Exclusive Interview with John Faso on U.S. Foreign Policy

Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - Issue 6

Around the World With Congressman John Faso: A Discussion About American Foreign Policy Challenges Calls Russia ‘A Criminal Enterprise’ & Worries About China, Iran

Story and photo by Rich Klein

(The Sullivan Times interviewed Republican Congressman John Faso for almost 30-minutes last night exclusively on foreign policy issues. We made the same offer to Democrat Antonio Delgado but his campaign declined, citing a series of upcoming debates).

Congressman John Faso, who represents the 19th District, said last night that the Saudi Arabian government “owes the world an explanation about the demise of Mr. (Jamal ​Ahmad) Khashoggi. “I think we need to to the bottom of this.” Asked what he thought of President Trump’s initial comment that it may have been a “rogue” murder, Faso said “clearly he (Trump) was speculating off the top of his head so I don’t want to read a lot into that.”

Faso, 66, was less measured in talking about the threats from Iran, China and Russia. ​“The Iranians have never given up their effort to export their revolution,” Faso said. “And they are continually acting in a maligned and antagonistic way, not just in the Middle East but in other places around the world.” Regarding the Iran nuclear deal under President Obama, Faso said, “I opposed that (deal) from the get-go, and I know my opponent has been praising that deal. I don’t think it (the deal) was in the interest of peace or in the interest of the U.S. or our ally in the Middle East, Israel, or other allies in that region.”

Faso pointed out that the Iranians have either conducted or supported terrorist activities “perhaps in response to the pressure that the U.S. and others in the West are putting on them.”

The Congressman visited Israel in 2017 for the first time, along with other Congressional members. “It’s very clear that when you are there, you really get an appreciation for how small a country it is and how difficult a neighborhood in which they live. You are also extraordinarily impressed by the entrepreneurial vigor and spirit of the people and the culture and the country. It’s really a dynamic place. As for peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, Faso quoted Abba Eban who said, “The Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. “ Faso added that “the unfortunate thing for the Palestinian people is that their leadership hasn’t show any real proclivity towards dealing rationally or reasonably with the geopolitical situation on the ground and continuing to pursue policies that are hostile to peace is not something that’s going to be successful in the short or long run.”

Turning to Asia, Faso noted his visit to North Korea last Spring as part of a small

delegation. “It was very revealing in terms of the attitudes of the Koreans towards their neighbors in the region,” he said. “But also you got the sense that there might actually be hope for an opening with this relatively young, Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. We have to be patient on this question because the North Koreans have shown a historic proclivity for duplicity. And so we have to be strong and steadfast and patient in our negotiations. And we also have to be cognizant of the South Korean political situation. Because many in South Korea would like to see some type of rapprochement. The younger generation is looking at the German example of the reunification of that nation and they are by no means enthusiastic about the economic consequences of reunification.”

relationships with Pacific Rim countries, who are also very fearful of China. Koreans are very cautious as it relates to dealing with China because they are an enormous neighbor and they see them as a threat. The Chinese have a much of a long view in this. We have to recognize that the Chinese are a strategic, economic and military rival and we have to act accordingly. If we don’t realize that they are a patient adversary and that they are willing to take advantage of us, we are going to wake up in 20 years and find out that we’re being overtaken dramatically by them, both militarily and economically. That would be a real risk for us.”

Without going into the Mueller investigation, Faso nonetheless pulled no punches in describing Russia.

“Russia today is basically almost a criminal enterprise in the sense of the corruption between the government and the oligarchs who run the state-supported industries,” he said. “And I think they are, clearly under Putin, they are an entity that we have to deal with and I think the President is correct in that. But we also have to recognize that the Russians will do just about anything to expand their political, economic and military influence towards their neighbors and around the world. We have to deal with Russia, talk to Russia, and I think the President is correct about that, but I don’t think we should have any blinders on when it comes to Putin’s true intentions.”

Regarding the war in Afghanistan, Faso said the new strategy that U.S. is embarking upon seems to be showing signs of working. He said the Administration is pursuing a two-track approach: a military engagement and also trying to engage elements of the Taliban to bring about some peaceful resolution. “Time will tell if this will work,” he said. “I think the American public is obviously anxious for our involvement to be concluded. But I think it’s also important for us to not lose sight of the fact that we have sacrificed the lives of our military there and I would hate to see those lives lost in vain if we would leave there and allow the same forces to congregate which brought about the attacks on 9-11.’’

As for asking NATO allies to pay more to the U.S. for their defense, Faso said he thinks Trump is correct. “Frankly the language was not traditional diplomatic language but it was actually, in some respects, refreshing,” Faso said about Trump calling out our allies about paying more.

Faso was also asked about the rise of far right nationalism in countries like Hungary. “We have to respect human rights and religious rights. A lot of the same forces of nationalism from economic discontent are manifesting around the world. We have to be cognizant of it and deal with it so it doesn’t get out of control.”

The Congressman, who grew up in Massapequa, Long Island, moved to Kinderhook in 1983 because there was an opportunity to win an open Assembly seat there.. He won the race for that seat in 1986 and served in the Assembly from 1987 through 2002, rising to the post of Minority Leader in 1998. Faso later lost two statewide races to people who ultimately were forced out of office. He lost a 2002 bid to become State Comptroller in a race against incumbent Alan Hevesi, his former colleague in the Assembly. Hevesi in 2006 was later convicted in a corruption case and left office the same year. In 2008, after a tough primary battle, Faso became the Republican nominee for Governor but got trounced by Democrat Eliot Spitzer. Spitzer, of course, was also forced out of office -- in March 2008 -- when a criminal investigation into his involvement with prostitutes was about to be exposed.

On China, he said “there’s no doubt that the Chinese are a strategic and economic rival of ours. I believe that the Chinese have not been acting in good faith in a number of areas. Number 1, their theft of US intellectual property ..their refusal to abide by WTO (World Trade Organization) agreements that they signed relating to how US companies would be treated in China. Those are areas in which China has gone back on their word. And they often can not be trusted. So I think we have to be quite frank with the Chinese. “ He added that he’s hopeful that the US. can resolve trade disputes with Europe, Canada and Mexico so they and the U.S. can then put up a united front against the Chinese trade practices.

Faso disagrees with President Trump’s January 2017 decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) because he believes that now-defunct agreement “was actually geared towards trying to counterbalance the Chinese influence with a new economic relationship between the United States and the other Pacific Rim nations. “The failure to move in a coherent way there leaves us open, and those nations open, to much more Chinese influence,” Faso said. “So we need to maintain strong trading