Trump to ‘re-evaluate partnerships’ in the Middle East

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) – Sergio de la Peña, a retired US Army Colonel and a Defense and Security Consultant, says Donald Trump if elected as President of the US will reassess America's partnership in the Middle East.

De la Peña said the Republican Candidate is going to re-evaluate the US’ positions in the Middle East, which would mean re-selecting allies and partners.

“We need to be able to support our partners, and we need to re-align all these different alliances we have throughout the world,” he said.

The retired Colonel emphasized that Kurds have been reliable partners when America has needed them, and that should be taken into consideration when the US re-assesses its policies in the Middle East.

“Who has been there when we needed help? Who has been there to stop the spread of [the Islamic State (IS)] in the region?” de la Peña asked.

“Kurds have done a fantastic job of being able to block any growth of [IS] into the Kurdistan Region,” he added.

While de la Peña emphasized that the important role Kurds have played should acknowledged, he refused to clarify Trump's position further.

“We have to look at many different factors...rather than giving you a very definitive answer, we don't have all the information and we need to look at all the factors,” de la Peña said.

He also spoke about the power dynamic turn when IS would eventually be pushed out of Mosul.

“Once Mosul is liberated, you are going to have a shift in power structure within Iraq,” he explained.

“This is going to be more of a shift towards Shia than the Sunnis. And that's going to generate a new dynamic that has to be worked out by the Iraqi government,” de la Peña added.

Additionally, he believes there should be some “power sharing” between the two Islamic sects which has not been determined yet.

He also revealed that Trump is concerned that some of the NATO members have not kept their obligations in spending a portion of their "gross domestic product...for their own defense."

He emphasized that NATO's mission “has been extended beyond its own borders” and so it requires new strategies compatible with the realities of the current world.

De la Peña concluded his statement by speaking about the unpredictable future of Syria and pointing out that the situation there also needs re-evaluation.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Kurdistan24 team in Washington, DC contributed to this report)