Q&A with Senator Lankford on recent trip to the Middle East

During his time in Congress, Senator Lankford (R-OK) has traveled on official business to the Middle East many times; his most recent trip, from May 22 to May 27, took him and Senator Angus King (I-ME) to several nations, including Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. Both men serve on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Lankford says the trip serves to both demonstrate support to allies and also allow for a firsthand gathering of information that can be useful to the committee. In an interview on Wednesday, Lankford discussed the trip.

CAMERON: What can you tell us about the trip and why you went?

LANKFORD: I spent the Memorial Day week in Baghdad and Erbil, northern Iraq, in Amman, Jordan, in Beirut, Lebanon, and then eventually in Jerusalem, meeting with senior leaders in every one of those locations, either the prime minister or president, or in Amman‘s case, the king, getting an opportunity to pick up what’s happening in that region and getting firsthand information, meeting with military leaders there, as well as political leaders. Syria is obviously a very big issue -- there’s a new government in Syria they’re trying to be able to form. There is a lot of concern in the region, Iran continues to be able to threaten its neighbors and be able to move weapons through that area. There are Shia militias that are still active in Iraq, and obviously, what’s happening in Israel and Gaza. So, there are a lot of issues there in the region that just demands firsthand information, engagement, as we try to be able to bring some stability to that region, because it affects, quite frankly, Oklahomans, it affects all Americans what actually happens in that region, so it is to our benefit to try and work to bring stability to that region.

CAMERON: When you consider the various conflicts there, is there any one in particular that you think ending, or working on, could have a positive domino effect?

LANKFORD: What’s interesting in that region is, there’s always 50 different conflicts that are happening, and so you’re working on the one that’s rising, as well as working on the one that’s current, and the one that you hope is diminishing. I was there the first day they were delivering the new food boxes into Gaza, and seeing that process. There are a lot of people that are very pleased to see that there are weeklong food boxes that are being delivered; it’s a very different method to be able to get (aid) in, but it’s trying to be able to break Hamas’s ability to steal food in large quantities and sell it on the street -- that’s how they’re funding Hamas right now in Gaza. They’re trying to be able to break that chain and get food directly to people; that’s very significant.

I left Lebanon optimistic. I’ve been in Beirut several times -- this is the first time to be able to leave, they're really optimistic. New president, new prime minister, the Lebanese Armed Forces is actively engaging with Hezbollah to try and knock them down... Hezbollah has controlled the airport in Beirut for years; now, the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Lebanese government actually controls the airport. They changed the banking system there, they’ve started working actively with Israel to be able to secure the border. Those are very hopeful things long-term for Lebanon and for their relationship with Israel and the entire region. So, there are some very positive things that most Americans don’t see.

CAMERON: How about the new administration in Syria, are you heartened by what you're seeing or concerned?

LANKFORD: I talked to every single leader in the area about the new leadership in Syria, and they have a cautious optimism about the direction of Syria. The Syrian leadership there was former ISIS, former Al-Qaeda, they’ve now put on a suit and tie and say they don’t want to do that anymore, they want to form a unified government. So they’re trying to work on that, and the countries in the region are actively reaching out to the Syrian government, saying we want you to be a peaceful neighbor, and we want you to represent everyone in Syria. What most people don't know is Syria is a very diverse place -- there are Christians, there are Shias, there are Sunni Muslims, there are Kurds, there are Turks, Alawites, there’s this very diverse group of people that are there and every one of those groups is nervous right now because there are foreign fighters in Syria that have literally come from all over the world, that many of them are jihadist, that helped in the overthrow of that government. Now they’re still there, and the wonder is, will they then impose Sharia law on all of Syria and cause mass chaos and civil war all over again, or will those foreign fighters leave and allow the Syrians to determine their future? No one really knows at this point, but everyone was very pleased in the region that America has withdrawn our sanctions from Syria. They all brought up that issue and said thanks to President Trump for withdrawing the sanctions because that gives the new Syria at least a chance to be able to get started, and they want an opportunity to see a good future there.

CAMERON: This administration has overtly made a move to start withdrawing some of the international aid that we provide. What are the ways that we're still supporting movements toward democracy and peace in this region--is it through providing arms, is it through intelligence, diplomacy?

LANKFORD: We still have troops in Iraq, we still have troops in Syria, we have a significant number of troops in Jordan, we have what’s called The Mechanism in Lebanon that’s actively working to be able to negotiate the border issues and a cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel. So, we have quite a few military operations that are in that area. Now, they’re small, but they’re mighty and they’re very engaged with the local governments that are there, and part of my conversation there is how is that working between American forces and local governments, because those are all sovereign nations, they make their own decisions on the direction they’re going to go, but we’re able to be there to be an advisor and counsel to them.