President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> tapped Morgan Ortagus on Friday for Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Middle East Peace.
&#8220;Early on Morgan fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson,&#8221; Trump wrote in a statement. &#8220;These things usually don’t work out, but she has strong Republican support, and I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing it for them. Let’s see what happens.&#8221;
&#8220;She will hopefully be an asset to Steve, a great leader and talent, as we seek to bring calm and prosperity to a very troubled region,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;I expect great results, and soon!
Ortagus responded to the appointment by saying she was &#8220;honored&#8221; to serve in the role under Steve Witkoff.
&#8220;To be given the opportunity to once again represent my country and the Trump Administration in a crucial diplomatic role is dream come true,&#8221; she added. &#8220;The most important thing is that through President Trump, we bring peace and stability to a troubled region, and I&#8217;m grateful to play a small role in that endeavor.&#8221;
Ortagus served as an active U.S. Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer and previously served during Trump&#8217;s first term in office as the spokesperson for the U.S State Department under former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
She previously worked at the Department of the Treasury as a financial intelligence analyst and as the Deputy U.S. Treasury Attaché to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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Trump Taps Morgan Ortagus For Key Middle East Role

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History has an interesting way of softening the hard edges of a past president’s term of office. Time, combined with more information coming to light as well as a more complete verdict re: the long-term impacts, good and bad, of policies will do that. As such, the placement along the scale of best to worst of those who sat in the Oval Office is always shifting.
But 39th President James Earl Carter, Jr., who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jimmy-carter-americas-39th-president-dead-at-100?topStoryPosition=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed away</a> at age 100, is a presidency difficult to encapsulate. Peruse the media obituaries and a common theme will no doubt emerge. That he was a man of personal character and decency, the “real deal.” Indeed, his will be hailed as “the ideal former-presidency” given his image of skating above politics and keeping his focus on initiatives more beneficial to mankind, whether it be building a house for the poor or monitoring elections abroad. It will be said of him that he lived out his Christian virtues staying faithful to the same woman for 77 years.
But this does not alter the fact that his term in office from 1977 to 1981 was, to put it bluntly, a failure.
From a foreign policy standpoint, Carter attempted to affect statecraft grounded in the promotion of “human rights”. But what many in this country at the time may have seen as noble ambitions, especially coming in the aftermath of Vietnam, was read by enemies abroad as weakness arising from an almost quaint naiveté. This perceived weakness gained validation when in November 1979 anti-American Islamists overthrew the Shah of Iran and stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran — sovereign U.S. territory as per international law. 52 embassy staff were taken hostage and subsequently held in very public and humiliating captivity for 444 days.
<div id="attachment_851055" style="width: 862px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-851055" class="size-large wp-image-851055" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2669616-852x576.jpg" alt="An American hostage being paraded before the cameras by his Iranian captors. Following the Iranian revolution over fifty American hostages were taken and only released after four hundred and forty-four days. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)" width="852" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2669616-852x576.jpg 852w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2669616-300x203.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2669616-768x519.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2669616.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px" />MPI/Getty Images</div>
This affront to our national honor was made ever more acute when six months into the crisis, after fruitless diplomatic overtures, a mission to rescue the captive U.S. citizens resulted in a humiliating failure in the Iranian desert. The mission was scrubbed due to equipment breakdowns and eight servicemen were killed when a helicopter collided with a transport plane during the evacuation. Images of the charred bodies of our dead troops were splashed across headlines around the world, and a somber Carter took to the airwaves to accept responsibility.
The botched raid was not just a shameful blow to our national pride, it underscored a deeper sense that U.S. power was eroding, and that our best days were behind us. The military that once defeated the war machines of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan couldn’t even get out of its own way in the desert? Maybe we really were in decline? The hostages would languish for all the world to see — and the anti-U.S. forces from Moscow to Beijing to Tehran to gloat over — for another 270 hapless days.
When in 1980 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Carter’s boycotting the Olympic games in Moscow seemed a tepid, and largely symbolic response that only served to punish our own athletes while not changing Russian actions one iota. Whether or not there was more the Carter administration could have done given the Soviets’ nuclear arsenal is a matter for round tables to discuss. At the time, however, this was viewed as yet another anemic response to flagrant enemy aggression; Americans came to believe we had a lamb in the White House when a lion was needed. And as not-so-clandestine support for the Mujahadeen throughout the Reagan era demonstrated, the U.S. did have more capacity to put the thumb on the scales in the region than Carter seemed willing to do.
The thing about Carter, however, is that not only was he unable, or unwilling to recognize certain bad actors on the world stage, he failed to understand who were the true friends to the U.S. as well. One must consider his double-standard leveled against Israel vis-à-vis the Palestinians. In particular the PLO, which by any impartial definition was a terror organization. And its leader, the vile, murderous kleptocrat Yasser Arafat, a bona fide terrorist. It was the Israelis, however, whom Carter targeted for restrictions and even grotesquely drew an analogy between their efforts to combat terrorism and the growling hounds of Bull Connor. Certainly if the recollections of respected columnist William Safire and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance are to be believed, Carter was rabidly anti-Israel. For the Israelis, it was very fortunate Carter did not win a second term.
But what about the Camp David Accords? Certainly they were a worthy effort and seem to be among the only such accords between ancient enemies that have survived more or less intact. But, as Jay Nordlinger writes in National Review, Sadat and Begin had already hammered them out prior to inviting Carter in to provide the carapace of legitimacy — and financial support — only the U.S. could offer. It is not a stretch to say that no matter who was president, Camp David would have still occurred.
<div id="attachment_851047" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-851047" class="size-large wp-image-851047" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1826042-864x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 18: (NO U.S. TABLOID SALES) (L-R) Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin join hands after the Camp David Accords September 18, 1978 in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1826042-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1826042-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1826042-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1826042.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images</div>
At least the Carter presidency promoted the legitimate democratic process, right? Well, it did in that he even went so far as to praise Yasser Arafat’s election. Indeed, Carter was perhaps the PLO chairman’s biggest fan in the halls of the U.S. government. Although as CIA director Jim Woolsey once joked, “Arafat was essentially ’elected’ the same way Stalin was, but not nearly as democratically as Hitler, who at least had actual opponents.”
And, of course, given Carter’s wish to be remembered as the champion of the downtrodden and oppressed (although it depends on who is wearing the jackboots, as Carter seemed to have a look-the-other-way affinity for Marxist dictators whether in Beijing, Havana, or Managua) then it is natural that he would side with the weaker, if morally depraved, Hamas and Hezbollah. As his Bull Connor comparison shows, he would be quite at home today among the throngs of Intifada wannabes on the college campus who view the Arab-Israeli conflict not through the lens of morality but power. In 2014, Carter wrote of Hamas: “Only by recognizing its legitimacy as a political actor—one that represents a substantial portion of the Palestinian people—can the West begin to provide the right incentives for Hamas to lay down its weapons.” Seems a bit optimistic since October 7. Even though the body may change, the intransigent mind of the true believer may remain fixed in place,but this is the disastrous Carter naiveté in the main.
And then there was the economy.
Since the mid-1980s, even with the occasional recession (often of our own making) the U.S. has experienced a sustained economic boom that makes it hard to remember the years leading up to this age of prosperity. But when Carter was in office things were quite different. The middle class especially was hammered with inflation that surged from <a href="https://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet">6.3%</a> in November 1976 when Carter was elected to a peak of <a href="https://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet">13.6%</a> in June 1980. Rising interest rates saw 30-year mortgages balloon from 8.8% in November 1976 to briefly touch 18.44% in October 1981, only months into Reagan’s first term. Although there is a lingering misconception that unemployment also soared during the Carter years the data shows this is not the case. In fact, unemployment would not peak until 1983, well into Reagan’s first term. But this could be attributed to Fed policies to crush inflation with exorbitantly high rates leading to a deep recession that had a delayed effect.
I admit that such wonkish analysis gets into the weeds of economics and as the expression goes, “if you lay every economist foot-to-head around the world they couldn’t reach a consensus.” But what is certainly true is that during the Carter years, the “<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/miseryindex.asp">misery index</a>”, economist Arthur Okun’s formula he created in the 1970s to quantify the true impacts of the economy’s performance on the lives of the average American, reached an all-time high of 21.3% in May 1980. (By contrast it currently runs at 7.2%).
As such, the most powerful argument his GOP opponent Ronald Reagan would make during the 1980 presidential campaign was simply to look into the camera and ask the American people: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” The voters answered and Carter was defeated.
<div id="attachment_851051" style="width: 837px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-851051" class="size-large wp-image-851051" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-487170453-827x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK CITY - AUGUST 14: Walter Mondale and Jimmy Carter attend Democratic National Convention on August 14, 1980 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)" width="827" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-487170453-827x576.jpg 827w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-487170453-300x209.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-487170453-768x535.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-487170453.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 827px) 100vw, 827px" />Walter Mondale and Jimmy Carter attend Democratic National Convention on August 14, 1980 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)</div>
The common narrative of Carter’s post-presidential years is that of the farmer who returned to his humble roots in Plains, Georgia, and lived a modest life that all ex-presidents should emulate.
Well, yes and no.
Carter’s work in founding the Carter Center, a non-profit dedicated to the advancement of human rights, as well as his hands-on (literally) involvement building homes for the poor with the Habitat For Humanity project has earned him justified accolades from across the political spectrum. But at the same time he did his share of meddling in U.S. affairs, and sometimes questionably so. While in 1990 George W. Bush was cobbling together his Gulf War coalition, Carter was writing letters to the UN trying to thwart his efforts. Given that his friend Arafat sided with Saddam, one is not surprised. But considering the media’s pouncing on Trump for just weighing in (while a candidate for president no less) on the Democrats’ sham border bill, one can only see a double-standard here. There are other examples but this is the most egregious. One thing is for sure, had Trump engaged in such behavior the word “treason” would be tossed around like a football on Sunday.
And so Jimmy Carter’s story is really one compiled of two narratives. Unfortunately, being a supposedly good man (I never met him ) does not always lead to being a successful president. No man is a saint to his valet, and Carter is no exception. I have no doubt many reading this can offer up less favorable language for him. Who am I to judge? But Carter’s legacy after some five decades in politics from Georgia governor to one-term president, is starting to reveal itself, warts and all. In the end, Jimmy Carter should be remembered for leading a successful life, but a failed presidency.
* * *
Brad Schaeffer is a fund manager and author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07MQJBJSD" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three books</a>. His articles have appeared on the pages of Daily Wire, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, New York Daily News, National Review, The Hill, The Federalist, The Blaze, Breitbart, Zerohedge and other outlets. You can follow him on <a href="https://x.com/bschaeffer123" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X</a> and <a href="https://bradschaeffer.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Substack.</a> 

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

1976 Democratic National Convention

Jimmy Carter’s Unavoidable Legacy

Jimmy Carter's Unavoidable Legacy

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As we prepare to enter the new year, we&#8217;re taking you back to some of The Daily Wire&#8217;s best reporting from 2024. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/from-the-river-to-d-c-how-arab-countries-bought-up-washingtons-most-elite-neighborhood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on July 18. 
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA—Arab Gulf states have quietly and sometimes secretly purchased at least $282 million worth of real estate in Washington’s most elite neighborhood.
Situated high atop the banks of the Potomac River and overlooking the nation’s capital, Virginia’s “Gold Coast” has long been the home of America’s ruling class. Today, it’s home to a number of high-profile Washingtonians, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, whose home on Arlington’s tony Chain Bridge Road has been swarmed by an encampment of anti-Israel protesters since Hamas’s October 7th invasion of Israel.
But since 2019, a mysterious entity called 600 CBR LLC has been buying up property in the area, building up a compound that sold for three times as much as Jeff Bezos’ $23 million D.C. mansion. Though the buyers behind 600 CBR are unknown, the real estate blog <a href="https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/the-dc-areas-70-million-homebuyer/19364" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UrbanTurf</a> reported in 2022 that “the buyer is from the United Arab Emirates and that settlement documents confirm this.”
The embassy of the United Arab Emirates owns extensive property just down the block from the 600 CBR compound, and the compound’s primary residence is directly across the street from Blinken’s $5 million home. Since October 7th, anti-Israel protesters have been living in the narrow strip between the road and the LLC’s property, with their tents, signs, and buckets of fake blood just inches from its fence.
If the UAE is behind 600 CBR, it’s not the only Gulf State with real estate holdings in the neighborhood. Saudi Arabia owns a compound on one side of the 600 compound, and Qatar owns land on the other.
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It is unclear whether the various Arab nations who own the properties are involved in the protests outside Blinken’s home, which The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/soros-prosecutor-wont-shut-down-pro-palestinian-encampment-outside-antony-blinkens-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> likely violate several state and local laws. The UAE embassy did not answer questions from The Daily Wire about whether UAE royals are behind the purchase, nor their stance on the protest outside Blinken’s home.
<div id="attachment_848639" style="width: 820px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-848639" class="wp-image-848639 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-23-at-12.44.11%E2%80%AFPM-810x576.png" alt="" width="810" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-23-at-12.44.11%E2%80%AFPM-810x576.png 810w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-23-at-12.44.11%E2%80%AFPM-300x213.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-23-at-12.44.11%E2%80%AFPM-768x546.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-23-at-12.44.11%E2%80%AFPM.png 1352w" sizes="(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px" />This map shows the site of the Potomac River&#8217;s &#8220;Gold Coast,&#8221; with foreign-owned properties highlighted at left, in relation to DC, at right. / Daily Wire</div>
The Gulf states are the latest foreign entities to buy up key real estate in the United States. In June, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said that China was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ted-cruz-china-is-buying-farmland-near-u-s-bases-to-set-up-drones-for-surveillance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">purchasing farm land</a> near U.S. military bases to serve as launch pads for drones. Beijing has a history of acquiring American land, with one Chinese Communist Party billionaire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ccp-billionaire-secretly-bought-200000-acres-of-u-s-farmland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secretly purchasing</a> 200,000 acres of Oregon farm land in 2015.
Qatar’s efforts to expand its influence in the United States were on full display this week after Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-senator-bob-menendez-found-guilty-on-all-counts-in-federal-corruption-trial?topStoryPosition=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convicted</a> of working to benefit Qatar while securing millions of dollars from a Qatari investment fund for his friend, who in turn paid him.
When a Daily Wire reporter attempted to knock on the door of the 600 CBR compound’s main building, he was intercepted by a Middle Eastern man in sunglasses who said in accented speech, “This is private villa…get out…please don’t ask questions.” Asked who owns the villa, he said “that is private, I cannot talk.” Shortly after, someone left the house driven in a black SUV.
Mortgage documents generally point to a property buyer’s identity. But 600 CBR’s purchase seems to have been made in cash, keeping all identifying information about the buyer out of public records. A transaction for just one of its parcels set the record for the largest residential transaction in the D.C. region’s history.
The articles of incorporation for 600 CBR LLC were signed in 2019 by Kathryn W. Hambrick, a lawyer who specializes in managing sovereign wealth funds, according to a Daily Wire review of state records. Hambrick did not return a request for comment on which country’s sovereign wealth fund may have been behind the purchase.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-848649 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-23-at-12.46.06%E2%80%AFPM-1024x256.png" alt="" width="1024" height="256" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-23-at-12.46.06%E2%80%AFPM-1024x256.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-23-at-12.46.06%E2%80%AFPM-300x75.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-23-at-12.46.06%E2%80%AFPM-768x192.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-23-at-12.46.06%E2%80%AFPM.png 1360w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Whoever funds 600 CBR has plenty of company.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Embassy owns a $130 million compound that includes the <a href="https://www.francisyork.com/blog/for-sale-jackie-kennedys-childhood-home-merrywood-listed-for-495m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">historic Merrywood estate</a>, the childhood home of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Merrywood was later purchased by AOL CEO Steve Case, and sold to the Saudis in 2018 for $43 million, the highest-ever home sale in the region at the time. It is next door to the home where Sen. Ted Kennedy lived until his death.
The Saudi properties’ combined assessed value is $130 million, according to Fairfax County real estate records. The ownership of some of the most expensive property in Fairfax County by embassies—even though the embassies themselves are in Washington—deals a blow to the tax base, as they are exempt from property taxes.
The Embassy of the State of Qatar’s nearby compound is assessed to be worth $20 million. The oil-rich nation has just 300,000 citizens—half the size of the District of Columbia—but recently counted 2 million residents. The vast majority of its residents are foreign laborers working in conditions sometimes described as “<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/12/02/1140260086/the-world-cup-has-taken-a-toll-on-the-migrant-workers-who-made-it-possible" target="_blank" rel="noopener">modern slavery</a>.”
Qatar has been in the international spotlight since Hamas’s invasion of Israel. The terrorist group’s leaders operate out of Qatar, and the nation’s representative to the Arab parliament said “There can be no peace or negotiations with the Zionist entity.” Qatar has also enmeshed itself into D.C.’s culture by becoming <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hamas-harboring-qatar-set-to-buy-dc-sports-franchises-parents-of-hostage-plead-with-leagues-for-help" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part-owner</a> of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards.
The $62 million worth of properties owned by the United Arab Emirates, mostly purchased in 2022, are also exempt from property taxes. If the UAE is indeed behind the 600 CBR compound, it would bring the UAE-connected holdings to an assessed value of $132 million.
One of the properties on the 600 CBR compound is “The Falls,” which was purchased for about $45 million in 2020 from AOL co-founder Jim Kimsey, making for the largest purchase in the region’s history, the <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2020/01/27/kimsey-estate-in-mcleansells-for-45m-a-new-record.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington Business Journal</a> reported at the time. It features 42,000 square feet of living space and a guest house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
It also includes a property, purchased for $23 million in 2022, that was home to former Virginia Gov. Chuck Robb and his wife, the daughter of former president Lyndon B. Johnson.
Standing yards from this enclave of the Gulf nations’ mega-mansions, pro-Palestinian protestors <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/soros-prosecutor-wont-shut-down-pro-palestinian-encampment-outside-antony-blinkens-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scream day</a> and night at the United States’ top diplomat that the children of Gaza are starving.

The protest targeting Secretary of State Blinken is set up directly in front of 600 Chain Bridge Road, pictured here. Blinken’s home is across the street. / Daily Wire

From The River To D.C.: How Arab Countries Bought Up Washington’s Most Elite Neighborhood

Antony Blinken

Washington D.C.

The possible outcomes for Syria after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad generally range from bad to worse, though the regime’s end may serve U.S. interests in the region.
Assad’s regime was well-known for the brutality it directed toward its own people as Assad sought to maintain power through a lengthy and bloody civil war. But with terror groups and jihadis in control of large swaths of the country, Syria’s next government could be as harsh or worse toward religious and ethnic minorities.
“Domestically, [Assad’s ouster] is probably going to result in chaos because, prior to Hafez al-Assad&#8217;s taking over 50 years ago, there was one coup after another in Syria,” Hillsdale College history professor Dr. Paul Rahe told The Daily Wire.
<div id="attachment_843363" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-843363" class="size-large wp-image-843363" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188582619-864x576.jpg" alt="Syrians Gather In The Umayyad Square In The Heart Of Damascus To Celebrate The Fall Of The Assad Regime On December 9, 2024.(Photo by Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188582619-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188582619-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188582619-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188582619.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images</div>
That chaos is largely a result of Syria’s creation out of imperial holdings of the British and French after the first world war, according to Rahe.
“The crucial thing to understand is that Syria is artificial. It goes back to the divvying up of the Near East between the British and the French after World War I. So, there really isn&#8217;t a country there,” Rahe said.
“The difficulties in bringing order to Syria other than the kind of order that Assad imposed – which is violent and dictatorial and tyrannical – the difficulty is very, very great. I don&#8217;t think we should expect this to produce a new awakening for Syria and good things,” he continued. “It may be good for us, … but I wouldn’t be shocked if the civil war continued.”
Amid the chaos, Russia risks the loss of its Tartus naval base on the Mediterranean, as well as the Khmeimim airbase, an important staging post between Russia and its operations in Africa. Iran’s losses are arguably greater. Tehran has spent decades building networks and infrastructure in Syria to supply its terror proxies throughout the region.
<div id="attachment_842239" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-842239" class="wp-image-842239 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188589898-1024x576.jpg" alt="TOPSHOT - An aerial photo shows Syrian naval ships destroyed during an overnight Israeli attack on the port city of Latakia on December 10, 2024. The UN special envoy for Syria on December 10 called on Israel to halt its military movements and bombardments inside Syria, days after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP) (Photo by AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images)" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188589898-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188589898-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188589898-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188589898-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188589898-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />An aerial photo shows Syrian naval ships destroyed during an overnight Israeli attack on the port city of Latakia on December 10, 2024. (Photo by AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
Whether Moscow and Tehran can maintain the influence they had with the new regional authority remains to be seen, though the odds are doubtful. Reports say both Russia and Iran have pulled resources out of the country in the days since Assad’s ouster.
The group responsible for Assad’s fall is Ha’yat Tehrir al-Sham (HTS), a U.S.-designated terror group that led the rebel coalition against the Assad regime. HTS is led by a man who, until recently, was known by his nom de guerre <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-is-syrian-rebel-leader-mohammad-al-jolani" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Abu Mohammad al-Jolani</a>. He dropped the name while distancing himself from his radical Islamist past, recently reverting to his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Sharaa, with his past ties to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, is wanted under a $10 million bounty by the United States.
Sharaa is closely aligned with Turkey and its autocratic ruler, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, leaving the Turks in the best position to influence the possible next leader of Syria. That influence could have a significant impact on how U.S. interests in the region are served, according to Rahe.
“Whether it&#8217;s in our interest or in the interest of the Israelis depends to a great degree on the policy of Turkey, and there&#8217;s no clarity about the policy of Turkey with regard to Israel,” Rahe said. “At times, the Erdogan government has cooperated very closely with the Israelis. At other times, it has been strongly hostile to Israel.”
Despite the questions surrounding Turkey, the fact that Tehran is no longer the dominant state sponsor in Syria bodes well.
“[Assad] was a pawn of Iran, so the weakening of Iran is very good for us,” Rahe said. “If it turns out to be a radical Islamist regime on the border of Israel, it will be trouble. But will it be as much trouble as Iran was with Assad, with Hezbollah, with the Houthis? I think not. So, on the whole, I think it’s a piece of luck for us.”
<div id="attachment_843367" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-843367" class="size-large wp-image-843367" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2189513052-864x576.jpg" alt="UNSPECIFIED, SYRIA - DECEMBER 11: Islamist rebels of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stand guard at the entrance of the first abandoned military base that reads Our Leader Forever - Hafez al-Assad on December 11, 2024, inside Lebanons border with Syria, Rebel forces in Syria have retaken the capital from longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, who has fled the country for Moscow. The fall of the Assad regime marks a new chapter for Syria, which has been mired in a multi-party civil war since 2011, sparked by the Arab Spring uprisings. (Photo by Scott Peterson/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2189513052-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2189513052-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2189513052-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2189513052.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Scott Peterson/Getty Images</div>
The United States has roughly 1,000 troops in Syria, left over from forces ordered there under the Obama administration to fight the rise of the Islamic State. President Joe Biden has dedicated American forces toward that aim again, launching dozens of airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Syria in the past week.
“We’re clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its capability and to create a safe haven. We will not let that happen,” Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/12/08/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-latest-developments-in-syria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in remarks from the White House on December 8.
Biden’s limited interventions in Syria appear to be more than President-elect Donald Trump prefers or would pursue after he takes office in January.
“Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, &amp; THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT,” Trump said in a recent post on Truth Social. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”
But with Assad out and Syria’s future governance in doubt for the first time in 50 years, should the United States move in to assert its influence and interests in the new regime? According to Rahe, that would be a bad idea based more on hubris than reality.
“It&#8217;s too easy for Americans to exaggerate American agency, our capacity to fix things, to shape things. The prudent thing to do is to watch and wait,” Rahe told The Daily Wire. “If a government emerges and it&#8217;s in control of the territory, we should recognize it and our diplomats should try to work with it. Then we’ll see.”
“But we can’t control this,” he continued. “The Russians can’t control it. The Iranians can’t control it. And my guess is, in the end, the Turks can’t control it, though they can influence things.”

TOPSHOT-SYRIA-CONFLICT

‘We Can’t Control This’: The Fall Of Assad And The Future Of Syria

Bashar Assad

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Syria

Turkey

Multiple <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fema" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FEMA</a> officials attended a ritzy climate conference in the Middle East last month, where they pushed climate activism and complained about white women in leadership, as the agency faced criticism over its response to devastating hurricanes and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-fema-official-ordered-relief-workers-to-skip-houses-with-trump-signs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">skipping over</a> of homes with Trump flags in Florida. 
From around November 14 to November 20, FEMA’s Victoria Salinas and Samantha Medlock attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan. The pair pushed climate activism at the conference and said there were too many white women in relief work. During the conference, participants proposed a <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/11/12/animal-protein-overconsumption-un-climate-confab-attendees-urge-countries-to-implement-tax-on-meat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tax on meat</a>, and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/11/23/cop29-un-climate-conference-news-resolutions-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> a deal that would make countries like the United States pay developing countries $300 billion per year. 
Salinas is a Biden-Harris appointee serving as the senior official performing the duties of deputy administrator for FEMA, while Medlock serves as Assistant Administrator for Resilience Strategy. It is unclear how much it cost taxpayers to send the two FEMA employees over 6,000 miles across the globe to attend a climate conference.
The trip came a month after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mayorkas-claim-that-fema-was-tremendously-prepared-haunts-biden-harris-admin-after-hurricane" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that FEMA may run out of emergency funds amid its ongoing response to the devastation of Hurricane Helene. To <a href="https://www.wbtv.com/2024/12/09/fema-extends-north-carolina-hotel-room-stays-helene-survivors-what-know/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">date</a>, nearly 5,000 people in Western North Carolina are without homes and forced to stay in hotels due to the torrential flooding that destroyed homes and killed over 200 people across the southeast. 
Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) told The Daily Wire that FEMA should not be diverting resources away from disaster relief.
“FEMA sent its employees to Azerbaijan for the United Nations’ climate change conference — during the height of the Hurricane Helene response,” Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) told The Daily Wire. “Diverting attention and resources from the needs of the American People — during a crisis, no less — to focus on the globalists’ climate change agenda is the perfect depiction of our government under the Biden Administration for the last four years.”
Perry, the chair of the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, asked FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about the cost of the trip as she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/whos-lying-top-republican-not-satisfied-with-fema-answers-on-trump-home-scandal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was grilled</a> on November 19 over guidance from a FEMA employee in Lake Placid, Florida, for relief workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump.”
Criswell maintained during her testimony that the guidance was an isolated incident, and punted many of the questions from Republican lawmakers to the status of an ongoing investigation. Since her testimony, whistleblowers in Georgia and North Carolina have alleged that FEMA employees discriminated against Trump supporters.
The embattled director&#8217;s testimony took place as Medlock and Salinas pushed Biden administration policies in Baku. After being given an extended deadline, FEMA asked whether they could wait to comment until after publication.
A <a href="https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/U.S.-Center-Schedule-241120-Clean.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">schedule</a> posted by the State Department indicates that FEMA hosted several panels at the conference. Both <a href="https://archive.ph/214Ue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Salinas</a> and <a href="https://archive.ph/8uz5R" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Medlock</a> were interviewed by the State Department’s Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues during their time at the conference. 
On November 14, Medlock was on a <a href="https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/U.S.-Center-Schedule-241120-Clean.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">panel</a> called “Resilience at Scale: A New Paradigm for U.S. Government Infrastructure Investments.” According to the State Department, this panel was meant to show how the United States was a “leader in building a more climate resilient and sustainable world.” 
During that panel, Medlock <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THkBPPaKuak&amp;list=PL8GloD-FU2Ch-6cBNPte6mwOmVcGbfy2q&amp;index=15" target="_blank" rel="noopener">talked</a> about how FEMA was focused on helping local leaders &#8220;prepare for the impacts of the climate crisis that we know can no longer be avoided.&#8221; She also discussed how the agency had pushed &#8220;low carbon materials and net zero policy.&#8221;
The next day, Salinas spoke on a panel called “With Equality and Resilience for All: Women Influencing Climate Action,” <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stategwi_bonus-with-equality-and-resilience-for-all-activity-7265379003845206016-_4bT/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a recording of the event posted by the State Department. The point of this session was to <a href="https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/U.S.-Center-Schedule-241114.pdf">teach participants</a> to “discover how gender-responsive climate action creates more resilient communities for all.” 
“Not all impacts of the climate crisis are felt equally,” the State Department wrote. “Women and girls, in all their diversity, experience unique livelihood, education, health, and safety challenges associated with natural disasters and resource scarcity.” 
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During the event, “Love is Blind” television personality Taylor Krause talked virtually about“female political leaders being especially effective in effectuating climate policy” and how “family planning and reproductive rights have a dramatic impact.” 
On the panel, Salinas talked about how the number of women in FEMA had “grown by the thousands” and said that it was great that it was now “led by a woman.” Salinas pointed to herself as a woman in charge of 2,000 employees as a sign of progress and said that it was necessary to “get more women into decision-making roles.”
<div id="attachment_843245" style="width: 2164px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-843245" class="size-full wp-image-843245" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-12-at-11.12.52-AM.png" alt="" width="2154" height="977" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-12-at-11.12.52-AM.png 2154w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-12-at-11.12.52-AM-300x136.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-12-at-11.12.52-AM-1024x464.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-12-at-11.12.52-AM-768x348.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-12-at-11.12.52-AM-1536x697.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-12-at-11.12.52-AM-2048x929.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2154px) 100vw, 2154px" />Salinas speaks during a panel at COP29.</div>
She also complained about the number of white women in leadership at FEMA, referring to that as a “new challenge.” 
“So at FEMA, our leadership team may be 50% women, but it&#8217;s predominantly white women. And that’s OK, but it&#8217;s not good enough. Right? Because the people we serve in the United States, the intersection of identities &#8230; We know that to be a woman, but to be a woman of color, to be a woman of color with a disability, it goes on and on, leads to so many different experiences and different challenges.” 
That same day Salinas <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrYL9p1IVYE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared</a> on a panel hosted by the America Is All In coalition alongside leftist Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. America Is All In is a <a href="https://www.americaisallin.com/who-we-are" target="_blank" rel="noopener">group</a> that partners with groups like Bloomberg Philanthropies and the United States Climate Alliance to work “alongside the federal government to develop a national climate strategy that meets the urgency of the climate crisis” and scale “climate action around the country.” 
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During the panel discussion, Salinas praised President Joe Biden’s “Inflation Reduction Act” and infrastructure bill, both of which dumped tens of billions of dollars into green energy companies and projects.
Salinas also appeared to criticize local leaders who made requests for FEMA projects without considering climate-friendly materials. 
”We fund what is demanded,” she said. “People oftentimes may not know that they should be envisioning the project with low embodied carbon materials and that the government would fund it.” 
Salinas also praised the Biden administration’s Justice40 <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/environmentaljustice/justice40/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">initiative,</a> which stipulates that at least 40% of certain federal benefits go to “disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.”
On November 19, FEMA helped organize a <a href="https://www.state.gov/climate-crisis/u-s-center-at-cop29-daily-schedule/">panel</a> to “showcase” how the federal government had addressed “climate change” and “inequity.” Medlock participated in another panel on “climate resilience” on November 20, according to the State Department schedule. 
Other things pushed at the conference include a push from the True Animal Protein Price Coalition for COP29 attendees to issue a <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/11/12/animal-protein-overconsumption-un-climate-confab-attendees-urge-countries-to-implement-tax-on-meat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> encouraging the transition &#8220;away from animal protein overconsumption according to national or global dietary guidelines by implementing greenhouse gas emission pricing mechanisms in agri-food systems.&#8221;
COP29 also <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/11/15/al-gore-rant-un-climate-summit-cop29/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">featured</a> a lecture from Al Gore saying that he presses his &#8220;own buttons these days.&#8221;

Medlock

Top FEMA Officials Flew To Ritzy Climate Conference In Middle East Amid Hurricane Controversy

Climate Change

FEMA

Hurricane

United Nations

The Assad regime in Syria is gone. 
A tectonic shift in the Middle East just happened over the weekend. On Sunday morning, Syrian rebels finally took Damascus. They took Bashar al-Assad&#8217;s palace. The Assad regime is no more. Assad has fled to Moscow where he is being granted some sort of asylum because the Russians backed the Assad regime.
It’s important to remember that Syria is an artificial creation, post-World War I by the West, French, and British. Because of that, like many other states in the Middle East, it is unworkable and has been unworkable for a very long time.
There are a large number of groups of various religious belief systems — many of them unbelievably radical, many of them terrorists — all fighting one another.
The Syrian civil war is likely to continue for a long time to come because this is an unworkable patchwork of various groups in various areas of the country.
There are numerous interests involved. The Russians are exceptionally interested in Syria because they wanted to secure ports on the Mediterranean Sea in Syria, which they actually did with the acquiescence of the Assad regime.
Iran used Syria as a thoroughfare and helped prop up the Assad regime.
Turkey, on the other hand, did not like the Assad regime and was also attempting to make its own incursions into Syria. That is because many people in Syria are Kurds and the Turks don&#8217;t like the Kurds in the same way they don&#8217;t like the Armenians.
Israel wants to defend itself and make sure that it is not the victim of yet another land incursion from Syria.
So Syria, as is geopolitically evident, is just a mess. That’s without even getting into the internal politics.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2100-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
Syria is split into many different territories. Certain opposition groups in the south of Syria border the Golan Heights and Jordan. Some of those are radical Sunni Islamists. Some of those are Druze. 
The main terrorist-rebel coalition is located in the northwest of Syria. That coalition is run by a person named Abu Mohammed al-Golani, an Al-Qaeda and ISIS-affiliated terrorist. He’s in the north and backed by the Turks.
The Kurds are in control of a large swath of the northeast area that was, at one time, not under the control of the Kurds but under the control of ISIS, where ISIS still has a presence. ISIS prisons held tens of thousands of prisoners in those Kurdish areas.
After the Assad regime fell, the United States started launching airstrikes in these ISIS-type hotbeds in the Kurdish area of Syria in order to prevent ISIS from reconstituting. Turkey also has taken over huge swaths of the north of Syria.
All the pretense from the media asserting that the people who just took over Syria might be moderate is flat wrong.
By 2024, the Assad regime basically had no money. Their currency was effectively worthless; there were massive inflation rates. The Assad regime had to be propped up by outside forces, Iran and Russia. Russia gave them weaponry and other resources; in return, they got access to some coastal bases in Syria.
Then, October 7 happened. Iran activated Hamas. Hamas murdered 1,200 Jews and pulled 250 more into Gaza, many of whom are still being held in the terror tunnels. Hezbollah started firing thousands of missiles over the course of a year into northern Israel, clearing out Israel&#8217;s north.
Over the course of the subsequent year, Israel proceeded to take out Hamas and virtually all of their military resources, then turned to devastating Hezbollah. They also conducted operations in Syria to prevent Syria from being used as a thoroughfare for Hezbollah resources. So Iran’s sphere of influence got absolutely shellacked.
Meanwhile, Russia was bogged down in their war with Ukraine. They simply didn&#8217;t have the money or the capacity to uphold the Assad regime.
As a byproduct of the Ukraine war and Israel’s efforts, Assad had no allies upon whom to call. The legs of the stool on which his regime was standing got kicked out from underneath him and, as a result, the stool fell.
What happened in Syria was not that the Sunni Muslim terrorist groups suddenly became good at war again. They were really low ebb at the beginning of 2024. What happened is that Assad was basically an eggshell skull. They tapped him. He fell. There was no one to come to his support.
Thus, the terrorist-rebels took advantage and toppled the regime. That&#8217;s effectively the story here. Turkey backed many of these Sunni Muslim terrorist groups that hated the Assad regime. Wishing to expand their own sphere of influence into Syria, they took advantage of the chaos caused by Iran and Russia&#8217;s withdrawal.
The two biggest losers in this situation are Russia, because they had backed the Assad regime, and Iran, which has lost their entire crescent of Islamic Shia terror. Hamas is gone. Hezbollah is gone. Assad is gone. These are all massive blows to the Iranian regime, all caused by what Iran started. It is one of the ultimate “f*** around and find out” moments in human history.
The Iranian regime is in serious trouble right now. They have failed on every possible front. And with the Trump administration coming in and presumably increasing sanctions on the Iranian regime, the Iranian regime is going to have one of two choices: Either they&#8217;re going to have to cut some sort of deal with the West in which they abandon their nuclear efforts and presumably move toward some form of non-tyranny or they&#8217;re going to be forced to collapse. The state of Israel is not going to sit around waiting to see what Iran does next with its nuclear weapons — not after Israel already took out Iran’s air defenses.
The big winner in Syria is Turkey. Turkey took an enormous amount of territory. The Kurds had basically cleared an enormous amount of territory. But now they&#8217;re going to be at war directly with the Turks, who are going to be pouring forces and resources into that region.
As for Israel, they can be happy that the Iranian regime has lost power to use Syria as its tool. But the people replacing that regime are Al-Qaeda and ISIS jihadists.
The fate of many people in Syria remains very much in doubt.
Welcome to the Middle East, where there are no good solutions.
* * *
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Reactions In Syria To Fall Of Assad Regime In Syria

Syria Falls

Islamic State (ISIS)

Radical Islam

Russia

Terrorists

Former CENTCOM commander retired General Frank McKenzie said during an interview over the weekend that the collapse of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/syria" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Syrian government</a> may not be a good thing for the people of the country, despite Western media cheering the downfall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
McKenzie made the remarks during a Sunday interview with ABC News&#8217; Martha Raddatz on &#8220;This Week&#8221; when responding to the country&#8217;s stunning collapse after terrorists launched an aggressive offensive from the north just a little over a week ago.
&#8220;Over the last 48 hours, it has been a remarkable chain of events,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You know, bad news for a lot of people, less clear who the good news is going to be for.&#8221;
He said that there was probably less danger for U.S. forces in the region since the collapse of the country put Russia and Iran on their heels.
&#8220;One of the best equipped, best trained, and most capable forces in all of Syria today is actually our Kurdish partners east of the Euphrates River,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They&#8217;ll be able to defend themselves. I&#8217;m confident of that.&#8221;
He said that Russia, Iran, and Lebanese Hezbollah were the big losers from Assad being forced out of power.
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&#8220;For all three of these entities, this is bad news because now they had a partner, not necessarily a good and capable partner, but a partner, and he is gone,&#8221; he said. &#8220;He&#8217;s left the stage, so they&#8217;re going to have to negotiate with who comes in. So it&#8217;s bad news for them.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s less obvious who it&#8217;s good news for,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I&#8217;m not sure it&#8217;s ultimately going to be good news for the people of Syria. You know, we could have an Islamic State arise there, which will have profound negative implications across the region. That is possible. There are other possibilities as well, and I think in the next 48, 72, 96 hours, this will begin to become clearer to us.&#8221;
McKenzie noted that the leader of the terrorist group has a $10 million bounty on his head from the U.S. government because &#8220;he has a significant track record.&#8221;
&#8220;Certainly he could advance new ideas coming in,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s been my experience, though, that typically they don&#8217;t.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
“The Iranians, Lebanese Hezbollah and, in fact, the Russians are all on their back heels now as a result of what has just happened in Syria,&#8221; former CENTCOM commander Frank McKenzie says after Bashar al-Assad’s government appears to fall to rebels. <a href="https://t.co/OKdyQuTGle">https://t.co/OKdyQuTGle</a> <a href="https://t.co/rrrjwuoByR">pic.twitter.com/rrrjwuoByR</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1865769519437754541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2024</a></blockquote>

Senate Armed Services Committee

Ex-CENTCOM Chief On Syria’s Collapse: ‘Not Sure It’s Ultimately Going To Be Good News For Syria’

World

President-elect Donald Trump issued a fiery statement on Monday afternoon, calling on Hamas to release the hostages the terrorist group has been holding for more than a year or face serious consequences.
Trump posted the statement on Truth Social after the Israel Defense Forces <a href="https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-831587" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that American-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra — who for months was thought to be alive in Hamas captivity — was killed on October 7, 2023, and his body has been held by the terrorists in the Gaza Strip. The president-elect said that it&#8217;s time for more action to bring home the hostages.
&#8220;Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East &#8211; But it’s all talk, and no action!&#8221; he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113584730902816413" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>. &#8220;Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity. Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!&#8221;
Neutra was an Israeli tank platoon commander in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Brigade. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href="https://x.com/netanyahu/status/1863558943684841702" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pledged</a> on Monday that Israel would &#8220;act resolutely and tirelessly until we return all of our hostages.&#8221;
Around 50 hostages, including three Americans, are still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, along with 50 dead hostages, The Jerusalem Post <a href="https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-831587" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The bodies of four American hostages who were killed by Hamas are still being held by the terrorists. In its October 7, 2023, terrorist attack against Israel, Hamas killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped around 250 others.
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Trump and his transition team have taken credit for the ceasefire brokered between Israel and Hezbollah. Trump&#8217;s national security adviser pick Mike Waltz <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-mike-waltz-israel-hezbollah-ceasefire-1992642" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last week, &#8220;Everyone is coming to the table because of President Trump. His resounding victory sent a clear message to the rest of the world that chaos won&#8217;t be tolerated. I&#8217;m glad to see concrete steps towards deescalation in the Middle East.&#8221;
Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-mideast-netanyahu-israel-gaza-iran-wars-2e37305522d19bdc34e956586cce99bd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vowed</a> to push for an end to the war in the Middle East, saying it&#8217;s time to &#8220;get back to peace and stop killing people.&#8221; Trump was a staunch supporter of Israel in his first term and brokered the Abraham Accords, bilateral agreements signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Israel and Bahrain.
This article has been updated to clarify that only three American hostages are believed to be alive in Hamas captivity.

Trump Calls On Hamas To Release Hostages Or ‘There Will Be All Hell To Pay’

Trump Calls On Hamas To Release Hostages Or 'There Will Be All Hell To Pay'

Hamas

Hostages

Terrorism

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) signaled during an interview over the weekend that President-elect Donald Trump will once again put the clamps on Iran as he did during his first term in office.
Hagerty made the remarks during a Sunday CBS News interview with Margaret Brennan on &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; while talking about what Trump&#8217;s foreign policy will look like.
&#8220;Iran, we had them shut down,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Iran was broke. Now they&#8217;re able to fund terror all over the world. We had a maximum pressure campaign.&#8221;
He noted that they were not able to do business with other foreign adversaries during Trump&#8217;s first term.
&#8220;They were not able to do that under the Trump administration,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That&#8217;s why we saw peace breaking out in the Middle East. Without Iran being shut down, which is what we did under the maximum pressure campaign – President Trump led this.&#8221;
&#8220;We were able to move our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Everybody said it couldn&#8217;t happen. It did,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;The Abraham Accords. Peace was breaking out in the Middle East because Iran could not fund terror.&#8221;
He noted that the likelihood of Israel getting the hostages back from Hamas has increased because the terrorist organization realizes it&#8217;s no longer going to get a free pass like it did under President Joe Biden.
&#8220;It seems that the entire environment is shifting right now,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Because they see new leadership coming in. And I&#8217;m encouraged by that, and I think we&#8217;ll have new opportunities to – again, President Trump was able to deliver peace through strength.&#8221;
&#8220;I think that&#8217;s on the way, and I&#8217;m optimistic what it might lead to,&#8221; he continued.
He said that Trump would &#8220;focus on the root cause&#8221; of the problems in the Middle East, which he noted was Iran.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Could there be a hostage deal between Hamas and Israel under President-elect Donald Trump?
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) says &#8220;it seems that the entire environment is shifting right now because they see new leadership coming in, and I&#8217;m encouraged by that.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/1GmqB0lOTh">pic.twitter.com/1GmqB0lOTh</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1855650875508748744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2024</a></blockquote>

Congressional Lawmakers React To The Expiration Of The Title 42 Border Policy

Senator Hagerty Signals Trump Will Once Again Put The Clamps On Iran

Bill Hagerty

U.S.

Former Secretary of State <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/condoleezza-rice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Condoleezza Rice</a> said in an interview this week that it was critical for the U.S. to not adopt isolationist policies because doing so will only work against the country.
Rice made the remarks during an interview on PBS&#8217; &#8220;Firing Line&#8221; with host Margaret Hoover while discussing a recent essay that she wrote.
&#8220;I wanted to say to the American public that I understand the sense we’re all tired. We’ve been through a lot,&#8221; she said as she highlighted what the U.S. has been through on the foreign policy front for the last several decades.
&#8220;But there isn’t really an option but for the United States to take on its role and responsibility as a dominant power that wishes to shape the international system,&#8221; she said. 
&#8220;You see, there’s this notion that if we leave the playing field, it’ll be okay. But in fact, great powers don’t mind their own business,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;And the great powers that would supplant American power are not ones that share our values, will not uphold our interests: China, Russia.&#8221;
&#8220;And so I just wanted to say to the American people, we have to get up and go back to bat because too much is at stake for the United States to turn its back on the international system,&#8221; Rice added.
WATCH:
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Los Angeles Chargers v Denver Broncos

Condoleezza Rice: If The U.S. Leaves The Playing Field, China Will Take Over The World

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