NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS

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With this edition of LincInterviews, we are joined by Dr. Pham H. Liem, President, Vietnamese American Conservative Alliance.

Dr. Liem talks about his life, career and Presidency of the Vietnamese American Conservative Alliance. He also highlights his recent article published in the Epoch Times entitled “Let’s Return To Our Civic Nationalism Roots”.

He spotlights the status of Vietnam today in 2024, politically, economically and socially.

In closing, he discusses current projects, including the forthcoming three book poetry series of Fulbright Scholar and Law Professor Wendy Duong, which captures 50 years of Vietnamese American History. He also comments on the American and Vietnamese service members who gave their lives for our freedom.  

With this conversation, we are joined by Mr. Marc Schifanelli, practicing attorney and retired U.S. Army Special Forces Officer who served in Kosovo as an impartial observer with the Office for Security Cooperation from 1998-1999. To his time in the Kosovo Region, he has written the book “Verified, On the Ground with the Kosovo Verification Mission.” 

Marc details his early life and education, to include his service in the Army Special Forces. Along with historical review of the Balkans, he summarizes the geographic, political and ethnic makeup of the region. 

His book, "Verified" is said to be, “an accurate account of events on the ground in Kosovo during the period that led to the unprecedented actions of a consortium of nations intervening in the internal conflict of a sovereign nation and attaining a result diametrically opposed to what they had intended.”

He comments  on Diplomatic and Media reportage of the campaign, closing with his thoughts on lessons learned. 

The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) was founded in 1920 by World War One veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Issued a Federal charter by Congress in 1932, the DAV has currently has over one million members.

Mr. Joe Parsetich, a service-connected disabled Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War, served as DAV National Commander from 2022-2023. With this conversation, Joe discusses his early life, education, service in Vietnam and ensuing personal story of both challenge and success. He spotlights his time as DAV National Commander, to include advocating for the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (PACT Act). 

He details DAV history, mission and current programs. He talks about his trademark philosophy of disabled veterans using their disability as fuel to help fellow veterans and others. He spotlights DAV work on the special needs of each Veteran and the all important reintegration process back into American Society. 

He closes with review of forthcoming DAV National events and his personal thoughts on the time tested American spirit. 

Magda Khalifa is a first generation American, U.S. Army special operations combat veteran, business owner, speaker, and bestselling author of,  “American DREAM: Discipline, Resilience, Endurance, Adaptability, and Mentorship to Succeed and Win in Life“.

With this conversation, she spotlights her two tours in Iraq and her ensuing struggle with transition and health issues. With highlight of her book American Dream, she highlighta her success path through her concept Freedom Triangle®, introduced to the world in her memoir. In 2020, she launched the World’s First Modern Luxury Fragrance, Triangle Fragrance, featuring masterpiece eau de parfum for men and women.

Career Ambassador David Satterfield has served as special envoy to the Horn of Africa, Assistant Secretary of State, National Security Staff Director, Ambassador to Lebanon and Turkey, also Charge d’affaires in Iraq and Egypt. He is currently Director of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, leading the Institutes Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East.

With this conversation, Ambassdor Satterfield highlights his recent article, "The Role of US Diplomacy in a Changing World".

At the outset of his article, Ambassador Satterfield says, " There is an enduring critical role for diplomacy—personal and institutional—in a world that is always changing. Today’s diplomacy is facilitated by technology in terms of access to information and communication within Washington, from Washington agencies, between DC and overseas posts, and among our missions to an extent unimaginable when I entered the Foreign Service in 1980. The days of the airgram are long past, of waiting for encrypted teletype messages to be deciphered and printed, of mastering Wang computers and the art of producing documents on daisy wheel printers—and good riddance to all!"

The article includes discussion on positive changes, problems and challenges and Diplomacy in action in today’s world. 

In conclusion, Ambassador Satterfield says , "The bottom line is that there is a great present and an enduring future in diplomacy and a need for the best diplomatic practitioners possible in today’s world and the world of tomorrow."

With this conversation, we are joined by former United States Diplomat, Business Executive and Marine Corps Colonel Mr. Grant Newsham. A Senior fellow with the Center for Security Policy and the Yorktown Institute, Mr. Newsham discusses the legacy of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and future of the Indo Pacific Region.

Abe’s long serving foreign policy adviser and speechwriter, Mr. Tomohiko Taniguchi, said Abe “understood Japan needed to enhance its economy, reinvested in the alliance with the United States, and expand its diplomatic ties by reaching out to Australia, and India.” How successful was he with each of these objectives?

As the longest serving Prime Minister in Japanese history, Mr. Newsham spotlights Abe as a Statesman. 

Shinzo Abe realized that without the American Alliance and U.S. presence, Japan’s prospects would be far less. Commensurate with his realization and work for change, Mr. Newsham discusses specific changes to the Japanese Constitution advocated by Abe. 

He moves on to discuss Abe's effort to transform Japanese Maritime Defense Force (MDSF) from one of defense to that of power projection. 

Abe is said to have coined the phrase, “A Free and Open Indo-Pacific”.  What did he mean by this phrase? 

In September of 1954, the United States, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand and Pakistan formed the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, or SEATO, to prevent communism from spreading in the region. With the increasing threat of Communist China, Newsham talks about the Quad transforming into a modern day SEATO. 

In 2007, Shinzo Abe initiated the Quad, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. What is the Quad?

In closing, Mr. Newsham spotlights the future of the Indo-Pacific Region. 

With this conversation, we are joined by Lieutenant General  Bob Wood, USA (Ret), Chief Executive Officer for American Veterans Vote, a Veteran based advocacy group focused on encouraging Veterans to understand and use their collective political voice. LTG Wood retired in 2009 with 36 years of service in the United States Army, commanding at all levels in the Army through Division. He served in senior operations and strategy staff positions at the Army, Joint, and Coalition levels, also as a White House fellow during the Reagan Administration. 

The American Veterans Vote mission is, “To promote the political voice of Veterans and mission partners in support of Veterans and their families, the defense of the Constitution and a strong national security.”  Bob Wood expands on the mission of American Veterans Vote, to include spotlight on the bottom up versus top down approach philosophy behind America Veterans Vote.   

On the front page of the American Veterans Vote Homepage, it is stated, “Our nation struggles to keep our constitutional republic intact, to heal and unite communities, and restore love and respect for our great nation and people.” Bob Wood spotlights how American Veterans Vote is working to address this statement.  

He discusses how American Veterans Vote seeks to understand and engage with the otherwise sizable population of Veterans in both Virginia and around America, who feel left behind by the American Voting system, with national, states and local elections.  

How can one both join and volunteer for American Veterans Vote? What are some of the events and activities of American Veterans Vote? 

Bob Wood also speaks to the greatest challenges in the founding of American Veterans Vote. 

In closing, Bob Wood provides his overarching thoughts regarding increasing the the political voice of both our Nations Veterans and their families. 

Ambassador Roman Popadiuk  was the first U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. A retired member of the career Senior Foreign Service, he served on the National Security Councils of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush.  

With this conversation, Ambassador Popadiuk discusses the Ukrainian invasion.  Starting with offering why Mr. Putin invaded the Ukraine, Ambassador Popadiuk spotlights some aspects and unintended consequences of the invasion, for which Putin may not have anticipated.    

He discusses how changing the overall global security map may well be one of Mr. Putin’s desires.   

Amidst a long history of oppression, starvation and war, the Ukrainian people also have a history of resilience and survival. With the current invasion, Ambassador Popaduik further discusses Ukrainian resilience and survival.   

He moves on to spotlight what he believes the view of the Russian people of Ukraine today to be in 2022 and how they are reacting to the current invasion.   

Could the Russian Ukrainian Invasion could escalate into a conflict, even war, between NATO, perhaps the United States and Russia, or not? With a potential threat of the use of tactical nuclear weapons by Mr. Putin, might the Ukrainian Invasion be considered a novel situation, perhaps not?   

Ambassador Popadiuk also  highlights his thoughts on whether the Ukrainian Invasion can be solved diplomatically, or not.      

With the invasion of Ukraine, is China's President Xi a cohort of Mr. Putin?   In the months ahead, will the Russian invasion of Ukraine become too much for Putin to Control?  

In closing, with Russia having ancestral roots common to Ukraine, Ambassador Popadiuk discusses whether Mr. Putin and his actions are a reflection of both his and the traditional Russian view of Ukraine.