Council and mr. Secretary, this is a heroic day. Israel and bahrain are set to sign an accord, first such agreement between israel and an agreement in more than a quarter century. And theyll sign with the u. N. And ba bahrainy foreign ministe. We have a lot to discuss in the half hour. The china issues, but lets start with the middle east although i know you have a few prepared comments. My first question would be, looking at the longterm implications for the u. S. And the region of this accord. How does the u. S. Alliance structure look longer term . What does this shift streakically . Whatever opening comments you have and then dig into the middle east. First, thank you for having me, it is a big day, as soon as we wrap up here, literally, ill ahead to the white house for the historic opportunity for the signing of documents with the reality and thats where i begin with the Trump Administrations approach to the middle east. I have prepared remarks and ill skip them for the sake of having a good conversation. That strategy began with the reality for decades, this town, Foreign Policy with respect to the middle east gave the palestinians a veto right that they could action way that prevented any arab from engaging with the most important in the middle east, security, relationships, all the way that nations interact. We took a different view, a vision for peace, the deep rec nation the primary stabilizing force in the middle east was not the conflict between israel and the palestinians, but rather the threat by both the extra territorial in iraq. And we identified iran as a strategic threat to the United States of america and began to set out policies for the American People related to that. I was in doha this weekend and its in the disconnected. For the first time afghans sat down together to begin to pound out what a reconciled peaceful afghanistan would look like. And who the parties are, how difficult that would be. But recognition that america has accomplished fewer than 200 al qaeda left in afghanistan today and now delivering a set of outcomes that will reduce the costs in blood from our american servicemen and women, in treasure, from the american taxpayer, and risk, to the United States of america. So what well see today at the white house is a set of countries that came to the same conclusion that we did what was best in their sovereign interest and recognize the relationships with them and build up security relationships around that. A coalition that has been in the works for three plus years now. I heard someone say boy, this happened overnight. I can assure you, this has taken all the efforts under President Trumps leadership for three years now to get us to this place today. And the question of what kind of impact this could have on the u. S. Alliance structure, could there be techtonic shifts . What are the longer views for the region and the United States and the region . I think this recognizes the reality that the gulf states have all recognized. It shouldnt go without notice not only have these nations chosen to recognize israel, but when the gulf states all got together and the palestinians demanded that there be a statement denouncing what took place, that did not occurment frankly, the only two countries that have vehemently denounced this were iran and turkey and so, yes, there is a big shift in how these alliances are set. The Previous Administration took an iran center focused, funneled hundreds of millions to the republic of iran under the hezbollah to undermine lebanese and iraqi sovereignty and stability and created chaos inside of syria. This administration has taken a fundamentally different approach to create an opportunity for increased stability in the middle east and less risk to america. Youve mentioned iran. What are the implications for iran, do you believe . This week reported to be weighing assassination attempt for the u. S. Ambassador to south africa. As you know, mr. Secretary, i was in the middle east at the time that we hit qasem soleimani, the iraqi general and the iraqi command earthquake. That assassination attempt was ostensibly to be in revenge for that hit. So i think the specific question is the implications of this agreement to iran, but also, a little bit of context, where you think we are right now in that struggle . Well, we should take the iranians word what they think about these agreements. They think this fundamentally is a detriment to their security. They have made accusations about their muslim brothers that are outrageous, and its frankly showed the antisemitic nature of the regime in iran as well. Plus, i dont want to comment on the intelligence, but the iranians didnt need an action by the United States to conduct assassination campaigns around the world. This has been their model for 40 years, now this, too. Fred. Their model of conducting political assassinations in europe and other places and building out networks and capabilities, proxy forces around the world. This is the iranian model. What we have done is strive to build out a set of understandings that denies the regime the capabilities and you can see it. You can see a weakened capacity from hezbollah. You can see them scratching and clawing and turning to narcotics activities to generate revenue. You can see whats happening in iraq, in the greater spice and shia militia and putting back in the hand of iraqi leadership. All of these things because of President Trumps fundamental understanding the way we had been conducting our business in the middle east for decades hpt delivered on american security, and were now getting to that place where well be able to do that. Thank you, lets shift to china. As i talk about people observing the Trump Administrations Foreign Policy they point to the middle east and china as the areas where theres probably at this point the most lasting legacy. Some believe your speech on china at the Nixon Library and museum was one of historic significance in july, following the speeches of the National Security advisors, the fbi director and the attorney general, theres direct comparisons being made to Ronald Reagan and his trust and verify. You said distrust and verify. You called china for its quote, desire for global, and how would you view this comparison to reagan toward the soviet union and now towards china and do you want what reagan ultimately got, the collapse of the economy . The outcome is were seeking to ensure the rulesbased system that benefitted not only the United States of america, but freedom loving people around the world is the dominant force for the century that were in as well. Thats the objective set. Thats in fact when i talked about chinese desire for hedge money. Thats what im speaking to. The Chinese Party says, we should take them at their word when xi jinping is talking about national rejuvenation, hes not talking about a party, having a good day and a celebration. Hes talking about the middle kingdom. Hes talking about the central ideas of chinese nationalism and the marxist leninist underpinning of his regime. Hes put resources, and a model highly developed. They sponsor enterprises in the military fusion program. Thats are things that xi jinping knows and for a long time the west sat on its hand and turned the other cheek. What i spoke at the Nixon Library most clearly was the need to reorient and recognize the policies that were chosen back in the 1970s, whether they may well have made sense at the time, no longer make sense for the security of the American People. This isnt just a security issue, this is a fundamental understanding about how economies grow and how weve preserved jobs and Wealth Creation and prosperity here in the United States of america. This is central to the Trump Administrations Foreign Policy, i believe its going to be central to every administrations Foreign Policy for years to come. Trump Administration Critics say it would be easier to counter china, as you said for years to come into the future administrations if we had done more to rally allies. I know youve been in asia and europe doing exactly that. Where do you feel youve succeeded . Where do you have worries . Yet, whether you look at germany, south korea, japan, even the uae, he all have china as their number one trading partner at the moment. Fred, thats an important question and ive seen this critique. Let me give you two thoughts. First the most important ally to have on this is the American People. The American People need to fundamentally understand the threat thats imposed on them and youve seen ive traveled the United States, im going to travel to the state capital next week to talk about the threat from the united front from inside the United States. Youve seen what weve done to those five in houston, and thats been going on a long time and said, well, too bad. Goodness gracious we have an open country theyre going to spy and steal our stuff. Were not going to do that. The most Important Group we need to take the case for convince the American People of a threat and challenge and i think weve gone a long way into communicating transpare transparently why it is the case tens of millions of jobs have been stolen through the chinese predatory in the United States and cannot continue and that connects to the piece to your point, the international allies, ive spent my year and a half as director of the Central Intelligence agency and now Goodness Gracious coming on two half years as secretary of state all around the world. Talking to them. Not coercively, not threateningly just data, just facts about what the Chinese Communist party is doing to their people and to their country, to the threats that opposes their sovereignty, and watch the shift, the world awakened and my view that the tide has turned. Whether its their recognition of the coverup that took place with respect to the chinese virus. Whether its the predatory activity now falling flat all across africa, whether its the countries who i spoke with, in meetings last week, could many to go understand that these attacks on their Economic Activity inside their resource zones are something that they have the capacity to stand up to so long as america is prepared to do it alongside them. I think these are powerful shifts in the worlds view of the threat from the Chinese Communist party and i think commercial activity, that engaging with china, will reflect those risks. Ive seen it, ive seen it from American Business leaders. They understand now much more clearly the Political Risk of socialing with operating inside a country dominated and controlled by an i think isle party, the Chinese Communist party. General jim jones, executive chairman emeritus of the Atlantic Council former National Security advisor, supreme allied commander of europe, sends in a question along those lines. Digging a little bit deeper. It seems to many of us that china has made europe an epicenter, almost a target of its global efforts. Youve been to europe recently, youve talked to people. Specifically, youve signed secure 5gmous, slovenia, elsewhere. How did you effectuate those mous and do we have an alternative to huawei to offer our friends and allies . Jim asks, as he always does, a good question. What we can do in the United States we have the capacity to control information, for example, that comes into our embassies, ill give this as a microexample. Weve now told the world that information coming to our embassies must only come from trusted vendors. That means they cant come across a system that has the capacity to flow information back to the Chinese Communist party or mms or National Security apparatus. Thats a microexample. Were building out systems with australians, french, japanese, indians, each of whom have come to have an understanding of the threat. As for alternatives, i was very distressed to find the gap between huawei and American Technology with respect to 5g or as a matter of fact western technolo technology. But the two last years ive washed erickson and nokia take up the mantel and others with the process, im confident there will be Cost Effective deliverable from western trusted vendors that can often the same services, or comparison services, the cost, you literally have we always joke about between airbus and boeing being subsidized. Thats child play compared to what the Chinese Communist party does. These were companies bent on stealing American Technology, bringing it to the homeland and then turning around and dumping it into america and other countries and bullying them. I think the nation should show up and say its free, theyve now come to know the real cost with untrusted vendors in their system and over time, i think the world will come to recognize thats not the right path and you will see western technologies that are verifiable, trustworthy and transparent come to dominate the telecommunications market. And then whats your vision then for an end state . Decoupling seems unlikely with a peer competitor as integrated in the World Economy as china is. So where do we land . Where is a safe and good place to land with this strategy . Yeah, its a good question. Ive gone back and read the histories we thought wed land when we challenged the soviet union. No one had a sense how that would unfold. I will tell you theres much to unfold here as well. We know what it will ultimately look like and we into that the Chinese Communist party will make decisions that well have to respond to. But what it looks like, it likes like a world that is controlled and operated in a way that freedomloving nation, and worldloving nations, and law abiding. Not by a regime, or have the states under their economic um th this thumb. What it will look like inside of china, ng that the Chinese People will have a heavy say in and the chienese communist party will have to the make decisions. Theyre not ten feet tall. Challenges faced inside of china as they attempt this play for globally, and i hope that what everyone on the call will take away is the theory that everyone has been talked about, its predicated on conflict between the United States and the Chinese Community nis party because the United States is a declining nation is fundamentally false, it misunderstands who we are as americans, were not a declining nation and the Chinese Communist party is seeing for the first time that america is going to stand up for itself respond in ways that are fair and reciprocal and defend american interests wherever we find them. Thank you, mr. Secretary. Most americans, most people in the world have not heard of something called the three Cs Initiative. Youve been advancing this in your trips to europe and your most recent trip to europe. We have a soft spot for this because the concept was originally born at the Atlantic Council. It is, for listeners, its a northsouth corridor of transport, transportation, energy. It doesnt really replace eastwest, but more deeply integrates Central Eastern european nations and beyond. And what do you see, in poland an advocate for this, adam bowler, running the International Development corporation has put some potential funding on the table i think has motivate this had to go further and theres going to be a summit in estonia soon. What has this achieved . Its a fine idea, an important idea about thinking about a different part of european infrastructure. Youd asked the question earlier about europe. I always try not to respond to questions generically with respect to europe because youre talking about dozens of nations with deeply different views. This is another example whe