United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley discusses upcoming international issues that will be addressed by President Trump this week at the United Nations General Assembly.
Topics include: (1) upcoming sanctions against any nation that engages with Iran [stage 2 sanctions scheduled for November 1].  (2) The ongoing conflict in Syria.  (3) The denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, and issues with North Korea ballistic missiles. (4) the ongoing trade reset and geopolitical strategy with China.

I will Chair the United Nations Security Council meeting on Iran next week!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2018

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We switch from domestic to foreign affairs starting with an interview with National Security Adviser John Bolton who discusses the upcoming speech by President Donald Trump to the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA).

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Part two of the interview below.
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The Trump Doctrine is easiest to describe as: deploying economic leverage to achieve national security interests.  The Trump Doctrine is unique and stunningly effective.

Many of the geopolitical decisions have multiple facets which connect like small gears on a much larger machine.  One of those small dual-purpose gears is the Doctrine as it is applied to Pakistan.  The downstream moves impact China, our #1 geopolitical and economic adversary, then Russia, and also support new alliances with India and the broader Middle-east.

Toward China = ♦Squeeze #3. In 2017 Trump and Secretary Tillerson, now Secretary Pompeo, put Pakistan on notice they need to get involved in bringing their enabled tribal “extremists” (Taliban) to the table in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s primary investor and economic partner is China. The U.S. removed $900 million in financial support to pressure Pakistan toward a political solution in Afghanistan, China has to fill void.  [NOTE: Last month the World Bank began discussions about a financial bailout for Pakistan.]  Again, more one-way bleed for China. {Go Deep}

When President Trump removed the $900 million in aid to Pakistan, he empowered the Pentagon via Defense Secretary James Mattis, with an option to give $300 million to Pakistan if Mattis felt positive steps were being taken to change behavior.  Today the Pentagon announces no change in behavior is noted:
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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes is currently traveling in Europe and calls-in to Maria Bartiromo to discuss the natural gas pipeline that would reduce Russia’s energy influence in the region.
In the aggregate – the energy initiatives supported by President Trump and U.S. policy is an extension of the Trump Doctrine to use economic power, and specifically energy supplies therein, as an alliance tool to disrupt international states who weaponize energy to control energy-dependent states; thereby neutralizing malevolent interests/influence.
At 05:15 the topic switches to discussion of the ongoing oversight review of conduct from corrupt officials within the DOJ and FBI.  WATCH:

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In what can only be described as the nonsensical rantings of an ideologue who refuses to even fathom the geopolitical Trump changes around him, Turkish President Recep Erdogan writes an op-ed in the New York Times to tell Americans POTUS Trump, and like-minded allies, are bullying/destroying the Turkish economy because his authoritarian regime has imprisoned an American pastor.
DUH!

This is not difficult to figure out.  Release American pastor Andrew Brunson, and President Trump will consider stopping. Keep the U.S. citizen detained and President Trump will continue destroying the Turkish economy.  This is not hard to figure out once you accept the United States is unapologetically going to target any nation that targets American citizens.
President Erdogan is finding out that Brunson is the most expensive hostage in the history of hostage taking; however, with POTUS Trump in command it’s the kidnappers paying the price…. funny how that happens.
Further into Erdogan’s diatribe he warns: “a failure to reverse this trend of unilateralism and disrespect will require us to start looking for new friends and allies.” Again hilarious.
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Interestingly, anyone who has followed Turkish geopolitics closely will likely note a confrontation on ideology was bound to happen.  The triggering event has become the Turkish imprisonment of American Pastor Andrew Brunson.
Turkey has always been a tenuous NATO ally.  The totalitarian behavior of Turksih President Recep Erdogan has generally been antithetical to freedom and U.S. interests.  There have been many examples of sketchy Turkish interests in the past decade – SEE HERE – including Erdogan’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood and providing safe-harbor for the exiled Brotherhood leadership.

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey on Friday “implored” U.S. President Donald Trump to return to the negotiating table on tariffs, saying the trade rift between the NATO allies should be resolved through dialogue.

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National Economic Council Chairman Larry Kudlow discusses the framework for the U.S./E.U. trade agreement. [Remember, the highly controversial auto-sector is removed from the entire negotiation.] Chairman Kudlow discusses the benefit of the U.S. and E.U. working together to confront China at the World Trade Organization; this is key.
Additionally, Kudlow discusses the forward-leaning meetings being conducted by both the U.S. trade team and the Mexican trade delegation. The multidimensional U.S. trade strategy is operating, and advancing, on several simultaneous fronts.

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Against the backdrop of U.S. withdrawing from the ill-fated Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA); and against the backdrop of looming U.S. sanctions therein; there has been an ongoing geopolitical simmering/positioning between allies and adversaries surrounding the current and future disposition of Iran.
Recently China, likely responding to economic trade leverage from the U.S., made a deal with Saudi Arabia for petroleum purchases weakening their alliance with Iran.  At the same time Turkey, a tenuous NATO ally, began positioning in advance of U.S. sanctions and removing Iran oil purchases.  Collectively, and with President Trump putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin via Syria and Iranian influence, this has led to Iran feeling an economic squeeze similar to the previous Trump Doctrine leverage as witnessed in N-Korea.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is feeling the heat.  On Sunday he said “war with Iran is the mother of all wars.” That led to the tweet reply from President Donald Trump:

This follows on the immediate heels of a speech given by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in Simi Valley, CA.
There is a clearly coordinated and unified message:
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President Trump hosts a cabinet meeting after returning from the NATO summit, U.K. visit and Helsinki meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.   The overall emphasis was on the U.S. economy, employment, job-training and the larger goal of leveraging economic strength to advance American interests.
The administration kept the cameras rolling as key cabinet members and White House officials discussed ongoing initiatives with a heavy emphasis on workforce development. If you want an idea of the massive scale and scope of Trump’s MAGAnomic initiatives for American workers, watch this video in its entirety.

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Labor Secretary Acosta discussed an ongoing workforce development initiative for providing job skills and apprenticeship programs for former prisoners/inmates.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross discusses the expanded investment into the U.S., massive employment opportunity for skilled workers, and the importance of continuing to develop a skilled labor pool.
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Fox News host Tucker Carlson sat down for an interview with President Donald Trump following a meeting in Helsinki, Finland, with Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The interview aired in two parts:
Part 1 – President Trump discusses ‘very bad people‘ former CIA director John Brennan, FBI lovebirds Peter Strzok and Lisa Page being ‘exposed,’ the bipartisan call for conflict with Russia in Washington, NATO, Democrats and open borders.

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Part 2 (below) – President Trump discusses the new Mueller indictment, former President Obama ignoring DNC hacking, political bias in FBI, DOJ, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s political troubles, European migration and Democrat obstruction.
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