Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, the next U.S. president will have their hands full
This image provided by the Central Intelligence Agency shows a binder that contains publicly released copies of the President's Daily Brief's during the late 1960s. After the political convention confetti is swept away, a more sobering tradition of the presidential election begins: The regular, top-secret intelligence briefings for the nominees. Credit: AP
In a few weeks, presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will receive their first classified intelligence briefings from the CIA and the Director of National Intelligence.
Both will be taken to a secure location, where analysts and operators will share the nation’s most guarded secrets on the world’s most urgent problems.
Here’s what they’re likely to learn, and what they ought to do:
China: The nuclear-armed, Communist nation is stealing billions of dollars in U.S. trade and military secrets via cyber attacks. It’s also illegally occupying islands and reefs that belong to our allies in the South China Sea, all while propping up North Korea. Finally, President Xi Jinping is increasingly unhinged. The president must take a tougher line, using CIA covert action to push back.
Russia: President Vladimir Putin invaded Europe, and controls the future of Syria and the Islamic State expansion. The Russians are engaged in campaigns to weaken the European Union and NATO. Our Cold War enemy has a nuclear arsenal, cyber attack capabilities, and a desire to reclaim its place in the world. The president must hold firm against Putin’s expansionist desires but work with him in places like Syria.
North Korea: In 30 years, the Kim regime crawled its way to a nuclear and ballistic missile program. Now, Kim Jong Un exports it for sale to nations like Iran and Syria as it secures impressive cyber attack capabilities. Our “strategic patience” policy isn’t working. The president should acknowledge that sanctions have failed, and opt for covert operations to destroy North Korea’s nuclear program. This will force China to get serious about its rogue ally.
Islamic radicalism and terrorism: The global threat is not slowing. Why? Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies continue to spread their fanatical Wahhabi version of Islam, from Europe to Pakistan. Stop our destructive foreign policy adventures, speak honestly about radical Islam, designate select Arab nations as sponsors of terror, and truly prepare for energy independence.
Syria: The civil war has devolved into a global battle for supremacy, namely among the U.S., Iran, Russia and ISIS. The bloodletting has pushed millions of refugees — including terrorist sleeper cells — into the Middle East and Europe. The president must work with the Russians and Iranians to destroy ISIS. Let diplomats hammer out a deal on the future of President Bashir Assad and send the refugees back home.
Iraq: We overthrew Saddam Hussein, botched the occupation, and chose a dictator to rule when we left. In response, former Hussein loyalists banded together with al-Qaida and formed ISIS. Iraq exists only on paper, and largely because of U.S. and Iranian support. U.S. policy should focus on destroying ISIS and allowing Iraq to devolve into a confederation of states.
Europe: The continent’s inability to assimilate foreigners has led to a great political, economic and cultural divide, feeding the rise of nationalism. Compounding the problem is Germany’s debacle in allowing unvetted Syrian refugees to stream across Europe without plans to absorb them. And despite last week’s vote by Great Britain to leave the EU, the union must prevail. We must use diplomatic and economic leverage to shore it up.
Venezuela: A major supplier of our oil, the country is on the verge of collapse after presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolas Maduro adopted years of failed economic policies. There will likely be a coup d’etat, resulting in bloodshed and a drop in oil production. This may jeopardize the $8 billion the U.S. spent to stabilize neighbor Colombia. The president should work with Mexico and Canada to lead a North American response to minimize accusations of U.S. meddling.
This array of challenges does not include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, “loose nukes” in Pakistan, the poorly constructed Iran nuclear deal, a pandemic of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and a world economic crisis.
Choose wisely, America.
Bryan Dean Wright is a former CIA covert operative.
