From September 2006 to February 2017, McMaster served as a consulting fellow of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). The organization describes itself as a “world-leading authority on global security, political risk and military conflict.”
The IISS has been supportive of the Obama administration-brokered 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, and the group has repeatedly hit back against charges that Tehran has violated the agreement.”
In recent weeks, McMaster has been urging the Trump administration to recertify Iran’s compliance with the Iran nuclear deal. At the same time, reports have surfaced that hardliners on Iran within the NSC have been forced out by McMaster.
One of those individuals was Derek Harvey, a Trump loyalist who led the Middle East desk at the NSC. It’s believed he may assume another role in the administration. Michael Bell, a retired army colonel, was named by McMaster to replace Harvey.
In addition to Harvey, others dismissed from the NSC include Ezra Cohen-Watnick and Rich Higgins, another Iran hawk who was the NSC’s director of strategic planning.
The Higgins firing was notable because he recently circulated a memo in which he alleged President Trump was being betrayed by a “Maoist” insurgency within and without the government of “globalists and Islamists.”
With Trump supporters already outraged by the firings, now comes news that IISS is heavily funded by the Ploughshares Fund, which is backed by the Open Society Institute, a George Soros organization.
The Ploughshares Fund budget for 2016 shows IISS as a grantee for Iran issues. At the time of the Iran agreement negotiated by the Obama administration, a media profile of Ben Rhodes, then deputy national security advisor for President Obama, revealed IISS provided “experts” to help sell the Iran deal to the American public.
Robert Malley, an NSC senior director at the time, discussed at length how the marketing campaign was created and executed.
Malley explained to the Times [New York Times magazine] that “experts” were utilized to create an “echo chamber” that disseminated administration claims about Iran to “hundreds of often-clueless reporters” in the news media.”
Ever the egomaniac, Rhodes boasted about how the administration used outside groups to help sell the deal.
In the absence of rational discourse, we are going to discourse the [expletive] out of this,” he said. “We had test drives to know who was going to be able to carry our message effectively, and how to use outside groups like Ploughshares, the Iran Project and whomever else. So we knew the tactics that worked.”
It’s not clear what role McMaster may have had in the sales job, but clearly he’s well regarded by the Obama leadership team.
Speaking at a recent event held by Ploughshares Fund, former Secretary of State John Kerry implied that McMaster is the best bet at keeping the nuclear agreement alive, according to a Ploughshares Fund description of the June 5, 2017 event.”
IISS remains a staunch supporter of the Iran deal and a sharp critic of McMaster’s new boss.
An IISS strategic comment paper, titled, “Trump’s erratic Middle East policy,” argued that Trump’s confrontational approach toward Iran is “unlikely to lend needed stability to the region.”
A further look at the funding of IISS and the Ploughshares Fund reveals the intricate web of backing provided by progressive and globalists interests that are directly opposed to President Trump’s national and populist agenda.
It raises serious questions about McMaster’s true loyalties and if he’s a Deep State agent to undermine the foreign policy of the Trump administration.
As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2017
…to terrorism and airline flight safety. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2017
Source: Breitbart
Image: Center for a New American Security
Obama was a General in Kenya.
The swamp start with Soros. Get him out of our politics.
Whining, loser snowflake….
Yes I’m sure your doing so much better now someday you’ll even get to be the head dishwasher and move into a Doublewide good for you
There is a lot more swamp to drain!!!!
Eric L Runion No, Obama was
Eric L Runion They lost?