The World as It is, Ben Rhodes Flashcards
Primary elections
Clinton / Obama flaws
- Clinton, too closed to Bush because she voted for the Iraq war, couldn’t be trusted to bring change
- Obama wasn’t experienced enough
Objectives after 8 years of Bush
- wind down the wars
- reinvigorate diplomacy
restore America’s standing around the world
Rumors on Obama before elections
- Muslim
- Kenyan
- terrorist sympathizer
NATO Summit, Strasbourg, 2009
Obama asked countries to increase their troop commitments in Afghanistan
Turkey, 2009
Promise of the campaign: he recognized the 1915 Armenian genocide
Impact of the Iraq war on Obama’s election
Rhodes thinks Obama would have never become president without the Iraq war
American contradictions : Afghanistan
War on terrorism in Afghanistan against jihadists who were armed by the US in the 80s
American contradictions : Israel
Palestinian Peace Agreement while foreign assistance finances the Israeli military (occupation of Palestinian territory)
Which prison did Obama want to close and why?
Guantanamo “Gitmo” because it represented a threat to American national security.
2009, King Badullah let the US down by refusing to take detainees.
War of Afghanistan’s nickname
- Obama’s war
- given by the media because he had supported it and called for more brigades
Difference between Al Qaeda and Talibans
- Al Qaeda is a terrorist group trying to attack the US
- Talibans are domestic political actors inside Afghanistan
Afghanistan surge, 2009
- Obama didn’t want to send more troops but his advisors disagreed
- Ultimately he decided to send 30 000 troops + 10 000 NATO
- “temporary surge” supposed to last 18 months
- to secure the population centers
- training and counterterrorism
New START Treaty
- Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
- signed in April 2010 by Obama and Medvedev
- the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms
Midterms 2010
- Republicans took control of the House
- Senate remained Democrat
2 different worlds
- inside the US
- outside the US (deeper connection with the people)
Start of the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt
- Started in Tunisia (Bouazizi), Ben Ali fled power in January 2011
- Cairo: people started to set fire to themselves to protest against repression, corruption and Mubarak
US position on Egypt and challenges
- the US backed Egypt by providing decades of military assistance following the Camp David Accords (1978)
- challenge: side of the people in the streets (young team) or the side of the autocrats (senior team, stability with Mubarak)?
- the US had to be on the right side of History
Clinton’s opinion on Egyptian government during the Arab Spring
- it was stable
- she would put forward the Egyptian government’s view (close relationship during Clinton’s mandates)
Biden’s opinion on Mubarak
He was not a dictator
Obama’s statement on Egypt (written by Rhodes)
- universal rights
- respect
- refrain from violence
- pursue “a path of political change”
End of Mubarak
- televised statement saying he would resign but not enough for Obama who wanted him to step down
- Frank Wismer (former ambassador in Egypt) sent to counsel Mubarak
- Cameron: need to be more aggressive
- February 11th: Mubarak’s resignation
- Obama admitted it was easier because he didn’t know Mubarak contrary to the Bushes, Clintons, Biden
Reaction of the US towards the Libya uprising
- Global impression the US was too slow (revolt led by social media)
- Most people in government didn’t want to do anything
- Libya was not a priority
- Sarkozy to push UNSC for a no-fly zone to prevent Gaddafi’s planes from bombing civilians and rebel forces
- Rice: Gaddafi would massacre civilians. She put forward an “all necessary measures” to protect civilians
- Rice, Clinton and Power: duty to join the French and British. Humanitarian risks. Obama picked their side
- Gates and Biden: against intervention because no American interest in Libya and the regime was not a direct threat
- Rhodes: the international community is ready to act, the US mustn’t just watch
- Cameron and Sarkozy would lead after a period of days
Results of the operation in Libya
- Gaddafi’s forces were stopped on the outskirts of Benghazi
- tens of thousands of lives might have been saved
- not a single American was injured
- transfer to NATO command with French and British pilots
- New Yorker “leading from behind”
- Trump states Americans were killed
- October 2011: Gaddafi was killed
Bin Laden
- compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan
- Biden against a raid
- Gates compared it to Desert one (failure - Jimmy Carter)
- Clinton voted yes
- the risk of Bin Laden escaping was superior to the risk of the mission
- Rhodes prepared 4 speeches for 4 different scenarios
- White House Correspondents’ Dinner the day before the raid (Obama released his birth certificate a few days before)
- Photo album of the operation never released (Obama’s choice)
Spring 2011: assessments
- 100 000 troops had left Iraq
- the economy had stabilized
- healthcare reform was law
- Bin Laden was dead
- the war in Afghanistan was about to turn to deescalation
- the Arab Spring brought the promise of positive change
- BUT supporting characters (Congress, world) were missing
Trip to the UK, 2011
- David Plouffe (2008 campaign manager): the Queen would be a “great validator” for white people (2012 campaign around the corner)
- Obama first president to speak to the British Parliament
- Speech: broad defense of Western values
Trip to Russia, 2011
- to meet President Medvedev
- they got along after the 2008 crisis (invasion of Georgia)
- New START treaty
- agreement to resupply US troops in Afghanistan through Russia
- cooperated to enforce stronger sanctions on Iran
- Medvedev supported Obama. Putin (PM) criticized Medvedev
Syrian crisis, Summer 2011
- the people wanted Bashar al-Assad to fall but he was supported by Russia and Iran
- Free Syrian Army was formed to resist the regime
- August: statement for Assad to step aside, followed by Cameron, Sarkozy and Merkel
United Nations General Assembly, September 2011
- hot issue: welcoming Palestine. The US would support Israel
- Sarkozy showed his support for Palestinian recognition
Trip to Burma, November 2011
- Suu Kyi was released
- Clinton went to visit
Trip to Asia, November 2011
- to elevate the importance of the Asia Pacific Region (Asia seemed to represent the future)
- Hawaii, APEC summit. TPP (the US would write the rules of international trade and not China)
- Bali for the East Asia Summit (first time US President)
- Burma: opening engagement with the Burmese government
US troops in Irak, December 2011
The last convoy of US stroops left Iraq (agreement signed by Bush before Obama took office)
Cairo, threat at the US embassy, September 2012
Google/Youtube vidéo “Innocence of Muslims” (Muhammad humiliation)
Libya, September 2012
- crisis escalating
- Chris Stevens (US Ambassador) died
- from American intervention who saved tens of thousands of people to Mitt Romney’s critics
- lots of protests in Tunis, Lebanon and Khartoum
- Susan Rice picked to answer shows (Clinton wouldn’t)
Mitt Romney on Benghazi attacks, September 2012
Disgraceful from the administration to “sympathize” with those who waged the attacks
Trip to Burma, November 2012
- to meet Suu Kyi with Clinton
- Rohinga issue
End of 2012
Israel
- Israel at war with Gaza
- Mohamed Morsi recently elected in Egypt (Muslim Brotherhood)
- Obama talked to him to stop influence Hamas to stop firing Israel
Fall 2012, Syria
- recommendations to provide military support to the Syrian opposition but Obama says no
- Rhodes wants something bigger
- Obama thinks the US cannot fix the Middle East
First trip to Israel, March 2013
- meeting with Mahmoud Abbas
Trip to Africa, June 2013
- tensions in Egypt: Morsi toppled in a military takeover and sent to prison
- el-Sisi new leader “savior of Egypt: coup
- hope of Arab SPring stopped in 2013
Cuba negotiations 2013 (first meeting)
- Rhodes in charge
- Alan Gross (accused of spying) needed to be released from prison
- in exchange Cuba asked for the Wasp Network
- May 2013: message to the Cubans to propose a meeting, they accepted
- engaging with Cuba would improve the standing of the US in Latin America
- Alejandro Castro would be in charge
- meeting in Canada
- Castro listed historical facts “history lesson” of the Cold War.
- Rhodes insisted on wanting to look forward
- successful meeting that created a channel
Burma, July 2013
- trip without Obama
- Rhodes participated
- the US supported Burma’s transition to democracy, the reconciliation of ethnic groups and better conditions for Rohingyas
Syria, July 2013
- chemical attacks
- 2012: Obama warned Syrian that the red line would be the use of chemical weapons
- Obama decided to provide “direct military support” to the Syrian oposition
- Republicans in Congress: Syrian is not a direct threat to the US and violation of the separation of powers
- John Boehner asked for answers
- Obama needed congressional authorization
- the lawyers were concerned because no firm international legal basis for bombing Syrian: no self-defense, no UN resolution, no domestic legal basis for the President to take military action (hypocrisy from Republicans who had defended Bush’s ability to do whatever he wanted as Commander-in-Chief)
- British Parliament voted against
- Clinton, AIPAC, Saudi Arabia supported
- Putin accepted to work with the US
- Kerry put up quickly an agreement
- a few days later Syrian announced theu would give chemical weapons up
- Congressional vote never took place
- the US stayed out of it
Summer 2013, Wikileaks
- Edward Snowden
- surveillance state because of the activities of the NSA
2013 conspiracy theories
- Chris Stevens killed to run guns to jihadists in Syria
- Internet video insulting Ismal was a use from the administration
Critics on Susan Rice and Ben Rhodes
- Susan Rice supposed to become Secretary of State but she took her name out of the race because unethical, incompetent, careerist who lied
- Rhodes victim of threats and conspiracies
Iran, from June 2013 to October 2015
- Hassan Rohani elected President
- he wants to improve relations with the West
- Obama sent a letter proposing discussions on the nuclear issue: positive response
- channel in Oman in August
- Iran would freeze their nuclear program in return for some limited relief from sanctions
- P5+A would negotiate with the Iranians
- failed meeting at UNGA but phone call: Obama first American president to speak to an Iranian President since the Islamic Revolution in 1979
- they both agreed to pursue dialogue
- Kerry in charge
- meetings in Geneva
- the deal is signed in October 2015 and prevented Iran from getting a nuclear weapon
- deal needed Congressional support: the team would call Congress members one by one
- letter from physicists, European ambassadors, Israeli generals, rabbis, Iranian dissidents to support the deal
Constant racism in the Obama White House (2nde mandate)
- Trump saying Obama wasn’t American and believed by other Republicans
- “Kenyan monkey”, “a Muslim” on social media
- no Congressional Republicans came to the screening of Lincoln at the White House
- hope that his preisdency would bring racial reconciliation: Rice and Rhodes wanted him to be more personal because he could carry a legacy
Mandela’s death
- Reagan backed the Apartheid in 1980s
- handshake with Raul Castro: first President since the Revolution
- the mdeia didn’t mention his speech but his selfi with Danish PM
Cuba negotiations 2013 (second meeting)
- Second meeting: articificial insemination accepted for the wife of one prisoner in exchange for improvements in Alan Gross’s confinements
- Cubans refused Snowden in transit
Cuba negotiations 2013 (third meeting)
What did the US want to change?
- the State Sponsor of Terrorism list
- unwiding the US embargo
- restoring diplomatic relations
- the reform of Cuba’s economy and political system (Internet access, labor rights, political freedoms)
Cuba negotiations 2013 (third meeting)
What did Cuba want to change?
- the embargo lifted
- the naval base at Guantanamo returned
Cuba negotiations 2013 (fourth meeting)
- after the handshake
- in Trinidad and Tobago
- Cubans still want the release of the Cuban 5 but they Americans don’t want to free Gerard Hernandez
Crisis in Ukraine, 2013-2014
- pro-Russian Victor Yanukovych suspended preparations to enter into an “association agreement” with the EU.
- people held demonstrations (Maidan square)
- intercepted call between Nuland (Secretary of State for Europe) and Pyatt (Ambassador in Kiev)
- it seemed they picked a new leader
- Numand’s “Fuck the EU” criticizing the lack of actions from the EU
- call put on Twitter by the Russian government
- February 2014: Obama and Putin agreed on a formula that included elections in Ukraine but Yanukovitch fled
- March: Crimea was annexed, sanctions on Russia
Putin’s election, May 2012
- deteriorating relationship with the US
- Putin 45 minutes late to meet Obama
- Russia granted Snowden asylum in Moscow in August 2013
2007
After a terrorist attack…
Obama and Clinton
- Obama: the first thing to do is to have an effective emergency response
- Clinton: the first thing to do is go after the people
- Obama’s doctrine: “Don’t do stupid shit” (The World As It Is - Ben Rhodes)
Spring 2014, Cuba negotiations in Vatican because…
- had credibility with both the American and Cuban people
- neutral in foreign affairs
- supported a rapprochement
Cuba negotiations in Vatican, Spring 2014
- McCarrick’s help (cardinal who retired)
- Cardinal Ortega came to Washington with a letter from the Pope
Cuba negotiations, last meeting in Canada.
The Americans wanted…
- the release of political prisoners
- the increased access to Internet
- human rights and economic reform
- they agreed, the agreement would be shared with the Vatican
Number of troops in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2014
- 180 000
- 15 000
ISIL
- rebranded version of Al Qaeda in Irak
- declared Raqqa (Syria) its capital in January 2014
- took over Mossul in June 2014 and changed into Islamic State
- attacks on Yazidis: Obama decided to send supplies and start targeted airstrikes
- Jim Foley (40 year old journalist held hostage) was beheaded in response to the bombing
- Obama hesitated to give a statement that would elevate ISIL, yet he did
- he was criticized for playing golf that same afternoon
Cuba negotiations in Vatican, December 2014
- Cubans agreed to release 53 political prisoners and expand access to the Internet
- the US agreed to ease restrictions on travel and commerce
- public announcement: first call between leaders of Cuba and US since the revolution
Midterms 2014
Democrats were beaten
After Foley’s beheading, Obama refered to…
“Global war on terror” and not “radical Islam”.
Republicans attacked.
Countering Violent Extremism Task Force created in 2011
Series of measures to combat the threat from ISIL and other extremist groups (White supremacists)
Mass shooting, Charleston, June 2015
- Dylann Roof killed 9 people
- white supremacist
- in a church
- Obama sang during the memorial
- letter “Thank you for everything you are trying to do to help people”
ACA upheld by the Supreme Court in…
June 2015
Supreme Court ruled in favor fo same-sex marriage in…
June 2015
Trip to Laos, July 2016
- most heavily bombed country in history
- UXO: Unexploded ordnances
- Johnson and Nixon bombed Laos to preserve their credibility after failing in Vietnam
- to Obama, preserving one’s credibility is the worst reason to go to war
- mission to protect the Laotian from these bombs
Paris attacks, G20 Summit, Antalya, November 2015
“Why can’t we take out these bastards ?” Jim Acosta
2015, Congress and refugees
- proposals to ban refugees coming to the US
- Elizabeth Phu: NSC staffer who was a Vietnamese refugee after Americans pulled out of South Vietnam
Cop 21, November 2015
- Obama regretted Republicans didn’t believe in climate change
Havana trip, March 2016
- last President to go to Cuba: Cooleridge (1923-29)
- meeting with Raul Castro who presented the outlines of a tourist economy
- announcements that Americans would be able to travel, more transactions and initiation of a direct mail service
- Cubans agreed for a press conference between Obama and Castro after the meeting and for Obama’s speech to be broadcast/uncensored to the Cubans
40 months after Benghazi
- House Select Committee on Benghazi
- for Rhodes and Rice
- Republicans wanted to highlight that Rhodes had a mater’s degree in fiction
- David Samuels piece in the New York Times: on Rhodes: a disaster
- how the media can change the story and influence
Trip to Japan, May 2016
- first American President to go to Hiroshima
- with Caroline Kennedy (American Ambassador in Japan 2013-2017)
- warm welcome because Obama was willing to acknowledge difficult histories and show respect
ISIL in 2016
- social media campaign to recruit and radicalize Americans
- Global Engagement Center (GEC): new unit to map and spot ISIL propaganda + Russian disinformation in 2016
Trip to London, April 2016
- to help Cameron fight off Brexit referendum (they needed Obama’s help (very popular)
Hillary Clinton’s mail scandals in 2016
- she used a private email server
- April 2016, James Comey (FBI Director) announced he wouldn’t pursue charges against Clinton
- After a rally in Charlotte, Obama and Clinton went to get some food at a barbecue (as he did in 2012) to sha esome hands but Hillary left after a few minutes
Democratic Convention in Philadelphia, July 2016
- Russians hacked the DNC
- Wikileaks dumped thousands of DNC emails into the public domain
September 2016 G20 and Russia
- last meeting with Putin before the elections and same disagreements on Syria, Ukraine, Snwoden living in Moscow, hacking
- Susan Rice trying to get Congress to put out a bipartisan statament on Russia meddling in the election
- but biggest news of the day: Trump’s sexual assaults
Obama’s popularity before the 2016 election
- popularity kept rising
- feeling that people came to the meetings to see Obama and less interested in what Hillary had to say
Sanctions on Russia after the 2016 election
- NSC meeting on Russia
- review presented to Congress before he left office because Trump would never agree with this
- 2 Russian estates used for intelligence gathering closed
- 35 Russian agents expelled from the country
