Mike Pompeo is the only person to have served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency and as Secretary of State, two of the biggest jobs in the US government.
He held both jobs during Donald Trump’s presidency and is poised to return to high office if the Republicans win the general election due in November 2024.
In an exclusive interview with Al Majalla, Pompeo said the invasion of Ukraine could have been prevented if the West had stuck with agreements and conditions set by the Trump administration.
He drew a distinction between the approaches of Trump and Biden, saying Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was encouraged to invade Ukraine because he saw that aggression did not come with any significant consequences.
Pompeo also pointed out that Ukraine first lost lands to Russia in 2014, during the Obama administration, and describes Russia's 2022 invasion as "the most significant global political shift since he left office."
Pompeo’s words and perspective carry a lot of weight. He has a profound understanding of the Middle East, the Gulf, and global affairs and a very different approach than that of America's current president Joe Biden — not just on Russia, but also on China, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
On the threat of China, Pompeo called for the establishment of an "effective front to address Beijing's behaviour, comprising countries like the United States, European nations, Japan, Singapore, India, and others that have experienced negative impacts due to China's actions."
Meanwhile, he criticised Biden’s policies toward Saudi Arabia and Iran and promised a different approach if Trump wins back the White House.
Pompeo pointed to a “strong partnership with King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the remarkable leader Prince Mohammed bin Salman”, calling them “leaders who want good for their people and work to combat terrorism and build peace."
He drew attention to the contrast in the Biden administration’s dealings with Iran, compared with Trump’s, saying the current president is focused “exclusively on improving the relationship with Iran” in an effort to reengage in the nuclear agreement, despite its flaws.
“The decision by the Biden administration not to impose sanctions on Iran has had repercussions. Israel, a longstanding friend, and partner began to question the reliability of US support when required. Similarly, leaders of Arab Gulf nations raised concerns about the consistency of support from the United States, resulting in potential risks both regionally and globally.”
In response to a question regarding the re-engagement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Pompeo stated that normalisation was a result of dwindling confidence in American policies.
He said that when Iran and Russia “run free inside of Syria,” neighbouring nations feel compelled to take matters into their own hands to influence the situation. Consequently, the renewed engagement of Gulf states with al-Assad can be attributed, in part, to their perception of a failed American policy in the region.
This interview was conducted over the phone on 3 August. Below are excerpts from the interview.
You are the only person to have served as CIA director and secretary of state. How were the challenges in those positions different?
Very difficult. Very different commissions and very different teams. As CIA director, you can work very quietly, and the team is focused on the narrow mission of collecting intelligence, doing the analysis, and then being prepared to conduct covert operations. Those three tasks, combined with global counter-terrorism, are the focus.
At the State Department, it is a much bigger organisation, with a much broader mandate. It is truly a policy role and is fundamentally different from that of the CIA director.
How do you think the threats America faced during your time as secretary of state have evolved since you left office?
That's a big question. Clearly, the West was unable to continue on the terms that we established and Vladimir Putin has now invaded Europe.
The Iranians today have more money, more wealth and more resources with which to build Hezbollah and other groups. It is more powerful, more capable, and more likely to have the tools and resources to develop its nuclear weapons programme than it had on our watch.
And then finally, the Chinese Communist Party continues its threatening behaviour.
That is not terribly different than when we left office two and a half years ago, but the reluctance of the West to challenge that, I think is different.
This is an economic conflict. We must protect American jobs, intellectual property and basic property rights. This applies to other countries as well. We all have an awful lot of work to do there.
