As more details come to light about Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire sex trafficker is increasingly suspected of having used his wealth, influence, and connections to shape the way political power is used, particularly when it comes to foreign policy. If true, what kind of foreign policy did he favor and what goals did he hope to achieve?
We can catch a glimpse of the answers from the tens of thousands of Epstein-related files released last week by the House Oversight Committee, which show Epstein messaging with a variety of influential and powerful people on a slew of foreign policy topics. Over the years, Epstein exchanged emails with former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak opposing the Iran nuclear deal and favoring military action against Syria; expressed concern about Israel’s intensifying turn away from the two-state solution; and counseled Donald Trump adviser and China hawk Steve Bannon on how the Trump administration could best take on this leading global rival of the United States, to name a few notable topics.
The disclosures add to our understanding of Epstein’s still-murky role as a global power player, and what he actually used the influence he had amassed for. Simply put, if Epstein was using his connections to powerful people with some kind of aim in mind, it was decidedly not to make the world a better place.
In the files, Epstein appeared to favor more aggressive solutions to geopolitical problems — particularly when it came to traditional adversaries of Israel, a country whose politics and national security the sex trafficker took a keen interest in, these and other disclosures show.
In 2013, for instance, as the escalating Syrian Civil War threatened its Iran-friendly strongman’s continued grip on power, Epstein encouraged former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak — a close associate and friend with whom he had been working to sell and develop Israeli weapons — to add to the mounting pressure on then-President Barack Obama to…
Auteur: Branko Marcetic
