The White House-2017 Washington RP

[Dentali]

May 8, 2017

Oval Office

Cal gave a smirk, an amused one rather than condescending, almost a partial grin. "The Carrollton Doctrine? I hadn't expected that to be dusted off. That half-dozen other plans, though, that's the threat there, that we spin our wheels looking for a next step, and end up spending years with forces that don't know what their final goal is, like we did the last time. Something like an Arab NATO, if we want to go for it, it's a diplomatic measure, not one that needs an army of boots on the ground to pull off. There are next steps, of course, but the first step going forward is stepping the troops back, or we're going back to 2003 all over again."

"Mr President I agree with you, but I believe we need to account for Turkey and Russia first. Without our support our Kurdish allies would be much more vulnerable to offensives from either power."

[Prolieum]

May 8, 2017

Oval Office

"I'm very aware of that," the President replied. "I trust our situation and our plan of withdrawal."

[Dentali]

May 8, 2017

Oval Office

"I'm very aware of that," the President replied. "I trust our situation and our plan of withdrawal."

"Just covering my bases sir, sometimes its my job to ask the obvious questions. At any rate this is huge lets get all our ducks in a row."

[Prolieum]

May 8, 2017

Oval Office

Cal nodded. "Of course, I understand. Better to ask an obvious question than let someone else make an obvious mistake. This is a big deal, we'll have to do our best to make sure it goes off smoothly, and that the follow-through is good."

[Dentali]

May 8, 2017

Oval Office

Cal nodded. "Of course, I understand. Better to ask an obvious question than let someone else make an obvious mistake. This is a big deal, we'll have to do our best to make sure it goes off smoothly, and that the follow-through is good."

"Anything specific you need me to do to facilitate it?"

[Prolieum]

May 8, 2017

Oval Office

"Clement should have the nuts and bolts of getting this televised and those parts handled," Cal replied. "If there's any suggestions or something you think we might have missed in doing this, feel free to point anything out, otherwise, Thursday is the date-we could pull it earlier, maybe we should, actually, but this should let us work out any potential bugs. Unless you think we should move it up to be more on-the-fact?" He inquired.

[Dentali]

May 8, 2017

Oval Office

"Clement should have the nuts and bolts of getting this televised and those parts handled," Cal replied. "If there's any suggestions or something you think we might have missed in doing this, feel free to point anything out, otherwise, Thursday is the date-we could pull it earlier, maybe we should, actually, but this should let us work out any potential bugs. Unless you think we should move it up to be more on-the-fact?" He inquired.

Simon shakes his head "we should take our time, be careful and treat it like the big moment this is. We should also make sure its understood this is not the end of the war on terror, that ISIS still has a presence in other nations, and the reasons that we are ending ground operations."

[Prolieum]

May 8, 2017

Oval Office

Cal nodded. "I already have a focus on this not being the end of the fight in the speech draft, I'll look at working in some other phrases to emphasize the point."

Briefly distracted by a glimmer outside the window, he turned his attention back towards his Chief of Staff.

"Unless there's anything else, I think that's all for now."

[Dentali]

May 8, 2017

Oval Office

Cal nodded. "I already have a focus on this not being the end of the fight in the speech draft, I'll look at working in some other phrases to emphasize the point."

Briefly distracted by a glimmer outside the window, he turned his attention back towards his Chief of Staff.

"Unless there's anything else, I think that's all for now."

"No Sir, thank you Mr. President" Simon turns and leaves the room

[Dentali]

Congressman Samara arrived discreetly to the White House, going through all the appropriate security measures. He was dressed as formally as he could be and was nervous, he meet Reed before but never in this capacity, never one on one, never in the the White House. He hadn't been in the White House since Winston was President, and he couldn't help thinking of the laughs and talks they had together in these halls... Madness seemingly overtook him in the last year of his presidency, becoming erratic, paranoid, losing all morality and judgement until finally taking his own life. This office took a toll and as Samara waited for the President to call him in he wondered how Reed was faring mentally and emotionally.

[Prolieum]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

The request for a meeting from the Massachusetts Representative had come out of the blue, and, as far as Cal could tell, without any prompting. He remained of certain of both what the intention of it was, and how useful it would be, given the lack of foreign policy focus of the chamber from which Samara hailed, but Denisevich had given the meeting an only slightly qualified endorsement, and so the President had deferred to his Chief of Staff's judgment.

Waiting in the Oval, his mind was occupied with thoughts over the context of the meeting over the presumed content. In particular, he was beginning to come to the opinion that, while the location still held an undeniable thrill, he ought to start spreading out his meetings into some of the many other rooms of the executive mansion, for variety's sake. Still, the Oval had prestige, and it had, along with that, a true presence to it, from the Marine at the door to the stately decor, portraits and paintings both.

One of those, in particular, was new, so brand-new, in fact, that he had only hung it earlier that morning, after his return from the Gulf. The man shown there was not a President himself, but one who made a Presidency possible. The eyes, even in a painting, showed a glint of the wild, and the scraggly beard he sported could never be described as stately, yet the artist had still captured a strange but unmistakable essence of nobility in the depiction.

Cal missed his father.

He was stirred from his thoughts by the notification that his guest has arrived. Cal let it be known that he was ready, and outside the office, the secretary nodded, and opened the door for Samara to enter.

"The President will see you now."

[Dentali]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

The request for a meeting from the Massachusetts Representative had come out of the blue, and, as far as Cal could tell, without any prompting. He remained of certain of both what the intention of it was, and how useful it would be, given the lack of foreign policy focus of the chamber from which Samara hailed, but Denisevich had given the meeting an only slightly qualified endorsement, and so the President had deferred to his Chief of Staff's judgment.

Waiting in the Oval, his mind was occupied with thoughts over the context of the meeting over the presumed content. In particular, he was beginning to come to the opinion that, while the location still held an undeniable thrill, he ought to start spreading out his meetings into some of the many other rooms of the executive mansion, for variety's sake. Still, the Oval had prestige, and it had, along with that, a true presence to it, from the Marine at the door to the stately decor, portraits and paintings both.

One of those, in particular, was new, so brand-new, in fact, that he had only hung it earlier that morning, after his return from the Gulf. The man shown there was not a President himself, but one who made a Presidency possible. The eyes, even in a painting, showed a glint of the wild, and the scraggly beard he sported could never be described as stately, yet the artist had still captured a strange but unmistakable essence of nobility in the depiction.

Cal missed his father.

He was stirred from his thoughts by the notification that his guest has arrived. Cal let it be known that he was ready, and outside the office, the secretary nodded, and opened the door for Samara to enter.

"The President will see you now."

Samara entered with a reverence to the chamber, "Mr. President, its an honor thank you for seeing me." Samara strode towards the desk ready to shake the Presidents hand.

[Prolieum]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

The President stood up from behind the desk, stepping out to meet Samara openly, showing a significant gap in size between the two in the process. He took the offered hand in a firm shake.

"The honor is mine, Representative," he answered politely, then cast a glance around the room. "Would like you to sit down?" he queried, looking at the pair of couches near the room's centre, the chairs beyond it, and the chair immediately opposite the Resolute Desk, the question a legitimate one as to location as much as a polite offering.

[Dentali]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

The President stood up from behind the desk, stepping out to meet Samara openly, showing a significant gap in size between the two in the process. He took the offered hand in a firm shake.

"The honor is mine, Representative," he answered politely, then cast a glance around the room. "Would like you to sit down?" he queried, looking at the pair of couches near the room's centre, the chairs beyond it, and the chair immediately opposite the Resolute Desk, the question a legitimate one as to location as much as a polite offering.

"I would sir, thank you." Samara says heading over to one of the couches while waiting for the President to sit first.

[Prolieum]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

Cal stepped over and settled himself in.

"I hope you don't mind my setting this meeting for the weekend. I only just got back from the Gulf earlier this morning, and I had a little spot open before I have to stop by the FCC at one that worked well for this."

[Dentali]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

Cal stepped over and settled himself in.

"I hope you don't mind my setting this meeting for the weekend. I only just got back from the Gulf earlier this morning, and I had a little spot open before I have to stop by the FCC at one that worked well for this."

"Not at all, i'm surprised I got in at all. Foreign policy from a rep of the opposing party probably isnt a top priority."

[Prolieum]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

"It's a pity that it's gotten to that point, with the language we use," Cal noted. "The 'Opposing Party'. Not the 'Other Party', or even the 'Alternative Party', but the 'Opposing Party'. It's disappointing that that's become enough of an expectation that it's gotten into our language, the President is from one party, so the Congressmen from the other must be against. I hoped that this administration could be seen a little differently. Democrats in the cabinet, Brankers, a Democrat, introducing the most important legislation we've had, but some things might just be too set in stone to turn over quickly, or at all."

"But, I doubt that you came here to hear me opine about party relations. As a matter of fact, I'm not too sure why you are here, the specifics, I mean. I hadn't known that you had an interest in foreign policy, especially in the House, at least not enough of one to bring us here," he noted the office. "That's a long way to say-what is it that I can help you with?"

[Dentali]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

"It's a pity that it's gotten to that point, with the language we use," Cal noted. "The 'Opposing Party'. Not the 'Other Party', or even the 'Alternative Party', but the 'Opposing Party'. It's disappointing that that's become enough of an expectation that it's gotten into our language, the President is from one party, so the Congressmen from the other must be against. I hoped that this administration could be seen a little differently. Democrats in the cabinet, Brankers, a Democrat, introducing the most important legislation we've had, but some things might just be too set in stone to turn over quickly, or at all."

"But, I doubt that you came here to hear me opine about party relations. As a matter of fact, I'm not too sure why you are here, the specifics, I mean. I hadn't known that you had an interest in foreign policy, especially in the House, at least not enough of one to bring us here," he noted the office. "That's a long way to say-what is it that I can help you with?"

Samara darkened just for a moment "Mr. President I respect the office, I believe you are a man of good character, integrity and sincerity, truly I do. But some of your policies and beliefs are ones I cannot abide."

"But you are correct I am here to discuss foreign policy. I am here to talk about investment in the future. In short I worry if we do not make an investment now, Africa turns into a de facto colony of China, and a hotbed for future terrorist activity."

[Prolieum]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

Reed frowned, a deeper one than a simple turning of the lips. He very much wanted to make the Representative defend that slight he had just made, back up his little 'abiding' pronouncement. He very nearly did, but managed to contain himself. A "Go on, then", in a tone with some noticeable irritation in it, not successfully hidden, was all he could put out.

[Dentali]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

Reed frowned, a deeper one than a simple turning of the lips. He very much wanted to make the Representative defend that slight he had just made, back up his little 'abiding' pronouncement. He very nearly did, but managed to contain himself. A "Go on, then", in a tone with some noticeable irritation in it, not successfully hidden, was all he could put out.

"Apologies" Samara said tone softening, "Its been a rough few days that was inappropriate." Samara let it hang in the air a few moments before continuing.

"But to why im here, lets begin by presenting the problem. By 2050 there will be more Nigerians than Americans. Nigeria has one of the worst run governments in the world, an unemployment rate of 24%. The UN says that of the 21 "most fertile" nations, 19 are in Africa and Nigeria's problems are the norm among all those nations. South Africa is considered the continents economic powerhouse but still suffers from an unemployment rate of 27%."

"An exploding population and a dysfunctional county do not mix. Africa lags behind most of the world in practically all indicators of human well-being, including longevity, infant mortality, HIV, malaria and tuberculosis occurrence, nourishment, school enrollment, long-term economic growth, and income per capita. Much of Asia has escaped from poverty through labor-intensive and export-oriented industrialization. Africa, by contrast, is actually de-industrializing. This is not happening because of free trade, since Africa remains the least economically free region in the world. Rather, African workers cannot compete with much more productive Asian labor due to a number of factors that include lack of decent education and skills, bad financial and transport infrastructure, Byzantine bureaucracy and heavy regulation, and so on."

"So here is the problem what are the hundreds of millions of people, mostly young, to do in the coming decades? In our own nation they join gangs, in Islamic nations they join terrorist organizations. And what do the governments of these nations do? They turn to China"

[Prolieum]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

"You shifted the subject at the end, there," Reed observed. "You went talking about the actions that the people take, the unemployed, to the actions of the national governments. What's your focus here? If I remember correctly, and you can fact-check me if I'm wrong, Nigeria and much of Africa have fairly substantial Islamic populations."

[Dentali]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

"You shifted the subject at the end, there," Reed observed. "You went talking about the actions that the people take, the unemployed, to the actions of the national governments. What's your focus here? If I remember correctly, and you can fact-check me if I'm wrong, Nigeria and much of Africa have fairly substantial Islamic populations."

"They do, thats my point. If the trend of economic depression and dysfunctional government continues we could see the population turn to extremism... joining organizations like ISIS and Boko Haram. However we alsosee the desperate governments turn to China to solve their economic woes."

[Prolieum]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

"And what happens if China is successful at giving these governments what they want?" Cal inquired.

[Dentali]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

"And what happens if China is successful at giving these governments what they want?" Cal inquired.

"Africa becomes a colony of China in all but name. At stake are Africa’s rich natural resources, rapidly growing markets, and political and military influence over the planet’s Southern Hemisphere — and a major portion of the world’s population. This scramble will do much to shape the 21st century, just as the earlier scramble shaped the 19th. It will also become a major epicenter for the ongoing competition between the U.S. and China for economic and strategic leadership."

"Underlying all this is a fundamental reality: Africa in the 21st century is going to be the next frontier of globalization. It contains more than 30 percent of world’s hydrocarbon reserves and minerals, including rare earths essential for defense needs, and is experiencing the world’s biggest population explosion."

"And morally? Unlike the last scramble for Africa, when all the participants wound up being imperialist bad actors, this scramble has two very bad actors, Russia and China, and one clearly good guy ready to ride to the rescue — namely, the U.S. While China’s efforts in Africa have been brutal and neo-colonialist in the extreme, we can, show Africa’s 49 countries how to preserve their independence and autonomy and become part of the modern economic order in ways that benefit their people and increase their prosperity and security — as well as the prosperity and security of the United States."

"Zambia is a perfect example. Today it finds itself in debt to China in the amount of $6–10 billion — nearly a third of its total GPD. Chinese control over the country’s economy has put Zambia in a stranglehold. As one former Zambian prime minister put it, “European colonial exploitation in comparison with Chinese exploitation appears benign,” the latter being “focused on taking out of Africa as much as can be taken out, without any regard for the welfare of the local people.” Several other African countries, including Rwanda and Ghana, could make the same claim."

"China’s growing influence has its military side as well. China’s decision in this year to build a military and naval base in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa has been a geopolitical game-changer, given its proximity to the U.S. base at Camp Lemonnier. The Djibouti base location gives China’s new aircraft carriers a place to rest and refit — and to project Chinese power where no one ten or 20 years ago imagined it possible."

[Prolieum]

May 19, 2017

Oval Office

The President listened closely through the analysis, contemplating the Congressman's breakdown of it. He took note of the moral commentary Samara provided, and had his hands folded to reply after the older man finished.

"There's intent, and then there's ability," he commented. "China having designs to spread their influence in Africa is one thing, but being able to colonize it is another. We saw a nineteenth century of colonialism, but we saw decolonization take over in the twentieth. What makes that sort of model feasible now in the twenty-first?" he asked.