Pompeo cautions against U.S. retreat from global leadership position

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserts that the U.S. seems to be distancing itself from its leadership role on the global front and cautions that no other nation can assume the mantle of global democracy if America decides to withdraw.

Pompeo, J.D. ’94, participated in a private discussion at Harvard Kennedy School on Monday, reflecting on his tenure as the nation’s chief diplomat while sharing insights into his dealings with Israel and the Middle East, Iran, China, and his stance on the conflict in Ukraine.

This gathering was part of the American Secretaries of State Project, a partnership between the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and the Belfer Center’s Future of Diplomacy Project at HKS. Over the years, former secretaries like James A. Baker III, Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, and Hillary Clinton have attended these sessions to offer their reflections on significant diplomatic obstacles they encountered.

During the extensive dialogue, Pompeo elaborated on the negotiations leading to the 2020 Abraham Accords, a series of treaties normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.

According to him, three crucial elements were essential for achieving these agreements: first, to showcase unwavering American support for Israel; second, to clarify that Iran acts disruptively on the international stage and is the main barrier to better Middle Eastern ties; and lastly, to assure Gulf Arab nations that the U.S. would not abandon them if circumstances deteriorated.

Pompeo also defended his close rapport with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, even after a CIA evaluation implicated him in the 2018 assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Pompeo referred to the murder as “horrific” but asserted that fostering a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia aligned with U.S. long-term strategic priorities.

Responding to questions about the Israel-Palestinian situation, Pompeo, now affiliated with the Hudson Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C., stated that a two-state solution seems “highly improbable” in the immediate or foreseeable future.

During his time in Congress, Pompeo was an outspoken critic of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement brokered by Secretary of State John Kerry, believing it granted Iran excessive leeway to enrich uranium, a critical step toward nuclear weapons development. Less than two weeks after he took office as Secretary of State, the U.S. exited the accord.

Even now, despite Iran’s reduced power over the past decade, it is “absolutely essential” for the U.S. to maintain its “no enrichment” policy because there is no assured way to confirm that Iran wouldn’t conduct enrichment in secret. “If they can deceive, they will,” Pompeo stated.

“As competent as our intelligence agencies are, given our impressive collection capabilities, [Iran is] a vast nation, and they have shown their capacity to thwart our attempts to truly understand their actions,” he noted, adding, “If Iran advances any further, there will be proliferation in the region.”

Pompeo was joined in this discussion by Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at HKS; Robert Mnookin, Williston Professor of Law, Emeritus, at HLS; Meghan L. O’Sullivan, director of the Belfer Center and Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at HKS; and James Sebenius, Gordon Donaldson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

Before being appointed Secretary of State, Pompeo served as CIA director from 2017 to 2018. Although he was a proponent of the agency, he feels it remains overly focused on counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East post-Sept. 11, 2001.

One persistent “shortcoming” of the CIA, he indicated, is its insufficient attention to economic intelligence, which places the U.S. at a substantial competitive disadvantage against China, considering that President Xi Jinping “has been in conflict with the United States economically for the past 40 years.”

He identified passively witnessing China’s maneuvers to undermine democracy in Hong Kong after the 2019–2020 protests as “one of my significant failures” during his tenure as Secretary.

Regarding Russia, Pompeo mentioned that he has not been taken aback by Vladimir Putin’s actions. It is reasonable that the Russian president continues to fixate on Ukraine and rectify what he perceives as a historical injustice towards Russia as he persistently “encroaches” upon Europe’s boundaries.

“It’s inherent to his character,” Pompeo remarked, which is why “we must never concede any part of Europe to him, and I lament that it seems we are heading in that direction.”

Pompeo dismissed the idea that the U.S. cannot afford to assist nations like Ukraine and should scale back its defense of global democratic principles.

“What disheartens me within my political party is that too many individuals who understand the significance of this are unwilling to explain to the populace why it is in America’s best interest to assume the role of global leader, stating that the advantages greatly outweigh the costs,” said Pompeo, who served in the U.S. Army prior to attending law school.

A more isolationist stance on foreign policy may be an easier appeal to voters, but the U.S. will come to regret it in the next decade if we neglect to lead on the international stage now, he warned.

“If America doesn’t take the lead, the world is orphaned. There’s no alternative. The Japanese can’t manage it. The Australians lack the capability. The Indians are disinclined,” Pompeo asserted. “For better or worse, it lies on us, and we must embrace that responsibility, and take pride in leading accordingly.”