Fault Lines Episode 35: Pipelines, the Arctic, and Crimes Against Humanity - Global Leadership Dilemmas!

Lester Munson
Thursday, July 30, 2020, 12:33 PM

`Nord Stream 2 is exacerbating the split between the United States and its European Allies.  Across the Mediterranean Laurent Gbagbo is acquitted of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).  Les Munson, Jamil Jaffer, Loren Dealy Mahler, and Andrew Borene discuss how the U.S. should push back against the Russians in Europe and how Americans should think about the ICC.

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Nord Stream 2 is exacerbating the split between the United States and its European Allies. Across the Mediterranean Laurent Gbagbo is acquitted of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Les Munson, Jamil Jaffer, Loren Dealy Mahler, and Andrew Borene discuss how the U.S. should push back against the Russians in Europe and how Americans should think about the ICC.

In our under the radar segment, Les highlights the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam raising tensions along the Nile, Loren explores the legislative twists and turns of this year’s NDAA, Jamil discusses the tit-for-tat consulate closures in Chengdu and Houston, and Andrew discusses how rebalancing special operations forces and potentially elevating the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict to full Under Secretary will impact great power competition.

Can the United States stop Nord Stream 2 at this point? Is the ICC an international institution worth protecting? Will the long-view of foreign policy return in a post-Trump America? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines.

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Lester Munson is Vice President, International at BGR Group, a leading government relations firm in Washington, D.C., where he consults with foreign governments, corporations, and advocacy groups. Lester joined BGR Group after a 26-year career on Capitol Hill and in the Executive Branch. He was most recently Staff Director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He also serves as adjunct faculty at Johns Hopkins University and as a principal on the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network.

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