on the same page here but then how do you account for the bellicose attitude towards iran and i think richard's right donald trump knows enough about history is that he doesn't want to be a president that's brought down by a foreign war that he really doesn't want to get involved in i mean cheri i mean he's old enough to know what happened to lyndon johnson for example or george bush jr with iraq he doesn't want to have that around his collar but james you know using sanctions to intimidate friends and foes not to import a rainy unoiled i mean i again you know you and you look at the american allies in the region saudi arabia and israel which would love to see some kind of regime change or instability that's probably their first priority i mean this seems that kind of go counter what trump in islam is all about when it comes when it goes to foreign policy james. absolutely clearly and i think peter is right absolutely it's in america first policy i wouldn't call it isolationism i would simply call it

a sovereigntists policy however there is one big fat exception and that is the middle east we don't have an america first policy in the middle east we have a saudi arabia and israel first policy in the middle east i don't know whether that represents where mr trump really wants to go or whether it is like i said an analogy to the pentagon whether he's indulging the realities that exist so he can do something else if he can get us out of syria i don't expect us to admit we made a mistake in syria of course we did a tragic horrible mistake but in politics people don't admit mistakes if he can slip us out of syria somehow the real question is will he take the bait on what has to be the red line that israel and saudi arabia want regime change in iran and if he goes down that road it's the end of his predecessor presidency he needs to understand that he ends up as george w. bush if he goes down that road may be a lot worse i frankly don't think he's going to do that but he's certainly got

a lot of people both foreign and domestic pushing him in that direction and right now he's indulging them the question is whether he will follow through with that i hope he doesn't you know peter one of the things i've noticed that's unique about this presidency. tweeting a sign is that i think serious people and not just pundits that are partisan one way or another i mean i listen to trump speeches particularly when he goes to the base and there's just a heck of a lot of hyperbole and it's kind of baked in for me ok i'm trying to understand the basis of what he's saying because well most of what he talks about is themself ok that's the trump way but i just have to wonder when you look at his foreign policy views i see that a lot of it is bluster because and i'm kind of agreeing with james here in the bark is really there but there's not always the follow up i mean with syria. we really don't know what's going on there they're not really saying very much because i think there's going to be a withdrawal but i mean could we look at the bluster towards iran is this kind of

bluster to keep the saudis and the israelis happy go ahead peter. yes i think it's primarily to keep the lead and the israeli lobby in the us happy because look at it this way trump has already got a lot of enemies back home that's what you're new theat. he's got the security bait on his back he got everybody on his back he cannot afford all of the israel lobby on his back so this combined with the fact that he has family links with israel push to thim in the direction of being an iran hawk. now this is scary and if he gets dragged down that path we may be in for a very bumpy ride indeed. but i not sure that his heart is in it. opportunistic and dictated by his standing domestically in the u.s.

he can't have too many enemies at the same time rich or reflective i think that's quite fascinating because i'm really you know you could have all the bluster you want against iran but it does keep the israelis and the saudis happy and it's one it's one issue he doesn't really want to deal with right now because of the litany of trade issues nato north korea meeting with putin it's on the back burner for him policy wise not rhetorical what do you think richard. because it's not on the back burner peter he's he's got to keep his eye on the situation in the southwest part of syria where the heat is high the rain ians have been maneuvering around too near to the golan heights for israeli comfort and that that could trigger a fight in

a broader conflict which none of us need so richard who. country would be that which country would be the trigger who is the proactive it character you're referring to well who's real has been striking using air power against what it has it is raining in targets in israel and syria and syria that's where it could go bad but ok you write in syria gentlemen i'm going to jump in here we're going to go to a short break it's a hard break i have to go there after a short break we'll continue our discussion on trump's foreign policy stay with our .

welcome back to cross talk where all things are considered i'm peter we're discussing transform policy.

ok james let me go back to you in washington right before i went to the right richard pointed out a possible flashpoint a flashpoint in syria the iranians and the go on we have to remind our viewers of the golan heights is illegally occupied by israel and it's not israeli territory ok it's actually part of syria and the international community recognizes that but i'm glad that richard brought that up james i mean it again you know if you look at kind of the proactive and i don't want to use the word aggressive but proactive stance that trump has taken on so many positions around the globe again we go back to the middle east where he seems to be reactive i mean is israel determining what the united states might and might not do in the region syria is a very good example go ahead. well i think richard is right to point out southwest syria as the real most important dangerous flashpoint here and that's where it

really comes down to mr trump and mr putin can they work out something that defuses that in the abbey in the aftermath of the american failure and syria that really has been a failure that we're not really in a position to broker any kind of deescalation and that area hopefully the russians can you know that you know this points to a serious paradox in american policy we have these so-called neo conservatives here who are the most militant interventionist especially in the middle east they're also the most militant li anti russian and are just in a complete meltdown now over the prospect of this summit coming up what's ought of course is that israel and mr netanyahu have a very good relationship with russia and mr putin so there i think there are things that can be done on the ground there for a mosque that the people here just are getting the belt out of the picture that's a really good point let me go to peter on that i mean this is a it's widely speculated i know that the nato allies are terrified of meeting with putin because he might make a deal over their heads ok all right fine that's

a topic for another day but i mean the issue of syria is very interesting and and what cheney says i think makes a lot of sense of something could be an arrangement let's put it that way to deal with syria but why peter would let me or putin trust donald trump after everything that has been said and done i mean ash carter remember when there was a cease fire agreement everybody was on board and all of us are all we accidentally attacked the syrian army opes we didn't mean it wow i mean that didn't cut any ice with me or anyone else that i know so peter even if some kind of arrangement could be made to deescalate in syria could the russians trust the americans to come through and we have to remember that trump is under a lot of enormous pressure at home because even talking to vladimir putin in the eyes of the neoconservatives is treason go ahead peter. well i think the

americans don't have much to negotiate with in syria. the boots on the ground very limited in numbers effectively they're just. the pro u.s. forces in the south are in the process of being rolled up that only leaves the north the ad lib area to dominate it in turn to the external support by turkey not the us and i think we're also in danger of looking at the wrong flashpoint is not the goal and the goal then the approaching towards the goal and i believe it a done deal read the smoke signals coming or not coming out to jerusalem you can see that the israelis will acquiesce in a return to the status quo ante and the iranians will not move up close to the goal

and there's no reason why they should they should want it to. but the real potential flashpoint is the return to a duma type situation remember just back in april we came close to world war three you know we were talking in those terms and the same scenario could be reproduced at any moment but most likely it will be reproduced when the moment comes for the feature of lip which is some month down the track but perfectly for theobald the same conditions will be produced and i believe there will be another fake chemical attack which will trigger. a real really dangerous crisis you know all that and we go to richard and people that do that are actually desperate that's when people that do that kind of thing they're on the losing side that's why they do it i want to stay with. the. trump putin meeting and

let's talk about syria is there is there a possible in your mind where some kind of rough outline could be agreed to where everybody could be seen as the winner without getting giving away anything i don't know if that's possible here but i think that that's something that trump would like to say look we're quickly resolving the issue in syria he likes to win that's how he'll look at it and of course that would be a segue because somehow start starting the russia u.s. bilateral relationship again because it pretty much been deep sixed what do you think about that richard. interests or peril to american in the sense that he doesn't want to go really. quick sounds like a very very shy gree. so you have something to work with the really world curtiz the rain ians and there is no unquestionably strong

almost for that of a goal of color for level element and that sees its mission is spreading with already its influence over syria lebanon yemen to some extent and that i don't know what who. can agree on ok well james i mean this is the guy ongoing argument i've had with richard i mean again if that fanatical element and to around i mean they're only fueled by foreign policy mistakes by the former colonial powers in the united states they're the ones that help spread real or imagined iranian influence throughout the region i mean look for example the horrendous shameful. activity that's happening in yemen and the whole world watches this it's a disgrace to humanity and that's all blamed on a rant more rand wasn't there until it all started happening but timelines don't matter to these people go ahead james. you know i guess i would disagree

a bit with richard although i defer to his superior knowledge in this area it just seems to me that in a world and islamic world it's thirteen percent shiite that any fanaticism from tehran would be a self correcting problem that they simply don't have that throw weight to really have that kind of dominance in the region as far as mr trump and mr putin go i think mr putin is well aware that donald trump does not control the apparatus of his own government whereas putin is master of his house trump really is not and he has to proceed much more carefully and can he give orders that he knows will be obeyed and lastly as far as the allies go i think the one who has the most to fear is theresa may here is somebody who's going to dissolving out from under her we've got their fingerprints on not only on the white helmets and the tackle false flag like like peter was referring to the scriptural thing and also the steel dossier let's not forget that i hope mr putin hands mr trump

a real dossier about what they've been overt up to over there and the united kingdom to try to subvert american interests but you know peter one of the thing i'm going to number of programs on this but you know i've had experts on talking about the interests of this country versus the interests of this one and geopolitics and sometimes it just gets down to trump having a memory i remember how you supported hillary clinton i remember the donna ca i remember him isaacson both meddling in the election not the russians you know it's really and then those ukrainian oligarchy that gave money to the clinton foundation i mean you could say that's a layer that that's how donald trump sees fulcrum policy that you get when he slighted he's got it written down in a back of an envelope check that person's done that person's done i'm to i'm i'm making light of this a little bit but obviously there's personal issues that. views the world here go ahead peter. young i think two keys to understanding trump one is the

so called isolationism ornately the. other is. not always the redeeming feature. depart from the or the orthodox washington and. then constant conflict like a goalie who is pinned down by the washington consensus by these myriad little advisors around him the only time he's really free are in the middle of the night three am when he can tweet and nobody can stop him. when he's in a thumb it when he's going to come in again one on one specially when they keep advisors out of the chamber these are the times when he can be donald i think donald should be more donald if anything in it you know richard it's already been brought up in this program and i think it's an important question is that you know when. the nato confound there and then when he meets with putin here i mean

nato is doesn't like the public browbeating that trump has given them over spending this spending issues been on the table for a long time it's nothing really new and with that with the trump. putin meeting i mean when they look at trump again i want to go back to the rhetorical scene just more words because you know they're going to think that you know this summit will pass go back to work they'll be at the summit with putin and then. trump goes back on the campaign trail going to his rallies i mean is it just more for photo ops and just bluster because i can't see that he has really the power to make a deal with putin for example. well the service he's showing he has to interests in the middle east the. so-called peace process doing something to get the biggest deal in history between israelis and palestinians and then the process of oil so

those those two issues do capture his attention what where he's going he has unfortunately weakened confidence in american leadership in the middle east problem. by withdrawing from the agreement the. agreed. he's playing with the weaker hand the nuclear agreement with their own you know ok one thing is very and i'm glad we're going to wrap it up here i'm glad that richard brought up oil prices the way it's going gentlemen donald trump trying to lower oil prices he's been actually helping them to increase and the saudis how he treats them so well the saudis have not returned the favor to try to equalize the price we'll see where this is going to go here that's all the time we have gentlemen many thanks to my guests and watched in new york and in london and thanks to our viewers for watching us here at r.t.c. a next time and remember.

we have no idea what he's doing on vacation but she will be back on air in september. camera. roughly once the show and some will leave for the. future own two videos the song with the broken string. more

on string. coming up this hour a special report from syria on how the country is slowly rising from the ruins after seven years of conflict. oh my god. that's got to be. on the part of. a protest in the gaza strip continues with palestinians attempting to break through the border fence israeli soldiers respond with tear gas meanwhile as more protests erupt on the border we speak to a rap artist who shot to fame after filming a video at the demonstrations. and . hillary clinton backs a young girl who you know things clashed during the national anthem in protest against social injustice it put the issue for the. blow girl needs to spend more

time in a constructive manner trying to get what she was it's not to say it's wrong for them to basically stand up for what they believe in that's what this little girl was doing that's all. hello welcome she's gone midnight here in moscow you're watching international now we start with syria where years of war years of war against terrorists and militants have left the country in ruins huge amounts of key infrastructure were destroyed including factories and hospitals we visited some of the main sites rebuilding starts and people try to get their lives back on track. if damascus is serious about welcoming back millions of its refugees well it has a lot to do first and foremost most of the country has been reduced to rubble by

the war so a lot of people just don't have a place they can call home anymore secondly infrastructure is a big issue because major transportation arteries have been cut and thirdly electricity so skies that anyone who has a power generator well is a very lucky person. that's why factories like this one are crucial most syrian cities have to survive amid a chaotic and unstable power supply we've been told that when anti assad fighters captured this facility they looted it cleaned for equipment and left it badly damaged it's fully operational now but lack of power of course isn't the worst that syrians have had to endure lie i swear we were dying of hunger one kilo of bread for one thousand lire you have to eat otherwise you starve to death and. only rice

and vulgar nothing that. we were living in hunger and poverty we would wake up in the morning not knowing how to manage to get our daily food children suffered malnutrition the ten year old girl looked like a two year old. throughout the war some parts of syria have seen well a riff it famine but it would have been much much worse if it wasn't for the incredibly fertile soil and that's why here some branches of the trees are actually broken under the weight of peaches advanced agriculture and international aid is helping to put food back on people's plates so now with the fighting contained two small pot. syrians can treat themselves to something nice this ice cream plant has even had a go with its own interpretation of the oreo recipe yet all of this is great on paper but doesn't help much of delivery trucks have no routes to drive on.

this just over forty kilometers between the cities of holmes and hama a trip that should have taken somewhat thirty minutes would stretch up to six hours see with this bridge destroyed of commuters had to gamble with their lives taking long detour through hardy's territories this newly paved highway has brought the drive back to well under an hour this market in homes is more than two thousand years old it has seen many things in this civil war is not the worst of those it has survived through and it is hoped that the rest of the country will follow its model. of reporting from syria fartsy.

massive reconstruction there is also room for artwork because these artists once lived in a refugee camp near damascus but had to flee when it came under attack. turning though they have returned also to take the aftermath of the fighting they say they want to leave a record for future generations of what happened at the camp and what they went through. meanwhile the trump administration has stopped funding for the stabilization projects in syria but at the same time u.s. officials say they are making preparations for the final battle against eyesore. we are remaining in syria the focus is the ensuring defeat of isis we still have not launched the final phase two defeats the physical caliphate this is actually being prepared now and that will come at a time for choosing but it is coming we're almost all of syria has now been liberated from isis most of it is and the control of the legal government in

damascus and the reconstruction of many of its cities devastated by the conflict is already well underway we can talk more about this with joshua landis he said the middle east studies at the university of oklahoma he's with us now joshua good evening are you surprised that america still feels it has to leave its troops in syria given that so much of the land has now been taken by the u.s. government why not just leave it to the sorry to the syrian government why not leave it to them to finally see your feisal. that's a good question. it's quite clear that syria could do that the united states has many other objectives and the u.s. does not want to strengthen a side more than he's already developed a net in that way the united states has said and reiterated just today that it would want to stay in order to help restrict iran pushing out of syria bolton is in talks with moscow in order to try to get iran driven out of syria somehow it

doesn't seem that moscow has been saying that this would be very difficult to do i don't think people believe it can be done but the united states is also worried about it because there are many al-qaeda members there and they want to make sure that the kurds get a proper deal with assad over what's going to happen to the northern parts of seriously united states have have several different agendas in syria which is causing them to move slowly although we've seen them we've seen them withdraw from get out where they said they all warned assad not to retake it and then they let him do it they've just cut their funding. for the northern region and saudi arabia and others are stepping in but it's a sign that the united states is slowly preparing to withdraw joshua there also with throwing on a deafening for stabilisation projects i think that includes to give money to help

rebuild infrastructure for example the stopping the funding of sanitization projects in syria is that if the price given that perhaps they won't think exists some influence in what's going on in syria. that's true and if they've been pressuring saudi arabia which just said it would spend another hundred million in syria stabilization they've been pushing france and and european countries to try to get them to spend more money rather than washington this is been one of president trump's constant refrain is that others have to pay for this process so the united states does not want to spend a lot of money and that's quite clear and many people have been complaining bitterly about this particularly in iraq and other areas that have been quite badly destroyed and with regard to the messed accordions for president trump is his policy going down well the fact that he's suggesting that america will eventually

pull out and also scoping funding for development. you know i think most americans are not paying much attention to syria they're pension paying attention to isis and the war against al qaida and so forth but i think that there are many other fish to fry the united states today it's about trade wars it's about china and will china follow that the w t o constraints that's where people i think are very anxious today we've seen the stock market jumping around we've seen turkey and the the fight with turkey that does the united states has got into so syria is really hardly on the radar screen for most americans it's too complicated it's too far away ok joe she wouldn't leave it there it's that was good to talk to them still she was under threat of middle eastern studies at the university of oklahoma thank you. come to light a pentagon analyst was stripped of his security clearance after he complained about

how lucrative contracts were given to staff and how a man who turned out to be an f.b.i. informant with more details on this his. viewers will recall stefan helper at the university of cambridge helper met with an individual from the trump campaign carter page and this meeting took place roughly three weeks before the f.b.i. launched its investigation into alleged collusion between trump and russia it was later revealed that stefan halper has a long history as an f.b.i. informant he's worked with the cia what we're also learning is that an individual named adam a lot of injure has been stripped of his security clearance now adam levin sure is a twelve year pentagon strategist he's worked with the pentagon he raised why it was that stefan halper was receiving over a million dollars over the course of six years and different contracts and it wasn't exactly clear what work he was carrying out now adam levin juror.