For the first time since advising the Trump campaign, Fox News National Security and Foreign Affairs expert Dr. Walid Phares shared insights on his meetings with then-candidate Trump, saying his experience as a real-estate mogul translated into a rare and in-depth understanding of the Middle East.

 

“[Trump] was a real estate strategist. This means that he can read maps,” Phares told me in a recent interview. “Not every official can read maps. Everyone wants data.”

 

“So when I was briefing him about the Middle East, all he would ask me about was: ‘show me the maps. Show me who’s where,’” Phares added. “And he was able to analyze the balances of power, so from early on in the campaign he had a good idea about why we need to form an Arab alliance in the region, why we need to have safe areas for the minorities, and why we need to be strong in the region, including in our position with Israel.”

 

Phares continued by praising President Trump’s ability to analyze the geopolitics of the region.

 

“I think President Trump is absolutely capable of engaging in strategic analysis once his advisers and briefers are in a consensus about how to present the foreign policy.”

 

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He also said the administration’s foreign policy efforts have been effective, but added that he would recommend going a few steps further by connecting with the civil societies and opposition in several countries.

 

“Forming the Arab alliance in Riyadh was right. Forming the international alliance against ISIS is great. Forming the Warsaw alliance against Iran was perfect, and forming this international coalition for Venezuela is perfect. So the system of alliances is great,” Phares said.

 

“What we need now is to form civil society alliances in those places. That's where we lacked. we need to engage the Iranian opposition, the Venezuelan opposition. Societies in the region,” Phares emphasized. “It needs a new architecture but I’m pretty sure if President Trump himself is briefed and is presented with a nice approach of how to have allies in those countries, he will approve it.”
 

Phares also addressed other areas of foreign policy concern in the interview, from Syria to Venezuela, and praised President Trump’s decision to walk away from the latest summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.

 

“The media actually did not describe it exactly as it was,” Phares said. “Donald Trump was the first American president to tweet back to [the North Koreans] and tell them, ‘I’ll crush you.’ It was a shell shock for that type of leadership that is aggressive and wants to obtain matters by way of pressure.”

 

When asked about Trump’s foreign policy, Phares reaffirmed that Trump is neither isolationist nor interventionist.

 

“I was asked by the international and American media: ‘is he an isolationist? Is he an interventionist?’ I said, ‘he’s neither.’ He’s coming from a business world where you are transactional. His behavior is functionalist. So he tailors the American response depending on the situation.”

 

Phares has spent his career warning about the threats of Hezbollah and Iran. He expounded upon these two issues and how they have evolved during the Trump administration, particularly regarding their involvement in South America. He told The Washington Examiner that the United States has a vested interest in engaging in Venezuela to combat Iran and Hezbollah.

 

“Hezbollah has been interested in Latin America since the early 80’s, and as you know in the 90’s they did those attacks in Argentina against the Jewish communities,” Phares recounted. “Then of course Iran has been funding the infiltration by Hezbollah. But when the Chavista regime came to existence some 12, 14 years ago, this is when Iran obtained facilities.”

 

“Iran in Venezuela is like the Soviet Union in Cuba. Of course Hezbollah is the enemy of the United States, [they are] on our terror list. Caracas is the headquarters of Hezbollah for the entire hemisphere, from Tierra del Fuego to the Rio Grande. So we have a national interest in intervening in making sure that Hezbollah, Iran, and other bad actors are removed from Venezuela.”

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Will the United States support Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido? Phares says “there’s no turning back,” and he sees two possible outcomes.

 

“The U.S. will support Guaido and the democratic revolution in Venezuela. It will take time. We’re not going to intervene directly unless Maduro makes a major issue, but I think we are on the right track.”

 

“I see two paths. One is that the high senior commander of the Venezuelan army will act rationally, will stop any bloodshed against the people--especially if Maduro orders his militia, and these foreign fighters--or it’s going to be a protracted conflict whereby you’re going to have intervention by Brazil, by Colombia, the Organization of American States, and us. At the end of the day, the Maduro regime is not going to survive.”

 

In comparing the greatest foreign policy and geopolitical threats to the United States, Dr. Phares identified rogues states like Iran and North Korea as the greatest threats.

 

“North Korea and Iran are rogue states. North Korea’s real threat against us are those missiles. From [Trump’s summits with North Korea], we have now a logic of negotiating with North Korea which we don’t have with Iran unfortunately.”

 

Phares also explained how the Iran Deal empowered the pro-Iranian lobby in the U.S., and how it has affected public discourse.

 

“Well we sent $150 billion to Iran. Don’t you think they’re going to use 1%—that’s 1.5 billion— for the media operation, for the propaganda operation,” Phares questioned. “Suddenly we saw bloggers, we saw writers, we saw TV stations, we saw a large section of western media and western intellectual elites and academia turning for the Iran regime and for the Iran Deal. So we did it to ourselves. We sent them enough money. They used it and inserted it in our Washington and other capitals of course—infrastructure for ideas, and that's the result we see today.”

 

“I think the administration, and even this Congress, despite the change of majority in the House, are determined not to allow the Iranians to affect our foreign policy.”

 

On Syria, Phares said withdrawing “is the right concept.”

 

“We’re going to withdraw from anywhere where matters are stabilized, where the enemy is eliminated,” Phares explained. “Now the timing of the withdrawal, the size of the withdrawal, who will replace us after the withdrawal...these are the key questions.”

 

“Yes, [Trump] wants the withdrawal but he wants to ensure two things: one is that ISIS is completely eliminated, and it is now about to be. It’s done. And on the other hand, making sure that those who are going to replace ISIS won’t be another ISIS, won’t be the Muslim Brotherhood, and won’t be Iranian militias,” Phares said.

 

In order to solve ongoing issues in Syria, Phares says an Arab coalition entering Eastern Syria would be the most ideal situation.

 

“If that happens, we’re going to have an interim long-term situation of Eastern Syria and Western Syria. The Russians are in Western Syria, we are in Eastern Syria. We protect [the Christian minorities].”

 

Phares also praised recent policy changes in Saudi Arabia. When asked if Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts are an attempt at serious change, Phares said he believes it is real. He also slammed the Obama administration for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

 

“It is a real change.” Phares said. “Unfortunately the past administration refused to engage in that process of change. They preferred the Muslim Brotherhood.”

 

“There is beyond a perestroika...happening right now,” Phares added.

 

To listen to the full interview involving other foreign policy topics with Dr. Phares, click here.