[TRANSCRIPT] I want to thank King Salman for his extraordinary words, and the magnificent Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting today’s summit. I am honored to be received by such gracious hosts. I have always heard about the splendor of your country and the kindness of your citizens, but words do not do justice to the grandeur of this remarkable place and the incredible hospitality you have shown us from the moment we arrived.

You also hosted me in the treasured home of King Abdulaziz, the founder of the Kingdom who united your great people. Working alongside another beloved leader – American President Franklin Roosevelt – King Abdulaziz began the enduring partnership between our two countries. King Salman: your father would be so proud to see that you are continuing his legacy – and just as he opened the first chapter in our partnership, today we begin a new chapter that will bring lasting benefits to our citizens.

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In January of 2015 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi began a journey of peace by asking the holiest and most influential Islamic Scholars in the Arab world to join him in stepping away from the noise of extremist voices and engaging in long-term introspective review of their Islamic faith.  President al-Sisi called for a religious revolution to focus Islam toward a future of peace.  The engaged Dar al-Iftaa scholarly audience erupted in applause.

President al-Sisi stood up, resolute, spoke of large truths with bold leadership, and took great risk upon himself.  After the speech a coalition of like-minded voices began to grow in number and consequence.   That moment became the pebble dropped in the shoe of the Arab leadership of consequence – the emphasis shifted toward peace.

That influential speech, and more importantly the leadership of all joining member states, including the praise of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia before his untimely death, paved the way forward toward this upcoming weekend.   King Abdullah’s successor, his brother King Salman, is now positioned to put his own footprint in history.

All of the necessary elements, many of them taking years to organize, are aligned in common purpose for this specific moment in time.

More than a dozen heads of state from Arab and Islamic nations have been invited by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to attend the conference with President Trump including: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Egypt), King Abdullah III (Jordan), Muhammad Fuad Masum (Iraq), Mamnoon Hussain (Pakistan) and all six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE).  All are expected to be in attendance.

We are living in one of those rare moments when we are fortunate enough to see the building blocks of historic enterprise being erected while we watch.  The results of these next several days will shape how our children view the landscape of the middle east in all the years to come.

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Important Stuff – Watch how the actual (non fake) news cycle from the administration rolls out in coordination with President Trump’s trip to the mid-east.  There’s a larger, coordinated, geopolitical strategy message being sent to the world by the peace coalition President Trump has assembled over the past four months…

WASHINGTON DC – Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is crediting changes in tactics ordered by President Trump for increasing the pressure on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and leaving the beleaguered fighters with no avenue of escape.

“He directed a tactical shift from shoving ISIS out of safe locations in an attrition fight to surrounding the enemy in their strongholds so we can annihilate ISIS,” Mattis said Friday during a Pentagon briefing on the counter-ISIS campaign. (more…)

Today President Trump met with NATO member and Muslim Brotherhood supporter, President Recep Erdogan, prior to heading overseas for meetings with anti-Brotherhood Mid-East alliance.  “The Joint Arab Intervention Force”.

The motive for Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan to travel to the White House today was obvious, anxiety.

A very specific foreboding type of anxiety, because President Trump is about to embark on an international trip filled with multilateral meetings attended by a coalition of people who regard President Erdogan as a nemesis to peace.

If you only absorbed the Western media headlines for the past five years you would be entirely missing the interpersonal dynamic that began immediately following the start of President Obama’s second term.  A framework of understanding that highlights the intentional policy of Obama, and how the region shifted into hunker down mode in an effort to outlast the Obama interventionist doctrine.

Within this less discussed reality we also find domestic motives to undermine President Trump’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.  Both the severe left and the militaristic right have vested interests in blocking a successful Trump peace doctrine.

President Obama’s ideological left and Senator McCain’s ideological right both prefer the big cat cages remain wide open allowing blood lust extremists to create convenient chaos.  Unfortunately, Russia (Putin) and Syria (Assad) also carry a self-preservation interest within this complex and extremist dynamic.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will join President Trump at an “Arab, Islamic, and American Conference” in Saudi Arabia this coming Sunday.

More than a dozen heads of state from Arab and Islamic nations have been invited to attend the conference with President Trump including: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Egypt), King Abdullah III (Jordan), Muhammad Fuad Masum (Iraq), Mamnoon Hussain (Pakistan) and all six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE), are expected to be in attendance. (more…)

(Via Reuters) The head of Islamic State in Afghanistan, Abdul Hasib, was killed in an operation on April 27 conducted jointly by Afghan and U.S. Special Forces in the eastern province of Nangarhar, U.S. and Afghan officials said on Sunday.

Hasib, appointed last year after his predecessor Hafiz Saeed Khan died in a U.S. drone strike, is believed to have ordered a series of high profile attacks including one in March 8 on the main military hospital in Kabul, a statement said.

Last month, a Pentagon spokesman said Hasib had probably been killed during the raid by U.S. and Afghan special forces in Nangarhar during which two U.S. army Rangers were killed, but prior to Sunday’s announcement there had been no confirmation.

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Earlier today President Trump welcomed President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority to the White House.  Abbas represents the final member of a building peace alliance including PM Netanyahu (Israel), President al-Sisi (Egypt), King Abdullah (Jordan) and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

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[Transcript] 12:15 P.M. EDT – PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. Today I am pleased to welcome President Abbas to the White House for his first visit to Washington in quite a while.

Almost 24 years ago, it was on these grounds that President Abbas stood with a courageous peacemaker, then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Here at the White House, President Abbas signed a Declaration of Principles — very important — which laid the foundation for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

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U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis was in Israel earlier today where he participated in a joint press conference with Israeli Defense Minister Liberman.

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During a press conference yesterday with Italian President Gentiloni, President Trump was asked about the future U.S. role Libya.

QUESTION:  President Trump, do you see a role for your administration in helping stabilizing Libya?  And do you agree that stabilizing Libya means combating terrorism and ISIS?

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  “I do not see a role in Libya.  I think the United States has right now enough roles.  We’re in a role everywhere.  So I do not see that.  I do see a role in getting rid of ISIS.  We’re being very effective in that regard.  We are doing a job, with respect to ISIS, that has not been done anywhere near the numbers that we’re producing right now.  It’s a very effective force we have.  We have no choice.  It’s a horrible thing to say, but we have no choice.  And we are effectively ridding the world of ISIS.  I see that as a primary role, and that’s what we’re going to do, whether it’s in Iraq or in Libya or anywhere else.  And that role will come to an end at a certain point, and we’ll be able to go back home and rebuild our country, which is what I want to do.”

[Transcript]

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Media are reporting that at least one police officer had been killed and at least two others seriously wounded by two Kalashnikov-wielding gunmen on the Champs Elysees in central Paris tonight.

French authorities have stated the incident was probably a ‘terrorist act’ and the famous venue was on lockdown by 9pm as heavily armed officers flooded the area. Another individual – believed to be the killer – was killed, according to police sources.

Reports suggest ‘at least’ two shooters were involved in the attack which took place as presidential candidates took part in a TV debate nearby before Sunday’s election.

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No event is happening in a vacuum.  It is critical to emphasize this basic point when evaluating the foreign policy of President Trump and his administration.  There is a very well planned multidimensional construct within the sequencing of individual events which shows a policy thread weaving throughout.

The challenging aspect for most of the current U.S. electorate, and specifically those who follow politics closely, is the Trump administration’s position to not publicly espouse targeted and strategic policy objectives.

This deliberate yet not publicly promoted approach is a paradigm shift for those who reference modern diplomatic politics through the prism of past doctrines and their public advancement.  The Trump foreign policy approach is a planned, deliberate, consequential, and intentionally quiet undertaking.

That LOOK !

The Trumpian approach is becoming increasingly easier to see. However, it is not the typical approach customary amid politicians who use momentary events to elevate the appearance of their self-importance.

Quite the contrary, with the Trump team each action and participant provides visible dots, but the administration intentionally does not connect those dots for the media or the consuming public – or trumpet their importance.

The Administrations’ focus is on the ultimate outcome each individual event brings to the aggregate conclusion. ie. ‘the goal’; and not on the individual elements as they are assembled.

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