General Le Van Cuong: Donald Trump is a 'puppet' for the US neoconservative force

(Baonghean.vn)- General Cuong believes that Mr. Trump wants to "score points" and erase the title of "lame duck president", but the baseless attack on Syria has damaged his reputation in the international community.

Associate Professor, Dr. Major General Le Van Cuong at the studio of Nghe An Newspaper. Photo: Document

PV: Major General, in your opinion, is it true that the Bashar al-Assad government used chemical weapons?

Major General Le Van Cuong: In July 2013, the first incident of chemical weapons use occurred in Syria. At that time, the US government and its allies in the Middle East blamed the Assad government for using chemical weapons without any evidence to confirm it. Immediately, former US President Barack Obama set a “red line”: if President Al-assad continued to use chemical weapons, the US would certainly use military measures to respond and prevent it.

Faced with that situation, Russia promptly intervened, offering a peace agreement to all parties with the content: the Al-Assad government would hand over all chemical weapons to international forces, in exchange for the US and the West not attacking to overthrow the Assad government.

Thus, since September 2013, in fact, the Bashar regime has no longer used or stockpiled chemical weapons. This has been verified and confirmed by international monitoring organizations.

Moreover, since early March 2017, the situation on the Syrian battlefield has been tilting towards the military forces of the Al-Assad government with support from Russia. Therefore, there is no reason for Mr. Al-Assad to “shoot himself in the foot”.

It should be noted that the war in Syria over the past 6 years has essentially been a confrontation between two superpowers, the US and Russia. In the fight against IS in Syria, the US has a dual goal: on the one hand, it calls on the world to fight against IS and Al-Quada terrorists. On the other hand, it is determined to eliminate the Assad regime.

Meanwhile, the Assad regime has received great support from Russia. It can be said that the US has no reason or "trick" to eliminate it.

Therefore, the chemical weapons attack on April 4 was just an excuse created by the US to conveniently accuse the Al-Assad government.

The US launched missiles at a military base of the Syrian government. Photo: VNA

Reporter: International public opinion believes that this is a hasty and baseless decision by President Donald Trump. What is your assessment of this, Major General?

Major General Le Van Cuong: Not only was the international public shocked, but even the American people thought that this was a hasty decision by President Donald Trump. On April 4, there was a chemical weapons attack in Syria. While there was no final conclusion or specific evidence about the above action, on April 6 (US local time), Donald Trump ordered an airstrike on a Syrian air base. This was a baseless decision by Mr. Trump.

PV: How does the Major General evaluate President Donald Trump through the airstrike on the Syrian military base?

Associate Professor, Dr. Major General Le Van Cuong: Firstly, the decision to launch an airstrike on a Syrian military base was drafted by anti-Russian neoconservatives within the US administration. Therefore, it can be said that, in terms of foreign policy, Donald Trump is a “puppet” for this force.

Second, after 75 days in power at the White House, Trump has continuously introduced wrong policies and bills, and faced fierce opposition from not only the American people, but also the international community. Mr. Trump holds a record of "faithlessness" among US Presidents. By making this decision that is considered too hasty, Trump is trying to affirm and prove himself as a leader who can "be a reliable support for the American people", making important decisions related to the interests of the United States in particular and the fate of the world in general.

Third, through this action, it is clear that Donald Trump is a politician who often changes his views. Previously, during the election campaign and immediately after his election, Trump repeatedly declared that he would cooperate with Russia in the fight against terrorism. In particular, for Trump's policy, the first important goal is to destroy the IS force, then resolve the fate of the Assad state. But at this time, Donald Trump completely went against his statement.

PV: After this action by the US, how will international public opinion continue to move, Major General?

Major General Le Van Cuong: Syria is an independent, sovereign country and a member of the United Nations. The US's use of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles against several targets at a Syrian military base without the approval of the United Nations is a violation of international law and a trampling on the UN Charter.

International public opinion may be diverse, but the vast majority of peace-loving people in the world strongly oppose Trump. And people are concerned about whether Trump will continue to make "impulsive" decisions and "stir up" the world.

Mr. Trump wants to “score points” and erase the title of “lame duck president”, but the baseless attack on Syria has damaged his reputation in the international community.

US President Donald Trump is suspected of being a "puppet" in the hands of American neoconservatives. Photo: CNBC

PV: The Al-Assad government receives great support from Russia. So why did Russia react cautiously to this US military airstrike, Major General?

Major General Le Van Cuong: Recently, Russia is suffering the consequences of the terrorist bombing of the subway in St. Petersburg. Russia is facing difficulties both economically and politically.

Through this action by the US, Russia needs time to calmly re-evaluate the Donald Trump administration's stance on relations with Russia in particular, and the fight against IS terrorism and the conflict in Syria in general. In fact, on the Syrian battlefield, Russia currently holds the initiative. A US airstrike cannot change the situation on the battlefield. Moreover, the hasty action of the US has already revealed its purpose as well as military technology. This gives Russia a significant advantage.

Russia possesses the S-400 missile air defense system (a mobile, high-altitude strategic anti-aircraft missile system) capable of shooting down US Tomahawk missiles. Therefore, this action by the US helps Russia gain more information about US military strategy to deploy defenses.

PV: Can you predict where the conflict in Syria will go in the future, and in what direction will the Russia-US relationship develop, Major General?

Major General Le Van Cuong: On the Syrian battlefield, Russia holds the initiative and possesses the most modern weapons. With a seriously divided economy and socio-politics, the Washington administration does not have the conditions to rush into a larger war in Syria. Therefore, at present, the US should continue to monitor international reactions, especially from Russia and Iran.

The US action has made it more difficult to resolve the conflict in Syria, while deepening the Russia-US conflict.

Pv:Thank you, General!

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