| 00:00:03 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
LEBANON. A LITTLE BACKGROUND, LAST WEEK OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS MET IN DAMASCUS WITH SYRIAN LEADERS. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT'S HAPPENED...
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| 00:00:17 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
EVENT. >> DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE AND I'M DELIGHTED TO WELCOME ALL OF YOU TO THIS POLICY FORUM LUNCHEON TODAY THAT WE'RE HOSTING HERE TO FOCUS ON...
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| 00:00:39 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE THAT THIS EVENT IS BEING BROADCAST LIVE ON C-SPAN SO I WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF -- AND I WILL BE THE LEAD PERSON ON THIS, I'LL BE...
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| 00:07:16 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE 1980S, BUT THAT'S UP FOR ANOTHER DISCUSSION. BUT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT THE MOST RECENT MEETINGS ARE THE PRODUCT OF A LOT OF TALKS...
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| 00:18:53 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
I SAW THE FLIER FOR THIS EVENT POINTING OUT I WAS PREVIOUSLY EMPLOYED BY THE SWEDISH DEFENSE AGENCY. [LAUGHTER] BUT JUST FOR THE RECORD AS FAR AS I KNOW...
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| 00:28:38 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE OPPORTUNITY
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| 00:28:39 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
TO SPEAK AGAIN AT THE INSTITUTE FOR LOTS OF REASONS THAT I WILL TO GET INTO. THERE HAVEN'T BEEN A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES OVER THE PAST EIGHT YEARS FOR...
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| 00:49:08 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
AS POSSIBLE. HANGING CONSTANTLY IT LIKE A SORT OF DAMOCLES OVER ASSAD'S HEAD. HE WILL GO DOWN TO WHAT HE CAN TO USE ENGAGEMENT TO NEUTRALIZE THOSE...
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| 00:51:42 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOURSELF AND OFFER A BRIEF COMMENT OR QUESTION. ALL OF YOU TALKED ABOUT TO VARYING DEGREES THE LEBANESE ELECTION COMING UP AND WHAT THE UNITED STATES...
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| 00:53:26 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE 29-YEAR ROLL IN LEBANON. SO ANY TIME THEY SEE AMERICAN DIPLOMATS GOING TO DAMASCUS AND TALKING, THEY START TO PANIC. AND THE REASON WHY THEY START...
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| 00:54:58 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
STATES COULD PLAY. I THINK ANDREW IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT THAT THIS KIND OF CONTINUED FAIRLY
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| 00:55:06 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
HIGH-LEVEL PRESENCE IN LEBANON TALKING ABOUT THE CONTINUED CONTINUITY OF AMERICAN POLICY WITH RESPECT TO LEBANON, INDEPENDENCE AND SOVEREIGNTY ARE ABSOLUTELY...
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| 00:57:54 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
IS RISK TO ENGAGEMENT AS YOU POINTED OUT AND HOW IT HAS TO BE HANDLED CAREFULLY. WOULD YOU ALSO AGREE THAT THERE ARE RISKS OF
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| 00:58:04 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
NON-ENGAGEMENT? BEING PASSIVE IN A CERTAIN WAY WILL PROBABLY LEAD TO A DEEPENING OF THE IRANIAN-SYRIAN RELATIONSHIP. AND ON THE LEBANESE ARMY ISSUE,...
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| 00:59:22 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
RESOURCES AND SUSTAIN THOSE RESOURCES OVERTIME TO DO THE KIND OF VERY, VERY DIPLOMATIC -- DIFFICULT DIPLOMATIC WORK THAT THAT KIND OF POLICY REQUIRES....
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| 01:02:10 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
BE SHOULD THEY WIN THE ELECTION? NAMELY THE EXPANDED UNIT FILL. >> FROM THE LEBANESE POINT OF VIEW THE LAF IS NOT SO MUCH -- THEY DON'T REGARD THE LEBANESE...
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| 01:02:45 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
PUBLIC. THEY ARE REALLY TRYING TO AVOID ANY KIND OF CLASHES WITH THE LEBANESE FORCES. BUT THEY DO NOT REGARD THE LEBANESE ARMY AS A REAL OPPONENT. ONE...
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| 01:04:54 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
I'M SURE IT IS ABOUT THE LEBANESE CONSTITUTIONALISM, IS THAT THE ONLY WAY HEZBOLLAH
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| 01:05:04 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
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| 01:05:05 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
CAN WIN
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| 01:05:06 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE ELECTION AND TAKE OVER THE GOVERNMENT IS IF THE FEDERATION OF CHRISTIANS ACTUALLY MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO. THEY WILL NOT BE A MAJORITY. ...
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| 01:06:25 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE SUPPORTING KEY DISTRICTS. THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER FACTORS THAT WE JUST DON'T KNOW HOW
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| 01:06:32 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THERE ARE GOING TO PLAY OUT. YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE ARMENIANS GOING TO DO? BUT THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THEY ARE GOING THROUGH THE 1960...
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| 01:08:07 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
NATIONAL-SECURITY INTERESTS AS IT CONTINUES TO NOT ALLOW LEBANON TO HAVE FULL
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| 01:08:13 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
SOVEREIGNTY AND INSIST TO HAVE A STRATEGICALLY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH IRAN? >> THANK YOU. >> HOW DOES A DEFINE ITS NATIONAL-SECURITY INTERESTS. WELL,...
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| 01:08:43 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THINK MOST
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| 01:08:46 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
OF DAMASCUS' CHOICES COME DOWN TO REGIME SURVIVAL. FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD. THIS THE REASON FOR WHAT IT DOES IN THE REGION. I THINK IT IS ONLY GOING...
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| 01:10:39 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WE CAN NEGOTIATE. BUT IF THEY WANT REAL PEACE THEN WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THEY MAKE A DEAL WITH THE PALESTINIANS. REAL PEACE MEANING SUCH...
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| 01:11:45 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
IT MEANS YOU HAVE A TREATY. THAT'S IT. TO THEM IT IS NOT PEACE, WHICH IS THE NORMAL RELATIONS BETWEEN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. IN THE EARLIER PHASE OF...
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| 01:13:41 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
BUT HE NEVER ELABORATED ON THAT. WHAT DO YOU SEE THE OBJECTIVES OF HEZBOLLAH TO BE IN THE MEDIUM TO LONG-TERM? >> SURE. MEDIUM-LONG TERM. MEDIUM THEY...
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| 01:14:00 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
IN LEBANON, BEING ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, LEAD IN THE WAY THEY WANT. MEANING, AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED BY JOHN AND ANDREW, THAT
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| 01:14:14 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
NO REALLY HARSH MEASURE WILL BE INVESTIGATED MAKING SURE THAT THE RELATIONSHIPS WITH IRAN AND SYRIA WILL BE THERE FOR A LONG TIME. FOR THE LONG-TERM,...
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| 01:16:03 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
ECONOMIC POLICY FOR THE U.S. OR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
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| 01:16:08 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
MIGHT HAVE, PERHAPS, TO SUPPORT THE KIND OF RESULT THAT I THINK WHAT GENERATES BETTER FOR LEBANON, ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE ROLE THAT HEZBOLLAH...
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| 01:16:53 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
QUESTION IS TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE UNITED STATES OR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY DOES A MUCH BETTER JOB OF COMPETING WITH HEZBOLLAH ON THE GROUND...
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| 01:17:11 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
NOT A DEVELOPMENT EXPERT. IT SEEMS TO ME, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ASKING THIS QUESTION FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS WHETHER IT IS IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES...
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| 01:20:54 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
QUO WITH LEBANESE GOVERNMENT WHICH MAY NOT EXIST AFTER AN ELECTION THAT'S RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. SO, WHENEVER THE MERITS OF THE SUGGESTION YOUR POSING...
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| 01:21:43 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
LEBANESE GOVERNMENT. I THINK THEY WERE DISCUSSING AND LOOKING AT -- AND I DO THINK IT IS WHAT I TELL MY COLLEAGUES IN THE LEBANESE GOVERNMENT THAT IT'S...
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| 01:24:14 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
AWAY FROM IRAN WE CAN OFFER -- WE CAN OFFER SERIOUS CERTAIN THINGS, PROGRESS ON THE GOLAN, MORE CONTROL OVER LEBANON. WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE TIES BETWEEN...
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| 01:24:31 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
MILITARY HELP, TRAINING? ARE THEY ALSO ECONOMIC? IS A PART OF THE RIVALRY IN THE ARAB WORLD BETWEEN SYRIA AND SAUDI ARABIA AND EGYPT? WHAT HOLD DOES...
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| 01:25:08 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THANK YOU. YES? >> THANK YOU. JOHN, YOU TALKED ABOUT ISOLATION AS A
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| 01:25:13 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
CONTINGENCY FOR SYRIA. WHAT SHOULD BE THE CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR HEZBOLLAH WHEN YOU WERE IN GOVERNMENT THE U.S. DEPLOYED TWICE CLOSER TO THE LEBANESE --...
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| 01:25:28 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
HOW
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| 01:25:30 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
TO PROTECT THE KING? >> WE WILL START WITH ANDREW IF YOU CAN USE THE MICROPHONE AND JUST THE FIRST TWO QUESTIONS. >> TIES BETWEEN IRAN AND SYRIA. THERE...
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| 01:25:54 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
RELATIONSHIP IS LIKE. THERE'S ALSO A RONNIE AN INVESTMENT IN SYRIA, ALTHOUGH ARAB INVESTMENT IS STILL
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| 01:26:02 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
PREDOMINANT BY FAR IN SERIOUS PRIVATE-SECTOR. AND LAST YEAR IRAN OF TO THE AMOUNT OF PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN TECHNICAL AID TO SYRIA FROM $1 BILLION A YEAR...
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| 01:27:37 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE EVENT THAT HEZBOLLAH DECIDES TO RAMPAGE THROUGH THE STREETS OF BEIRUT AND TERRORIZE OTHER PARTS OF THE LEBANESE
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| 01:27:48 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
POLITICAL SYSTEM. THERE IS NOT A LOT TO THAT OF THE UNITED STATES WAS PREPARED TO DO AT THAT POINT. I THINK PERHAPS IT WAS SHOCKING TO OUR LEBANESE FRIENDS...
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| 01:29:31 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
CONVERSATIONS] [INAUDIBLE
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NOTE: The transcript for this program was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.