Jim Patterson and Vice President Mike Pence

Jim Patterson, left, with Vice President Mike Pence, Washington, D.C.

Ukraine, Iran and Trump

James Patterson 

At a recent Washington meeting, Vice President Mike Pence and I talked about several current issues, including the Trump administration’s economic sanctions against Iran, Democrat California Rep. Adam Schiff’s secret impeachment hearings, Ukraine, and the administration’s enforcement of laws against international financial crimes.

Iran recently celebrated the 40^th anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Iranians blame the U.S. for supporting the Shah of Iran until he was overthrown by revolutionaries. The Shah died in exile in Egypt in 1980.

Former President Barack Obama endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran to control nuclear production. This “Iran deal” was never authorized by Congress and Iran was never in technical compliance with Obama’s deal. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said the JCPOA was a “disaster” and pledged to withdraw from it once he was elected. President Trump fulfilled his promise.

Since President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, Iran has advanced meddlesome military adventurism including seizing oil tankers in international waters, using drones to hit Saudi Arabian petroleum refineries, and actively destabilizing the government of Yemen. Iran’s extreme and hostile actions appear designed to draw the Trump administration into a conflict.

President Trump has successfully practiced steady diplomacy with increasingly hard economic sanctions aimed at discouraging Iran from military conflict. How long this can last is anyone’s guess. In recent days, Iran has expressed a desire to improve relations with Saudi Arabia. This represents progress. Whether this is real progress, is another matter.

Vice President Pence told me that he feels the sanctions are the right economic tools to use against Iran and he estimates their economy has shrunk by as much as 10 percent due to sanctions. Various news sources, including CNBC, agree the Iranian economy is suffering due to sanctions.

President Donald Trump is not worried he will be impeached, the Vice President said. Neither is the Republican controlled U.S. Senate or Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is trading at records highs.

Readers know I served at the Republican National Committee during the House impeachment of Bill Clinton. The House impeached Clinton for sodomizing Monica Lewinsky and lying about it under oath. Clinton was disbarred. The U.S. Senate, under Democratic control, acquitted Clinton with an important vote against impeachment by then-Senator Joe Biden.

Rumor is that President Trump may watch and tweet (Tweet Watch) the televised House Impeachment Hearings. Trump considers impeachment a joke and he is readying to get laughs at the expense of the comical Congressman Adam Schiff and, very likely, millions of votes. Schiff is no match for Donald Trump. I believe the identity of the government whistleblower should be disclosed to the public. President Trump and the American people need to see and hear the whistleblower.  

In 1991, Ukraine gained independence when the Soviet Union collapsed. It has struggled and openly sought political and economic alliances with Europe. This angered Russia’s Vladimir Putin and he invaded the Ukraine and annexed Crimea. See http://www.breakingpointfilm.com/ for information on Ukraine’s fight for democracy and statements former Ukrainian Ambassador Bill Miller and I made about the documentary.

Ukraine asked the Obama administration for military aid to fight the Russian invasion. Cowardly Obama and cowardly Secretary of State John Kerry shamefully turned their backs on Ukraine. President Trump provided the vital U.S. government assistance, including financial aid, that Ukraine needed.

After European intervention, Ukraine began to stabilize. Then came former Vice President Joe Biden who allegedly intervened to aid a corporation on which his son Hunter was a board member. In the final years of the Obama administration, Washington had no greater influence peddler than Joe Biden. From the looks of things, Biden was also engaged in international influence peddling in China, and Romania, as well as Ukraine.  

Joe Biden is a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Due to his age, questions about his mental status, and a strong field of younger and brighter candidates, I do not believe Biden will be on the November 2020 ballot.

Financial crimes are among the largest growing criminal activity and U.S. citizens are targeted by international criminals. Insist that Washington take more steps to combat financial crimes like money laundering, and tax evasion.

Vice President Pence was the campaign trail for Republicans prior to the Nov. 5 elections in Mississippi, Kentucky, Virginia and elsewhere. He is ready for the Main Event: Trump/Pence 2020! If you support President Trump, write your friends in other states and tell them of your support and ask them to vote Trump/Pence 2020!

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Writer/Speaker Jim Patterson is a member of Alabama’s State Society in Washington, D,C.  JEPDiplomat@gmail.com

Jim Patterson is a member of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and Friend of the Israeli Defense Forces.


I mailed President Trump a copy of my recent New York Post, Letter to the Editor.

Jim Patterson Commentary on Global Political Advertising By Social Media Re: San Francisco Chronicle Editorial

San Francisco Chronicle Nov. 2, 2019
EDITORIAL On Political Advertising

A social network disconnect


This fall, Facebook announced that the company wouldn’t fact-check advertisements from politicians, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has faced a tsunami of political and media criticism ever since.

On Wednesday, he faced the most interesting rebuke so far — from one of his peers.

“We’ve made the decision to stop all political advertising on Twitter globally,” tweeted Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey. “We believe political message reach should be earned, not bought.”

Dorsey went on to explain what he believed to be the difference between free expression and political advertising: “Paying to increase the reach of political speech has significant ramifications that today’s democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle,” he wrote.

He added that it was “not credible” for Twitter to say that it was working hard to stop people from “gaming our systems,” but that they “can say whatever they want” should they pay Twitter for a targeted ad.

Both statements were a clear swipe at Zuckerberg, who has insisted that Facebook’s policy is about democratic free speech, and that the company’s investments in election security are working to prevent bad actors from spreading misinformation on the platform. (Dorsey certainly drove the point home by making his announcement just a few minutes ahead of Facebook’s quarterly earnings call.)

It’s certainly entertaining to watch two tech titans duke it out in the court of public opinion, but this battle is bigger than both of them.

Political misinformation on social media platforms warped the 2016 presidential election. In the years since then, technological improvements in artificial intelligence and “deep fake” video have increased the sophistication of misinformation campaigns, while inaction on Capitol Hill and loopholes in platform policy have ensured that bad actors will continue finding ways to deceive voters.

The landscape is complicated, and there are no easy answers.

Zuckerberg’s refusal to engage with the realities of political propaganda and platform responsibility is sophomoric and dangerous. Free speech is not the same thing as paid speech. Neither is the same as misinformation. It’s galling enough that Facebook has chosen to profit from the latter; pretending that it’s doing so for the good of the republic is simply outrageous.

Hundreds of Facebook’s own employees agree — in a letter they recently sent to Zuckerberg, they wrote “this policy has the potential to continue to cause harm in coming elections around the world,” and urged him to hold political ads to the same standards as other ads. Vocal internal dissent is relatively rare at Facebook. The public opposition of both employees and competitors should encourage Zuckerberg to reconsider this decision — ideally as soon as possible.

But Dorsey’s approach carries risks of its own. How will Twitter judge what kind of advertising should be labeled political? Could the policy have a disproportionate impact on advocates for social causes, or new candidates seeking to challenge incumbents?

When an increasing number of issues carry political overtones, simply banning political advertising is a more complex task than it may first appear.

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Jim Patterson comment: I agree with Jack Dorsey that “Paying to increase the reach of political speech has significant ramifications that today’s democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle.” I'd substitute "global political infrastructure" for "democratic infrastructure." If an entity, such as a Communist government, can control elections around the world, and I believe they continue to do so, then Social Media could lead to increased Communist influence and, possibly, domination. This should alarm everyone. Those seeking to use social media platforms, like Twitter, for political misinformation campaigns will work to find ever more subtle ways to influence political systems and gain broader control. 

Jim Patterson Reports on the 40th Anniversary of the Iran Hostage Crisis

Diplomat James (Jim) Patterson at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington DC. 

Lecture: Iran Hostage Crisis 40^th Anniversary Panel Discussion

Woodrow Wilson Center, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington DC Oct. 31, 2019

Panelists:

Bruce Riedel, Senior Fellow and Director of the Brookings Intelligence Project and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy.

Dr. Suzanne Maloney, Deputy Director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution and a Senior Fellow in the Brookings Center for Middle East Policy.

Malcolm Byrne, Deputy Director and Research Director at the National Security Archive.

Moderator: Haleh Esfandiari, Wilson Center.

Reporter: James Patterson, former U.S. diplomat, life member American Foreign Service Association and member Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations.

Background: On November 4, 1979, Iranian students charged the U.S. Embassy Tehran and took hostage 52 American diplomats and citizens. For Iranian, the crisis was hailed as an act to stem U.S. subversion of the Iranian Revolution. U.S. President Jimmy Carter called it a terrorist act. The resulting diplomatic standoff lasted 444 days and damaged the institution of the U.S. presidency and the U.S. global reputation.

The rift in U.S.-Iranian relations deepened after multiple negotiations failed to win freedom for he Americans. On January 19, 1981, the U.S. and Iranian governments signed the Algiers Accords, which resolved the crisis. All Americans were released on Jan. 20, 1981 after the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan, who campaigned on possibly using the U.S. military to free the hostages. 

Now, 40 years later, the Iran Hostage Crisis is a defining moment in U.S.-Iranian relations. To mark the anniversary of this important chapter in American Foreign Relations history, a panel discussed how the Crisis is viewed today and how it continues to play a role in U.S. foreign policy.

Summary: Byrne cited three reasons for the Iranian hostage crisis: (1) S.Res.164 — 96th Congress (1979-1980) detailing Iran's human rights abuses. Iran singled out Jewish New York Senator Jacob Javits and claimed the U.S. and Israel were lying and interfering in their internal affairs. (2) The deposed Shah of Iran entered the U.S. for cancer treatment in October 1979. Ambassador Bruce Laingen wrote if the Shah was allowed entry to the U.S. it would have serious consequences to U.S.-Iran relations. On October 20, 1979, President Carter allowed the Shah entry urged, Byrne said, by "[former Secretary of State Dr.] Henry Kissinger and the Rockefellers." (Editor note: Interestingly, Byrne cited only Republicans as favoring the Shah entering the U.S. Later, Byrne said they did Carter and the Nation a great disservice for pleading on behalf of the Shah.) Finally, an “infamous” meeting between President Carter’s National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski (1977-1981) and Iran’s revolutionary counterpart which elevated the international importance of the Revolutionaries as official leaders of Iran. Many foreign policy historians consider this a huge diplomatic mistake.  

Byrne mentioned the 2012 US film “Argo,” set in Tehran during the hostage crisis when several Americans, who were not in the U.S. embassy when it was stormed, escaped with help of Canadian diplomats and film crew. I asked him if he considered the film’s message to be accurate. He implied it played with the facts and Riedel agreed. Film also falsely dramatized CIA involvement in Iran. Riedel said the film's final chase scene never happened and the 'film crew" sailed through the airport to safety. 

Maloney gave historical perspective on Iran’s internal politics and the Iranian impressions of the U.S. and its relations with the Shah without regard to the Iranian people. (Editor note: This view despite the aforementioned S. Res. on human rights abuses in Iran.)

Riedel acknowledged that Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States due to the Iran hostage crisis and the national image that the U.S. was helplessly adrift. (Ed note; Carter had a great Secretary of State Cy Vance, but Brzezinski had greater control of Carter. The Vance- Brzezinski debate conflicted Carter for months and caused U.S. inaction and projected an image of U.S. as powerless in the world.)

Riedel said Reagan used psychology to influence Iran to release the hostages. Iranians called Reagan a “fascist cowboy.” It appeared to Iran that Reagan, unlike Carter, would eagerly take military action to release the hostages.  Further, Iran had gotten “everything it wanted diplomatically” from the U.S. in the Algiers Accords which ended economic sanctions and resumed trade. Thus, Iran no longer had an incentive to hold the Americans hostage and released them in Jan. 1979. President Reagan dispatched former President Carter to greet the Americans in Germany.

In conclusion:  This was an excellent panel discussion on an important and policy making historical chapter in American Foreign Relations History. The Iran Hostage Crisis led President Carter to make The Carter Doctrine, a policy he proclaimed in his State of the Union Address on January 23, 1980, which stated that the United States would use military force, if necessary, to defend its national interests in the Persian Gulf. Since then the U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf has dramatically increased.

Special Note: Ambassador Bruce Laingen, aged 96, died July 15, 2019. He was held hostage 444 days. I recommend his book, "Yellow Ribbon." RIP 

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Writer and speaker James Patterson is a contributor to Foreign Service Journal, The Hill and TheHill.com, Agricultural Historical Society, and a commentator on Al Jazeera US, CNBC.COM and others. JEPDiplomat@gmail.com

Jim Patterson on the 75th Commemoration of Deportation of Crimean Tatars

Jim Patterson with bust of President Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington D.C., October 2019

On the 75th Anniversary of the Deportation of Crimean Tatars, members of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) attended a lecture at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, D. C. The lecture was co-sponsored with the International Committee for Crimea in Washington, D.C. and the American Association of Crimean Tatars, New York.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the forcible deportation of Crimean Tatars from Crimea by Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin in 1944. Crimean Tatars were not allowed to return to Crimea until the late 1980s. Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 presented the community with new challenges. Panelists addressed the history of the deportation and the contemporary issues facing Crimean Tatars.

Speaker included Gulnara Bekirova, Historian and Editor, ATR, Kyiv, Ukraine; and Brian Williams, Professor, Islamic History, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Professor Williams gave background on the deportation and Bekirova spoke about Crimea's current occupation. She repeatedly declined to speak the name Vladimir Putin and described Crimea as "in a bad situation."

The Minsk Agreement, or Minsk I, was an arrangement between Russia, Ukraine, and "separatists," to stop violence over Russia's 2014 invasion. Ceasefire failed to hold and in February 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkle and French President Francoise Hollande, on behalf of the European Union (EU), resumed ceasefire negotiations and their outcome was Minsk II, which excluded Crimea.  Washington was not a party to the negotiation.

Background: In 2014, the EU and Ukraine began relations through the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. The EU wanted, to the consternation of Russia, gradual economic integration and political cooperation with Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine because it said "separatists" wanted to remain in the Russian Federation. In the process, Russia annexed Crimea. Although the Obama administration objected, annexation held. The Obama administration also objected to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but failed to provide any military or diplomatic assistance. 

The presentation was historical with little discussion on the current situation in Crimea or Ukraine. Based on Bekirova's comments and lack of criticism of Russia, I felt she was concerned Russian agents in the audience would report back to the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Washington, D.C. The lecture drew an audience of about 30.

Questioning grew intense at moments, especially over the 1943 Tehran Conference (codename Eureka) between President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Josef Stalin. In brief, questioners believed FDR and Churchill could have stopped Stalin's brutality against Crimea, but allowed it in order to accomplish other objectives. Interestingly, author Bret Baier's new book, "Three Days at the Brink," is about the Tehran Conference. Questioners saw similarity between Crimea's treatment in WWII and in 2014's annexation, especially US absence.

The Wilson Center, chartered by the U.S. Congress as the living memorial to President Woodrow Wilson, is the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum. In tackling global issues through independent research and open dialogue, the Center informs actionable ideas for Congress, the administration, and the broader policy community.

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Jim Patterson is a foreign policy analyst, former U.S. diplomat, and a life member of the American Foreign Service Association. He is a member of the Nation Book Critics Circle and Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. His work has appeared in Foreign Service Journal, and others. 

Jim Patterson on Tensions in the Middle East Continue

North Korean President Kim Jong Un galloping on Mount Paektu. 

USAToday

World Series Washington and Tehran

If the Trump administration is planning a military action against Iran, then he may have been wise to avoid a troop buildup on the Syrian border and likely military confrontation with Turkey. We read about a recent U.S. cyber attack against Iran. We also read that Iran's economy has contracted about 10% due to the Trump administration's economic sanctions. Washington has sent 2,000 troops to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to guard against another damaging Iranian drone attack on Aramco's oil facilities.

President Trump considers the Iraq War a mistake even a "disaster." Much like the late French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac, President Trump thinks war is a failure and he worries about war's misery and suffering. It would be a failure of diplomacy for Trump to expand U.S. conflicts to Iran, Syria, and Turkey.

Many administration critics, I was not one of them, suggested Trump was eager for a Middle East War. It would show his political base his toughness, the critics said. The Wall Street Journal and others are now suggesting Trump fears a military confrontation anywhere in the world and this could embolden military adventures of Russia, China, North Korea, and others. 

We recently saw North Korea's Chairman Kim manfully riding a galloping white stallion in the country's sacred Mount Paektu, the highest point on the Korean Peninsula. This had the Internet and professional foreign affairs analysts nervously watching Kim for other manful and possibly military actions against South Korea. A conflict with Chairman Kim could be dangerous and Trump's Kim Charm Campaign may be wilting as tensions mount in the Middle East.

Syria's Kurds and Turkey's President Recep Erdogan are a dangerous combination especially since President Trump ordered U.S. troops out of northeastern Syria. I applaud President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for finding a ceasefire between the two sides though it appears not all warring parties got prompt word of it. Shelling persisted after it was announced.

President Trump initially seemed ready to battle Capitol Hill Democrats on why they want security at the Syrian/Turkish border when they refuse to secure the U.S. Southern border with Mexico. That argument evaporated as the conflict intensified between Syrian Kurds and Turkish forces. President Trump also  argued he did not want to initiate another endless Middle East conflict since he campaigned in 2016 on an end to such wars.

President Trump might have also decided to opt out of a border dispute much like State Department officials told Iraqi President Saddam Hussein before he invaded neighboring Kuwait in the summer of 1990. The U.S., Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Canada, the United Kingdom and Bangladesh, liberated Kuwait in February 1991.  History seems to indicate that engaging in border disputes between nations can lead to war and ignoring border disputes can similarly lead to war. Diplomacy is the preferred course to resolve border disputes and wars they might ignite.

The Kurds are a symbolic resistance to Turkey, a NATO ally for nearly 70 years. The U.S. presence in Syria served as something of a stabilizing force. With current chaos, the U.S. has to reconsider its options.

The U.S. has two military bases with known nuclear capabilities and more than 5,000 troops in Turkey. Turkey has strong diplomatic ties with Russia and Iran and it is feared the Kurdish conflict will broaden the reach of a hostile Iran toward Israel. Strategists also fear Turkey and Iran plan to take over Syria's oil fields. Pence and Pompeo have reportedly given assurances of U.S. diplomatic and, if needed, military assistance to Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu should conditions warrant.

President Trump is working very hard to control the Turkey/Syria situation of his making, though with the noblest of intentions. I think we should know soon if Washington needs more troops to the Syrian border with Turkey. Such a move would likely indicate greater Iranian involvement.

We may be where we were in the summer with Trump and Tehran at a stalemate, but not in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. and Iran conflict many expected then may now happen in the fall. The world series may be between Houston and New York with a Washington and Tehran game getting more attention.

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Jim Patterson is a former U.S. diplomat and life member of the American Foreign Service Association.

Jim Patterson on The Arctic Plastic Ocean

October 17, 2019 

Russian Cultural Center

Washington DC

We attended a lecture by Dr. Katya Uryupova, Ph D., marine biologist/oceanographer, photographer and polar guide. Dr. Uryupova spent most of her life in Siberia. She has PhD is marine biology from Moscow State University and earned a master's degree in science communications from University of Salford, UK. She has worked in the Arctic and Antarctic since 2000. Her research projects focus on polar marine ecosystems. Her interests range from general biology to the human impact on the environment to multidisciplinary research. She has focused on marine-protected areas, fisheries management, climate change and environmental monitoring programs. 

Dr. Uryupova participated in a number of research expeditions at different bases in Antarctica. A member of the Russian Geographical Society and the German Society of Polar Research, she is also an Association of Polar Early Career Scientists Council member. She also completed an internship at the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty in Argentina, and worked for the Smithsonian Institution.  Dr. Uryupova lectured on marine plastic litter, one of the greatest threats to ocean health globally. She said, plastic pollution is present throughout various Arctic realms from the water column to deep sea fauna. The Arctic Ocean is no longer pristine, she said,"as big pieces of plastic, as well as microplastics, travel the cold ocean." Litter circulates around gyres and makes it easy for sea creatures to digest these toxic materials.   Dr. Ekaterina Uryupova has collected data from various locations, especially near Svalbard and Franz Josef Land. Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole. It is one of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas, it's known for rugged, remote terrain of glaciers and frozen tundra sheltering polar bears, Svalbard reindeer and Arctic foxes. Franz Joseph Land, a Russian archipelago, is inhabited only by military personnel. It is the northernmost part of Arkhangelsk Oblast. After Dr. Uryupova's hour-long lecture she presented and discussed twenty of her strikingly original photographs which illustrated the beauty and challenges of conducting scientific research in the Arctic. She answered questions: 1) Is there evidence marine life is changing due to the presence of plastics in the Arctic? She mentioned several interesting ways such as plastic blocking sun from growing kelp which lowered oxygen and reduced/relocated fish populations.  2) She said there is evidence microplastics pass from the water to sea life and, when consumed, into humans. She said microplastics were in the air and found in snowflakes. She said such microplastics were likely due to incineration of plastics which have heavy metals and may, she suggested, be a source of lung cancer in nonsmokers.  Dr. Uryupova, fluent in English, presented an excellent scientific program which lasted more than two-hours.  -30- James Patterson is a former U.S. diplomat and life member of the American Foreign Service Association. JEPDiplpmat@gmail.com

Jim Patterson Reviews Minhwa Art at Korean Cultural Center, Washington DC

October 5, I attended the opening reception for an elegant exhibit on Minhwa: The Beauty of Korean Folk Paintings, at the Korean Cultural Center, Washington DC. The program included lecture, presentation, tour of two rooms with Minhwa canvasses. Finally, attendees were invited to paint a pre-printed figure in minhwa style.

Minhwa: The Beauty of Korean Folk Paintings included an exhibition of works by 19 living artists following in the footsteps of an iconic art tradition, in partnership with the Korean Minhwa Center at Keimyung University. This exhibition introduces minhwa, Korea’s traditional folk paintings that depicted people’s tangible hopes and dreams through unconventional yet artistic expressions. Popularized during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), minhwa are known for their bright colors, humorous depictions, and various virtues embedded symbolically within the imagery.

Minhwa: The Beauty of Korean Folk Paintings comprises 20 paintings by 19 artists from the Keimyung University Korean Minhwa Center who have followed in the footsteps of traditional minhwa painters of previous centuries. Their work spans a variety of iconic styles and subjects, including flora, fauna, landscapes, iconology, and a traditional study complete with books and stationery. Through a broad sampling of minhwa’s major thematic elements, viewers encountered this elegant and cherished art form in all its glory while also glimpsing at the mythology, beliefs and views of the Korean people throughout time.

Minhwa: The Beauty of Korean Folk Paintings continues through October 21, 2019, at the Korean Cultural Center, Washington, D.C.

I highly recommend this exhibit of elegant and beautiful minhwa art. I especially enjoyed the canvasses shaped like bookcases filled with books. 

My hosts and photographer noted my tie's orange was similar to the orange used by the artist in this Minhwa canvass. 

My hosts explained that tigers an magpies were symbolic figures in minhwa art. 

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Jim Patterson is a former U.S. diplomat, life member American Foreign Service Association, member Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, Associate Member Korean War Veterans Association, member U.S.-Philippines Society, life member Associates of Vietnam Veterans Association, member Sons of the American Legion, Associate member Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a contributor to Foreign Service Journal. 

Ralph Bunche and Jim Patterson

Jim Patterson at the resting place of Nobel Peace Prize-winning diplomat Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, The Bronx, New York. 

"The world and its peoples being as they are, there is no easy or quick or infallible approach to a secure peace. It is only by patient, persistent, undismayed effort, by trial and error, that peace can be won." -- Ralph Bunche

Jim Patterson, Diplomat: August 7 is the birthday of Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, Ph. D. Dr. Bucnhe served at the U.S. Department of State and he was the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. His wife, Ruth, was from Montgomery, Alabama. 

I first learned of Dr. Bunche after reading about him in the press. He came to Alabama to march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the historic Selma to Montgomery march in 1965. He worked at the United Nations at the time and he was the highest-ranking U.S. government official to participate in the march. 

My father served with Alabama's National Guard from 1962 to 1967, for the integration of the University of Alabama, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the KKK bombing of Birmingham's 16th Baptist Church, and the Selma to Montgomery march. 

Due to my family connection to the Selma March, I have a role as a reporter in 2015's Academy and Golden Globe award-winning film "Selma." My scenes with actor Tim Roth as Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace were filmed in Atlanta June 2014. I had photos of my dad and Dr. Bunche in my coat pocket. 

Iran 2019: Donald Trump's Ronald Reagan Moment by Jim Patterson

Ambassador Bruce Laingen (1922-2019), the senior US diplomat at US Embassy Tehran 1979 when Iranian "students" seized the Embassy and held Americans, including Laingen, hostage 444 days. I was honored to have known him and to have learned from his experience. 

Donald Trump's Ronald Reagan Moment 

I was at the Library of Congress working on a Middle Eastern project last week when I was called to make a live appearance on Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV studios in Washington DC. I paneled with Iranian and Kuwaiti experts on Tuesday and Friday as events unfolded about Iran’s suspected seizure of, first, a United Arab Emirates oil tanker and, later, U.K. oil tankers.

As events unfolded, it seemed more like 1979 than 2019. Revolutionaries in Iran overthrew the Shah in 1979 and Iranian “students” flooded the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held Americans hostage.

On July 16, 1980, former California Gov. Ronald Reagan accepted the GOP presidential nomination and would successfully defeat President Jimmy Carter in an election dominated by American hostages in Iran. President Reagan successfully used psychological pressure to convince Iran to release the Americans. After Reagan’s inauguration and fearful of U.S. military action, Iran released the Americans who were held captive 444 days.

Forty years later, President Donald Trump may have his Ronald Reagan moment with Iran. While Reagan was the Great Communicator, Trump is the Communicator of Maximum Pressure. Iran is feeling intense economic pressure from tough sanctions the administration implemented shortly after President Trump abandoned the disastrous Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) cobbled together by the Obama/Biden administration.

Iran was never in compliance with the JCPOA’s terms, but Obama/Biden and their EU supporters were optimistic Tehran would move toward compliance. Iran never did. Further, if Obama/Biden had seriously worked with Congress to negotiate a binding treaty with Iran, it might have worked. Instead, the JCPOA was a miserable failure that only strengthened Iran’s ability to advance its nuclear arsenal and to engage in international terrorism by various means, including malicious cyberattacks against U.S. resources.

As Iran increasingly seeks to destabilize the region, President Donald Trump looks, in the eyes of the world, like the strong political leader needed at this moment. Iran presents Donald Trump with his Ronald Reagan Moment, a moment to look presidential.

Mr. Trump needs to measure his words/Tweets and prepare a convincing Maximum Pressure Message for Iran to cease aggression in the Persian Gulf. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and the country’s 80-year-old Supreme leader Ali Khamenei would be wise to listen to Trump’s message and act in the interest of their nation.

In June, President Donald Trump abruptly changed his mind about a military strike on Iran. He said he was concerned about too many civilian casualties. He’s had time to think. Rouhani and Khamenei have had time as well and they foolishly chose, again, to challenge global interests by seizing oil tankers in international waters. This is a major mistake militarily and economically. Iran cannot win a war against the world and its economy cannot sustain its 82 million population with a raging war.

President Trump knows this, and he is, I believe, inclined to swift and massive action against Iran should its forces continue acts of aggression aimed to disrupt navigation in the Persian Gulf. President Trump wants the least possible economic disturbance to global economies, especially the robust U.S. economy. Iran presents President Trump with the Art of a Massive Foreign Policy Deal that could benefit the world for decades to come.

The fortieth anniversary of the Iranian Revolution is near an end. It either moves into its forty-first year or it ends now.  Iran’s fate is the hands of President Donald Trump. In 2019, Iran has more to worry about than the psychological pressures it had from Ronald Reagan in 1979.  It has an actual physical force in Donald Trump.

Jim Patterson is a life member of the American Foreign Service Association, a life member of the Auburn University Alumni Association and a member of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations.  JEPDIplomat@gmail.com

Bruce Laingen and Jim Patterson 1994 National Foreign Affairs Training Center

                                           Ambassador Bruce Laingen and Jim Patterson
                                           National Foreign Affairs Training Center




Ambassador Laingen (1922-2019) was an incredibly brave man and it was a great honor to have known him. He was the most senior diplomat at US Embassy Tehran when "students" overcame Embassy guards and held Americans hostage for 444 days. I highly recommend his book "Yellow Ribbon: The Secret Journal of Bruce Laingen." RIP


Jim Patterson is life member American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and member Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. JEPDiplomat@gmail.com

US Diplomat Jim Patterson Recalls Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery AL

President Lyndon Johnson's Executive Order that sent my dad, James G. Patterson, and his fellow Alabama National Guardsmen to protect Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other marchers at Selma, Alabama, March 1965.

Due to my family connection to Selma, Alabama's Film Commission secured me a role in 2015's Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning film "Selma." My scenes with actor Tim Roth were filmed in Atlanta GA on Father's Day weekend 2014.

Jim Patterson is a writer/speaker/former US diplomat who resides in Washington DC. Message JEPDiplomat@com for speaking availability.

Jim Patterson note: Robert McNamara was Secretary of Defense at the time of the above EO was issued. International attention to the march influenced my career in the Foreign Service. Nobel Peace Prize recipient Ralph Johnson Bunche participated in the march.

Jim Patterson Recalling the Fall of Saigon April 21, 1975

On April 21, 1975, with Communist forces closing in, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu resigned after nearly 10 years in office and fled the country.


Jim Patterson note: Many states, including California, fought against accepting South Vietnamese refugees. Read Dr. Yanek Mieczkowski's book Gerald R Ford and the Challenges of the 1970s. Bringing Vietnam to end was one hell of a challenge during tough political times in the U.S. Then-Gov. Jerry Brown was wrong to fight resettlement of South Vietnamese refugees in California. 

Ronald Reagan: "I think we were right to be involved. The problems in South Vietnam weren't just internal affairs, and we weren't there because we were imperialistic, as the communists claimed, or altruistic, as we tried to appear. The plain truth of the matter is that we were r=there to counter the master plan of the communists for world conquest, and it's a lot easier and safer to counter it 8,000 miles away than to wait until they land in Long Beach." Ronald Reagan's Call to Action 1976 (Thomas Nelson)

President Dwight Eisenhower and The Domino Theory.

Jim Patterson with a portrait of President Dwight Eisenhower, Capitol Hill Club, Washington DC. 


On April 7, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower held a news conference in which he spoke of the importance of containing the spread of communism in Indochina, saying, "You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly." (This became known as the "domino theory," although Eisenhower did not use that term.)

Jim Patterson note: I highly recommend Dr. Yanek Mieczkowski's excellent book: "

Eisenhower's Sputnik Moment: The Race for Space and World Prestige (Cornell University Press).