America hits reset button on Middle East foreign policy

Human stories from a world in conflict. No Images? [Click here]( Jan. 11, 2019 This week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a short, direct speech at the American University in Cairo that conveyed two things: 1. Reassurance of America’s commitment to curbing radical Islamic ideology and 2. A reset on US foreign policy in the Middle East. “The United States has reinforced its traditional role as a force for good in this region,” said Pompeo. “The age of self-inflicted American shame is over and so are the policies that produced so much needless suffering." Blasting Obama-era Middle East policies, Pompeo called out Iran as the “arch enemy” of the United States. “[Pompeo] even said that Iran now has a [cancerous influence]( in the region — in Syria, in Yemen, in Iraq” and that America plans to get ‘tougher and tougher’ on Iran until they can ‘act like a normal country,’” the BBC's Sally Nabil told The World’s Marco Werman. Still, people in the Middle East [remain skeptical]( of America’s intentions in the region because “so much of what America says and does is seen through the prism of America's support unstinting support to the state of Israel,” says Magdi Abdulhadi, a British Egyptian political commentator who spoke with The World from Cairo. Meanwhile, a timeline for the withdrawal of US troops from Syria remains a mystery shrouded in mixed messages from the White House, although a [deliberate withdrawal process]( has already begun, even as [fighting continues]( against ISIS. Yet, with a US partial government shutdown reaching its third week, Trump’s focus remains on what he is calling a national security crisis on the US-Mexico border. On Tuesday, Trump [delivered]( a televised address to the nation that fell short of declaring a [state of emergency](to get his wall built but he still hasn’t ruled it out. Many critics, including former Homeland Security head Janet Napolitano, say the wall won’t work. Napolitano says building a wall from "sea to shining sea" would be “wasteful and ineffective.” “[The border] needs to be managed and it needs to be controlled. But it's certainly not in a crisis situation,” Napolitano said. When Congress adjourned for the weekend on Friday afternoon, the shutdown became the longest in US history. ## With looming threats of criminal indictments on multiple counts of bribery and breach of trust, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for early elections in April 2019 as his best offensive defense. As Israel’s prime minister since 1996, Netanyahu will leverage his [political persona]( as an embattled, persecuted leader and count on his close friendship with US President Donald Trump to win the elections. Chances are, he’ll succeed. Based on Netanyahu’s behavior to date, these elections will be the nastiest ever. ## For centuries, the [Ukrainian Orthodox Church]( has been subordinate to Russia’s. But on this year’s Orthodox Christmas Eve, which fell on Jan. 6, the spiritual head of Orthodox Christianity in Istanbul [granted official recognition]( to an independent Ukrainian branch of the church. Official recognition of an independent Ukrainian church has been seen as a key step in moving the country further away from Moscow’s orbit. But it has also deepened conflict between two countries that have been unofficially at war since 2014. Israel’s early elections: Netanyahu’s best defense against criminal charges With looming threats of criminal indictments, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls for early elections as his best defense. Chances are, he’ll come out a winner. [Learn more >]( Wall would be 'wasteful and ineffective,' says former Homeland Security chief Napolitano Although in favor of adding a few new barriers in strategic locations on the US-Mexico border, Janet Napolitano says building a wall from "sea to shining sea" would be wasteful. The border is "not in a crisis situation," she says. [Learn more >]( Ukrainian Orthodox Church gains independence from Moscow: ‘We have been waiting for this’ Ukrainians celebrate church independence, but the blessing from Istanbul deepens the tension and conflict with Russia. [Learn more >]( Stuck in Bangkok, Saudi teenage apostate deftly turns to Twitter An 18-year-old woman from Saudi Arabia used social media to alert the world to her situation: Attempting to flee what she said was an abusive family, Thai officials stopped her while en route to Australia. She was holed up in the Bangkok airport, but the world was watching, thanks to her Twitter account. This week, she was granted asylum in Canada. [Learn more >]( Politico [Pompeo’s Speech vs. Trump’s View of the World]( The secretary of state’s Cairo address projected a foreign policy at odds with the president’s instincts. Al Jazeera [Guatemala on the edge of the abyss]( Guatemala is about to witness a major standoff between the presidency and the courts, which could hurt its democracy. The Atlantic [The Chill of US-Russia Relations Creeps Into Space]( Bungled plans between the U.S. and Russia highlight how hot-and-cold international relations mess with space exploration. Quartz [Kenya will start teaching Chinese to elementary school students from 2020]( Kenya will teach Mandarin in classrooms in a bid to improve job competitiveness and facilitate better trade and connection with China. Vox [Congo’s disputed election could lead to a historic transfer of power — or violence]( Independent election observers are questioning the official results. 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