Interview: Philip Crowley’s views on US diplomacy under President Trump, the North Korean Crisis and ISIS

Philip Crowley, US diplomat and former Assistant Secretary of State, shares his views on US diplomacy in the Middle East region under President Trump, the North Korean crisis and ISIS.
Commenting on the shifts seen in US diplomacy over the last year, Philip Crowley stresses that “every US presidential election is disruptive, yet I think what is remarkable about the transition from the Obama administration to the Trump administration is the degree to which the trump administration is trying to unwind some of the most significant achievements of the Obama administration. The Trump administration has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement, it has cancelled the trans-pacific partnership agreement” and there is a possibility it could be withdrawing from the Iran nuclear agreement, (…) “this will have a negative impact on the international perception of the Trump administration” explains Philip Crowley.
Regarding the North Korean crisis, he stated that “there’s not a easy or apparent solution (…) North Korea does not appear that they are willing to give up their nuclear capability (…) the international community will struggle to put in place a new strategy, it’s important to be patient because the North Korean crisis for the moment can be contained if there is participative action”.
Is the war against ISIS over or will it spread further? “The war against the Islamic State Caliphate is nearing completion, thanks to some outstanding work in the region (…) unfortunately the ideology is still there and spreading in other parts of the world” points out the former US Secretary of State. “The war against the Islamic Caliphate will be successfully waged, the war against the Islamic state ideology, (…) that challenge is going to continue with us for a long time”.
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