Friday, January 25, 2019 - 11:36

Recent actions of the Spanish government degrade the notion that Madrid remains a close ally of the United States. In response, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should recall the U.S. ambassador to Spain, Duke Buchan, and deputy chief of mission, Benjamin Ziff, for consultations in Washington.

This is stated in an article by Tom Rogan in the Washington Examiner.

He writes: While these diplomatic recalls from an erstwhile ally would be a big deal, three concerns stand out here.

THREATENING AMERICA'S CLOSEST ALLY

And it goes on to say: It gets worse. Absurdly, while Spain plays nice with Putin, it is also threatening America's closest ally, Britain. The Spanish Navy is escalating its intrusion into British territorial waters surrounding Gibraltar. This confrontational behaviour represents an absurd nationalism that sees authoritarian adversaries as allies, and democratic allies as foes.

Pompeo has a responsibility to repudiate this activity. Recalling the two top U.S. diplomats from Madrid might help alter Spain's behaviour. If not, it would at least inform the Trump administration's course toward altering a defective alliance, the article ends.

25-01-19 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR