Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Saeb Erekat, Veteran Palestinian Negotiator, Dies from COVID-19; U.S. Senate Control Hinges on Two Runoff Races in Georgia; U.S. Tops 10 Million COVID-19 Cases as Outbreaks Spike across Nation; Armenia and Azerbaijan Sign Russian-Backed Ceasefire; Trump Fires U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper; Interview with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Senate Foreign Relations Committee, about the Fallout from Trump's Wrath. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired November 10, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump refused to concede the election to President-Elect Joe Biden. Some in the president's
inner circle are telling him to keep fighting.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: President Trump is 100 percent within his rights to look into allegations.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: This election is over.
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the U.S. this virus is spreading at record rates.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think that we are going to continue to go up in terms of the newly diagnosed infections and,
sadly, people will die.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We're well over 100,000 and that is really something that is unfortunate.
Having said that, it is not too late to turn that around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Tonight two battles are being fought in the United States, both are against reality.
I'm Becky Anderson, hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD live from CNN's Middle East programming hub here in Abu Dhabi. We will get you all the
latest from America just ahead.
But first I want to begin this hour right here in this region, where, against the backdrop of a conflict that has defined this region since its
modern inception, a man of peace is being remembered.
Saeb Erekat, who, for decades gave Palestinians a voice at the highest levels has died aged 65 from COVID-19. He tested positive last month, then
a hugely worrying development, considering he had had a lung transplant three years ago.
Since the early '90s, Erekat was one of the most recognizable names and faces in the Middle East peace process, playing a critical role in the
landmark Oslo accords before becoming the chief Palestinian negotiator.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas said, Erekat "stood at the forefront, defending the causes of his homeland and his people in the
fields of the national struggle and in the international arena."
Palestinians have declared three days of mourning. Oren Liebermann looks back on a career like few others.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Saeb Erekat was a man with an increasingly impossible mission but one from which he never shied
away. He was the head of the PLO's negotiations affairs department for decades, in charge of finding common ground with Israel that would lead to
a peace agreement and to a two-state solution.
SAEB EREKAT, CHIEF PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: This is the only way to save the lives of Israelis and Palestinians. Please, let us stop scoring points,
let us stop finger pointing, let us go to sanity, wisdom and courage and come back to the negotiating table immediately with no conditions
whatsoever because, at the end of the day, we have recognized the state of Israel's existence. It's up to you to take the high ground.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Born in Jerusalem and educated in the U.S. and the U.K., Erekat joined the Fatah political party, growing close to its
charismatic founder and leader, Yasser Arafat. Considered a hardliner at first, Erekat gained the respect of those who sat across from him.
ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI DIPLOMAT: Saeb Erekat is a man of peace, always has been a man of peace, a man that I trust, a man that I respect.
That's the good news. The bad news is that Saeb Erekat does not call the shots.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Erekat was a critical part of the Oslo accords when ending Israeli-Palestinian conflict seemed unachievable even imminent
goal. But as the years passed and breakthroughs became sporadic, Erekat found himself with little common ground to stand on between Israelis and
Palestinians.
And their leaders who deeply distrusted each other, Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas. But Erekat never moved from his goal, even as it grew more
distant.
EREKAT: My option is two states. I may be in the minority, I'm being criticized heavily by sticking to the two-state solution. But I know in
history that I read and teach and write and so on that, if we want to have a solution we must have a negotiated solution between ourselves and the
Israelis.
And if we don't help ourselves, as Israelis and Palestinians, that means this will be translated in the blood of my children and their children and
nobody else will do it for us.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): When president Donald Trump unveiled the White House's plan for Middle East peace, it was soundly rejected by the
Palestinians and the Arab world. Erekat and the Palestinian leadership wanted no part of Trump's vision.
[10:05:00]
EREKAT: President Trump is busy inviting Netanyahu, Gantz, so the three of them can determine my future, they can decide what's best for me and they
want to dictate on me.
Actually what we hear about Jerusalem being Israel's capital, robbing the refugee issue, security, borders, it is -- it cannot even be called the
deal of the century, it is the fraud and the hoax of the century.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): But within months, Erekat would find himself on the outside looking in, as Israel normalized agreements, first with the
United Arab Emirates and weeks later with Bahrain. He kept arguing stridently for the importance and necessity of a two-state solution.
It was his most important mission, one that remained unfulfilled in his lifetime.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was Oren Liebermann reporting.
Erekat's death comes at a critical time for both this region and the world. Elliott Gotkine is at the epicenter of Palestinian power, the Mukataa or
presidential compound in Ramallah in the West Bank.
How will Erekat be remembered there, Elliott?
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, we've heard eulogies from various people, including Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas,
describing Erekat as a great fighter and son of Palestine, saying that his death is a great loss for Palestine and for the Palestinian people.
Here at the Mukataa, as you say, where the residence of the Palestinian Authority president, also where Yasser Arafat is buried, the flags are
flying at half-mast. There have been three days of mourning that have been declared. And this would seem to be a very fitting stop for the body of
Saeb Erekat, to be brought here tomorrow morning before being taken back to his hometown of Jericho for prayers and also for burial.
We heard a lot from Oren Liebermann about the achievements, about how he fought for this two-state solution, which ultimately he failed to see
materialize in his lifetime. And the last four years he may have seen that dream drift further away under the presidency of Trump, with Jerusalem
being recognized as Israel's capital by the U.S.
The Palestinians seeing the eastern part of that city as the capital of a future Palestinian state, saw the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and saw
Trump's peace plan which, as we heard Erekat put it so memorably, which he described as the hoax of the century. So didn't achieve what he wanted in
his lifetime but, of course, towards the end of his lifetime, perhaps there was a glimmer of hope from the Palestinians' perspective, with the election
of Joe Biden.
ANDERSON: I spoke to Saeb Erekat earlier this year after the so-called deal of the century was announced. That was the beginning of the year and
that was announced at the White House with President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
At the time I asked him what he thought would happen next. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EREKAT: What will happen next, Becky, is that there will be a unanimous Arab decision to reject this fraud and this so-called deal and to reiterate
our position as Arabs, Arab countries, in unanimity of the two-state solution and the 1967 line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And, of course, what actually happened, Elliott, was that three Arab states normalized relations with Israel and more may follow, not least
the Saudis.
Saeb Erekat has described the Trump administration's policies as, quote, "setting Palestinians and Israelis at least 50 years back."
And yet would it be fair to say that Palestinian leadership, including Saeb himself, has been at a loss as to how to respond?
You're right to point out that a new Biden administration may provide a different playing field. But I just wonder how -- what your thoughts are on
that question.
GOTKINE: Clearly there hasn't been any progress in terms of a two-state solution, even before president Donald Trump assumed office. One would
expect perhaps President Joe Biden to put a two-state solution at the heart of his policies towards Israel and the Palestinians, with the current
government in charge in Israel, it's hard to see much progress taking place.
I recall Netanyahu, when Israel announced that agreement with the UAE and later then Bahrain and Sudan, saying that Israel has achieved peace for
peace; no concessions were necessary. So long as Israel sees that peace can be made without making concessions to the Palestinians, perhaps whoever is
in government will see that as a reason to maintain the status quo.
Ultimately, there are demographics to bear in mind and Erekat, at one point, said that he would fight for one-state solution with rights -- equal
rights for everybody, which, of course, is not something that the Israeli government or Israel would like to see.
[10:10:00]
GOTKINE: So I guess we will have to wait and see what progress if any can be made under a President Joe Biden but certainly Palestinians would hope
to see more than they saw under president Donald Trump.
ANDERSON: Elliott Gotkine is reporting, thank you.
Remember the peacemakers. We are, this hour, following America's twin realities for you, realities that the American president would seem to want
to imagine different as to what they really are.
Donald Trump lost the election to Joe Biden and the country losing the battle against coronavirus, with nearly 120,000 new cases reported on
Monday, pushing the total number of Americans infected this year above 10 million. That is a dizzying number.
Hospitalizations are at their highest level in more than three months and may reach an all-time high this week.
Amid all that, Donald Trump, the first presidential candidate in modern history to refuse to concede an election. His campaign continuing to file
what many see as frivolous lawsuits to try to support his false claims of widespread voter fraud, lawsuits that have turned up nothing.
Joe Biden imploring the president and his supporters to realize the election is over.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: This election is over. It's time to put aside the partisanship and the rhetoric that designed to demonize one another.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Few Republicans, though, have come around to that reality. Some still support the president's false claims. The Senate majority leader,
Mitch McConnell, isn't going that far but he, like the president, refuses to admit that the election is over. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCONNELL: We have the system in place to consider concerns and President Trump is 100 percent within his rights to look into allegations of
irregularities and weigh his legal options.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, now America's top law enforcement official is getting involved. Later on Monday, the attorney general, William Barr, directed
U.S. attorneys to investigate allegations of fraud without proving any indication such evidence exists.
The Justice Department's election crimes prosecutor found Barr's actions so disturbing he resigned in protest, saying Barr broke decades' long
precedent by calling for fraud investigations before states certified election results.
While all of this is going on, it's important to understand that post- Election Day ballot counting, Republicans and right wing media are calling fraud, is perfectly legal and the counting is going on in other states,
including states Donald Trump won, not just the few with close results that the president is contesting.
But the Trump campaign doesn't seem the least bit concerned about those other states or, for that matter, all those Republican votes that had the
party gain seats in the House and, for now, hold on to power in the Senate.
So there is a lot to break down, isn't there?
I want to just lay it out for you but we have CNN's political commentator and former Democratic presidential candidate, Andrew Yang, to peel things
apart for us. Importantly, he's also the proud owner of the #YangGang, which I follow religiously, as it were.
Mr. Yang, welcome back to the show. You announced just two days ago on Twitter that you have been moving to Georgia. You said, and I quote, "This
is our only chance to clear Mitch out of the way and help Joe and Kamala get things done in the next four years."
How realistic is that, not your moving to Georgia but getting wins there?
ANDREW YANG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's very realistic, Becky. You can see that Georgia went to the Democrats at the top line and is going
progressively purple because of changing demographics.
So it's an uphill climb in a special election; traditionally Republicans have come out in higher numbers in Georgia. But if we get the energy up and
activate enough people in Georgia, there is no reason we can't replicate Joe's victory there on January 5th for the two Senate candidates, Jon
Ossoff and Reverend Warnock.
I obviously feel strongly enough about that to head to Georgia myself to lend a hand.
ANDERSON: Good stuff. All right.
Well, what happens if those seats are won by the Democrats?
What's the impact on the Biden administration going forward?
Can you explain?
YANG: Becky, if you recall the Obama years, when Mitch McConnell was the Senate majority leader, Mitch actually said his job is to make Obama a one-
term president. And they obstructed legislation at every turn.
[10:15:00]
YANG: It really hamstrung Obama's ability to get big things done.
Unfortunately, it looks like we are in for a replay of that, with Joe as the incoming president and Mitch still there, Mitch already signaling that
he may not confirm cabinet secretaries.
So this opportunity in Georgia is enormous because, if both Senate races are won by the Democrat, then it's a tie in the Senate, Kamala becomes the
tie breaker and, all of a sudden, Mitch McConnell recedes from Senate majority leader to minority leader and that's an enormous difference.
ANDERSON: What that wouldn't do is sort out what is going on within the Democratic Party itself, with the gloves off, it seems now, on the left
wing side of the party, known as the progressives, as it were, to those of us watching from the outside in.
How potentially damaging is this internal rift to the party and for Joe Biden going forward?
YANG: Well, the internal rift will be much more troubling if Mitch is able to say no to any legislation because then the arguments become moot. That's
why I think these races are so important because, if you are talking about real policy that can be enacted, then there's a very vibrant discussion to
be had between Democrats as to what the legislative priorities are.
But if none of the priorities are going to be able to clear the Senate, then these arguments become more abstract than real. I'd love to have real
arguments about Democratic policies, like I think that would be a real goal that we should shoot for.
ANDERSON: And I want to talk about what those policies would be. I do, though, want to ask you this.
Why does the U.S. not yet have a stimulus bill passed?
And is this the Democrats and the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, dragging her feet at the expense of the American people?
I know you have very specific views on this.
YANG: I think any objective observer can see that Congress has failed the American people, that you pass a CARES Act in March and April and now it is
November. And back in the spring, people did not know how long the pandemic would rage on for and it's growing instead of shrinking.
So we needed a relief package months ago. And there's enough blame to go around, frankly. You could certainly put this at Mitch McConnell's feet;
you could put this partially at Steve Mnuchin and the White House's feet. And I believe Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats have their share of
responsibility, clearly, since she is the House majority leader.
This is playing out as I feared, Becky, where, in a lame duck session, clearly now President Trump is busy arguing for an alternate version of
reality rather than trying to hammer out legislation that's going to help the American people.
So this relief bill may still get stuck. And this breaks my heart because millions of Americans are suffering.
I was just -- I just saw a pet food store that said, look, if you've lost your job, you can take a bag of food to feed your pet. That's what's going
on in American communities right now and it's tragic and unnecessary. We should have passed relief months ago.
ANDERSON: You warn that the Democratic Party was becoming the party of the coastal urban elites in the eyes of working class Americans, working class
Americans, who will be cold and getting colder and may not be able to pay their bills.
You insisted the country would get worse if it didn't work to represent more in the country. Talk to us about policy going forward and how you
envision a Biden-Harris administration changing things for the working class people of America.
YANG: Well, 82 percent of Americans agree with cash relief during the pandemic. And this might have been the most felt aspect of the CARES Act in
March, where people got $1,200 checks -- no questions asked. And it relieved stress, it helped keep a roof over their heads, it put food on the
table.
That should be the centerpiece of any relief plan -- and this is bipartisan. Again, 82 percent, a majority of Republicans support it. So
this is one way we can both help shore up the economy, help families survive but also help bring people together, because it's such a unifying
plan to help people.
Everyone could feel it, everyone could participate in it and it should be bipartisan. That, to me, should be the way that Joe and Kamala steer. And I
know Kamala is very sympathetic to this because she championed a similar bill in the Senate.
[10:20:00]
ANDERSON: I think I've still got you although I may have -- we may have some technical issues.
Do I still have Andrew Yang?
Excellent. Good.
(CROSSTALK)
YANG: I'm still here.
ANDERSON: As we look to the future -- excellent. Excellent. I'm not letting you go yet, sir.
As we speak about the future and a Biden-Harris administration running the country, we need to just consider Donald Trump. And in the last hour or so,
it was announced that the president is planning to establish a leadership PAC, as they are known in the States, a fundraising arm, that could allow
him to continue to exert influence in Republican politics.
Does that worry you, Andrew?
YANG: Trumpism is going to be here to stay, even as Trump gets removed from the White House. Hopefully, he will leave of his own volition.
It's entirely unsurprising to me, Becky; you have to acknowledge, Donald Trump got over 70 million votes. There is a lot of enthusiasm in his base
still; many people feel like he should still be president. And so it would actually be more surprising if he didn't stay engaged in this way because,
in politics, if you have that much support, you're always looking to channel it in a particular direction.
This is going to be a struggle in America for a long time. You can see it in the election results, where Democrats lost House seats and that was not
what the expectation was. The fact that I'm heading to Georgia to battle it out for the Senate, many of us thought that Democrats would win the Senate
outright.
So Trumpism is here to stay, it's alive and well and, in my opinion, it's getting stronger as more Americans suffer because, when you are suffering
you become more susceptible to bad leadership and negative ideologies.
ANDERSON: Andrew, I ask, you defer but do level with me.
Where would you best fit in in a Biden-Harris administration, sir?
YANG: I want to help solve these economic problems. I also am passionate about the fact that the U.S. government has fallen way behind the curve on
technology-related issues, particularly as it relates to social media.
It's one reason why, from the outside looking in, I'm sure, you're confused as to why Americans can't seem to agree on things. Part of it is that
social media is inflaming us and turning us against each other.
I think that this is an issue that the government has been way behind the curve on; it's just allowed Silicon Valley to do whatever the market
demanded. And it is not positive for our democracy. So if I can help address that in the Biden administration, I would love to.
ANDERSON: You and I last talked just before the election. You talked about a pandemic-fueled automotive or automation wave that you were concerned
about. And it's something that we know that so many youngsters feel concerned about, too.
We would applaud your role in an administration doing exactly what you have described going forward. I look forward to seeing how things pan out.
For the time being, while you are around, sir, please do join us on a regular basis. Your thoughts are so important to the international viewer
as we try to pick apart exactly what is going on in the States and how it will impact the rest of us around the world.
Thank you, Andrew.
We also want to take a look at Joe Biden's plans to fight the coronavirus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: It doesn't matter your party, your point of view, we can save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few
months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: He says it's his first priority in office as 100,000 Americans are diagnosed every day with the virus.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): On the streets of Armenia's capital over what the prime minister there calls a painful peace deal in the Nagorno-Karabakh
deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:25:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, CENTER FOR DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY INSTITUTE: What America has to understand is we are about to enter COVID hell,
120,000, 130,000 new cases a day when, at one point, we were talking about 23,000 to 25,000 cases a day just weeks ago.
This number will continue to increase substantially. We have not even come close to the peak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That was Dr. Michael Osterholm, a member of the president- elect's coronavirus advisory board, describing what Joe Biden is calling "America's dark winter."
Just since the election the U.S. has added more than a million cases -- a million cases since the election alone -- topping more than 100,000 daily
cases every single day in the last week.
You can see all of that red and yellow on the map there. Not a single state now heading in the right direction. Overnight, more than 111,000 cases were
recorded, the fifth highest daily case count since the pandemic began.
This dark winter is at the top of President-Elect Joe Biden's priorities, who announced broad goals for his administration on Monday, including a
promise of free vaccine for all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: The bottom line, I will spare no effort to turn this pandemic around once we're sworn in on January 20th, to get our kids back to school
safely, our businesses growing and to get an approved vaccine manufactured and distributed as quickly as possible to as many Americans as possible,
free of charge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now that does seem almost within reach. Maryland-based drugmaker Novavax received a fast track designation for its vaccine candidate by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration that will potentially speed up approval or emergency authorization at least.
This follows Monday's announcement by Pfizer that its vaccine candidate had proven to be 90 percent effective in preliminary studies. Dr. Anthony Fauci
says this could be the light at the end of the tunnel after all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAUCI: This is something that we should really feel good about. But I want to make sure people understand is that it's good because we know there's
light at the end of the tunnel. But that doesn't mean that we're going to give up the important public health measures that we continually still have
to do every single day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: But for now, the virus still spreading rapidly. CNN's Omar Jimenez is reporting for us in El Paso in Texas, as the state verges on
becoming the first to hit 1 million cases. There are just a handful of countries with that many cases. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The United States surpassing 10 million confirmed coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, 1
million of those cases reported in just the last 10 days.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: And then now, as you see, we're well over 100,000 and that is
really something that is unfortunate. Having said that, it is not too late to turn that around.
JIMENEZ: On Monday, the U.S. saw more than 111,000 new cases and 44 states are seeing upticks in the number of cases.
GUPTA: We're in, essentially, a national sort of state of exponential growth.
[10:30:00]
GUPTA: I think that, you know, we are going to continue to go up in terms of the newly-diagnosed infections, as well as people who -- who need to be
hospitalized. And sadly, people who will die.
JIMENEZ: The surge is reaching every corner of the nation. In the Midwest, cases and number of patients hospitalized with the virus continues to rise.
At least 16 states across the country are seeing record hospitalizations, including Ohio, which saw its worst week since the pandemic began. Ohio
medical officials warning that hospitals are becoming overwhelmed due to the recent uptick.
That surge also felt in North Dakota, where the governor announced that asymptomatic COVID-positive healthcare workers are now allowed to work in
COVID units of licensed healthcare facilities as hospitals face staffing shortages.
GOV. DOUG BURGUM (R-ND): We could be facing a situation in our state in the next two to three weeks where we would be severely constrained on
hospital capacity. Some parts of the state are already -- we're already seeing that.
JIMENEZ: In New York City, the positivity rate has increased to well over 2 percent for the first time in months. Mayor Bill de Blasio issued this
warning.
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NY), NEW YORK CITY: Now, unfortunately, we're seeing a real growth in the positivity rate in this city. And that is
dangerous. So we have one last chance to stop a second wave.
JIMENEZ: And here in El Paso, nearly 900 new coronavirus cases were reported on Monday and the city currently has a test positivity rate of
over 20 percent.
More than 1,000 patients are hospitalized with the virus and just over 300 of those are in the ICU. The city now has six mobile morgues and is asking
for four more.
El Paso is currently under a two-week shutdown that is set to expire on Wednesday. The county judge, though, says he feels they'll need to extend
that shutdown.
JUDGE RICARDO A. SAMANIEGO, EL PASO COUNTY: The hospitals are still not manageable. We're having, you know, an inability to handle fatalities. It
leaves me no choice but to lean towards an extension of the -- of the order.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was Omar Jimenez reporting.
Do stay with us for the next hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. We will get a deeper look into the race for a vaccine, as developments do seem to be
coming thick and fast at this point.
President Donald Trump firing his Secretary of Defense, we will speak to one of the best placed people in D.C. on foreign relations, Senator Chris
Murphy, about what this could mean for the safety of America.
Plus Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to end their bloody conflict.
Who brokered it?
Not America but Russia. So now Russian peacekeepers will soon be on the ground there. We connect you to the latest there and what that means for
the rest of us -- up next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:35:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Right now you're looking at reactions to a new ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan over what is the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.
On the left, celebrations in the streets of the Azerbaijani capital, Baku; on the right, outrage on the streets of Armenia, with angry protesters
storming government headquarters. Two very different responses. Let me explain why.
The ceasefire will end six weeks of what has been deadly fighting. Armenia used to run the show in Nagorno-Karabakh. Now it's out and Azerbaijan is
in. Armenia's prime minister saying it was, quote, "unspeakably painful" signing the settlement.
We've been updating you for weeks on Nagorno-Karabakh. It's a volatile region watched very closely by nearby Turkey, by Russia and indeed by Iran.
I've been speaking to the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan over the course of the most recent fighting.
Now it appears Moscow may have the upper hand in the crisis. Keep in mind, Russian president Vladimir Putin also signed the deal and he is sending
what he calls peacekeeping forces to the region; put another way, it's basically Russian boots on the ground.
CNN's international security editor Nick Paton Walsh joining me now.
We've seen, I believe, three failed ceasefires.
Is this likely to stick and what's its significance at this point?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: The big change, as you pointed out, Becky, Russian peacekeepers on the ground. Russian troops
have been in Armenia, stationed for years but now they're putting themselves from Russia in between these two warring sides.
Remember, Armenia still has a lot of control over parts of Nagorno-Karabakh but the big change in this deal is it has to essentially allow Azerbaijan
to take hold of part of it and give up an extraordinary amount of freedom of movement for Azerbaijan between territories Azerbaijan would like to get
its hands on.
But it has been a remarkable diplomatic defeat for Armenia after some bloody weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH (voice-over): It's a peace deal on paper but, in reality, a sweeping victory as the streets of both sides betray; this as Azerbaijan's capital,
Baku, wrapped in celebration after a punishing campaign to back parts of Nagorno-Karabakh internationally recognized as Azerbaijan but held for
decade by ethnic Armenians.
And this is Yerevan; there, angry crowds amassed against their prime minister's submission to what he said was an unspeakably painful agreement.
They broke their way into parliament and raced into government's inner chambers, tearing down signs of authority and dancing on the desks of PM
(INAUDIBLE) officials.
Moscow disliked its closeness to the E.U. and so resisted Armenia's calls for military help until imposing this defeat packaged as a ceasefire. Putin
said they signed a declaration that ends firing and military actions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone at midnight Moscow time.
But the signatories, visibly winner and loser.
"Today," Aliyev said, "we end the occupation of Azerbaijani lands."
"Among those debauchees who are ransacking government buildings," Pashinyan said, there are criminal groups controlled by oligarchs."
But where does this leave a war Azerbaijan prosecuted brutally amid accusation of cluster munitions used on civilian areas and claims of
atrocities on both sides?
Both sides are meant to hold their current positions; Russian peacekeepers will step into the gap between them. But importantly Azerbaijan has taken
parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and now exercises control on the main road between it and Armenia proper, with the added bonus of a land corridor to
other territory it controls.
Both sides say they've each lost dozens of civilians; while Azerbaijan's military casualties have been kept secret Armenian backed forces have lost
hundreds of troops with hospitals stretched.
The question now, with the level of damage done and hatred ingrained on both sides, whether the deal holds or whether a confident Azerbaijan,
praised by its backer, Turkey, and able to swiftly advance in a conflict that was frozen for decades, decides to keep going, in spite of Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: Why do we have this southern deal now?
There are a number of factors.
[10:40:00]
WALSH: Possibly the most obviously being in the last 24 hours Azerbaijan have had to apologize for accidentally downing a Russian military
helicopter, killing two crew and injuring one over Armenia territory. That may well have possibly pushed Moscow into feeling it could impose this
deal.
It is still in Azerbaijan's favor and Azerbaijan was looking, after taking the substantially important town of Shusha away from the Armenians and a
long slog ahead to try to take further parts of this mountainous Nagorno- Karabakh area, with winter possibly approaching.
But there is a feeling frankly, having seen Azerbaijan ignore Russia over this conflicts Russia's demands for peace being backed so vocally by Turkey
that Azerbaijan may feel confident to move ahead. Becky?
Nick Paton Walsh on the story for you, thanks, Nick.
Still ahead, President Trump makes a major cut in his cabinet, leading to growing concerns of national security. We're going to speak to Senator
Chris Murphy about what he perceives to be the risks. That's next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Moments ago we were discussing the ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a major issue for the defense and security of the region.
Meanwhile, in the United States the president has just sacked his own Secretary of Defense. Donald Trump announcing on Twitter Monday that he has
fired Mark Esper. The two were known to have a tense relationship, with Esper reportedly even preparing a letter of resignation two weeks ago.
[10:45:00]
ANDERSON: Christopher Miller, who serves as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, is now the administration's fifth Defense
Secretary.
But a big question remains, with now top national security officials being exed on Mr. Trump's chopping block with his 70-odd days to go still. My
next guest warns Esper's firing creates a, quote, "dangerously unstable national security environment" in the United States and the Democratic
senator from Connecticut and member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chris Murphy joining me now live from Washington.
How dangerous, sir?
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT), MEMBER, FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Our adversaries are clearly watching and, as this president goes into a rage
following his defeat, firing the Secretary of Defense, possibly to be followed by other terminations, it could provide an opening for countries
like China or Russia, Turkey, North Korea to make moves during this interregnum period because of their belief that the president won't
respond.
I think about what China may do in Hong Kong, what they may be contemplating doing with respect to Taiwan. And their hope may be that
President Trump will be unable to respond, in part, because key departments don't have leadership or at least steady leadership and that, by the time
Joe Biden is sworn, in these changes, these escalatory behaviors will be a fait accompli.
So it's a dangerous time. It's always a dangerous time when President Trump is in charge of your country but I think he is going to be uniquely
distracted from world events and national security during the next 60 days.
ANDERSON: Senator, you know, some say they had seen this coming for a while.
Fact is, he is the president and he can do as he likes, correct?
MURPHY: Well, he's still the president for the next 60 days and we still have a Joint Chiefs structure and Christopher Miller will do his best to
step into the breach created by Esper's departure.
But I do think that many countries are going to think that they may be able to get away with things in the next 60 days that they wouldn't be able to
get away with under a Biden presidency.
Remember, Joe Biden will rebuild our alliance structure and make it much more difficult on countries like China to flex their muscle in ways that
are antithetical to the U.S. and European security interests.
So the clock may be ticking on certain countries' ability to expand their influence because it will be harder, once the alliance structure is rebuilt
under Joe Biden.
ANDERSON: Let's talk about U.S. foreign policy because this is an international audience for CNN and it's really important that we begin to
put a stake in the ground here and work out how foreign policy might change, once Joe Biden becomes president.
You were on many people's fantasy cabinet lists as potential secretary of state.
So what will or should change under a Joe Biden administration?
MURPHY: Well, no matter my role, I plan on being very involved in the process of rebuilding American credibility around the world. And that
starts with rebuilding our alliances; that starts with uniting American interests with European interests because there is no way for us to try to
manage the rise of China in a way that doesn't hurt the U.S. and Europe without trying to combine our interests, especially when it comes to
negotiating trade rules with China.
President-Elect Biden has also made it clear he will rejoin Paris and we will be an active player around the world to try to combat climate change.
Then we will also see a very different disposition in the Middle East. It may be too late to reconstruct the Iran nuclear agreement as it stood four
years ago.
But we will clearly try to get back to the table to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. And I think we will be a little bit tougher with
GCC nations when it comes to the actions that they have taken to destabilize the region; in particular in Yemen. So I think there will be a
different policy and it all starts with rebuilding our alliance structure.
ANDERSON: Senator, what would -- sorry to press you on this -- but what would a new Iran deal then look like?
Explain.
MURPHY: Listen, I think it's very hard to understand what that deal will look like until we get to the table with our allies, right. Our allies have
been managing the Iran portfolio without us. We have been making Iran more powerful in the region.
And so I think, as soon as Vice President Biden is President Biden, he's going to have to sit down with our European allies.
[10:50:00]
MILLER: He's going to frankly have to try to bring Russia and China back to the table and then decide jointly as to whether we can attempt to
reconstruct the JCPOA or whether we are going to have to negotiate something new.
Now of course, the Iranians will have something to say about this. The problem is that four years of feckless maximum pressure from the United
States has empowered the hardliners.
And Iran will have a presidential election next year in which they may choose a leader, who have no interest in negotiating with the United States
and Europe. So this will be a joint decision made by the United States and our allies, along with China and Russia, but it will also be dependent on
the choices that the Iranians make.
ANDERSON: Chris, let me play you some sound from the Arab street in response to the U.S. election. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Who wins or loses, this is something that does not concern the Saudi citizen. We will leave it up to
God and then to our government.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Hopefully Biden will be better than Trump. U.S. policy is the same but Trump was worse for Libya,
especially during the recent war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Rumors like "Biden will divide Iraq" and the like, no, Biden is like any president. And we don't forget
that the source of American decision is not only Biden.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president is merely an employee that does what he's told at the end of the day. So I don't think there will be any change.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): So they remove someone who is bad but they brought in someone even worse. Nothing new. It won't make any
difference to us. One leaves, another will take his place, following the same system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I am not against whoever wins or loses but that goal is unified. Biden won; that's great. He will calm the
situation down. Someone else will come in four years and will worsen the situation again. This is the general U.S. policy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): President-Elect Joe Biden will not be different from others. President Donald Trump may have been frank and
clear but he was the real face of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And, Chris Murphy, I wanted our viewers to hear these voices, from Saudi to Libya to Iraq to Lebanon; I think we then went to Jordan and
Syria.
And the sort of overwhelming sort of, you know, voice on the street says this will not change anything for the Arab citizen in 2020, to which you
say what, sir?
MURPHY: Well, I think in some of those voices, I heard an acknowledgment that there would be a change. And what I think we can deliver is, at the
very least, consistency of American behavior in the region. You never knew who Trump was with.
Was he with our Kurdish allies in Syria or was he with the Turks in Libya?
Is he supporting the provisional government or is he backing General Haftar?
Joe Biden will be a steady hand in the Middle East.
Now it is true that Joe Biden only has a four-year term and it may be that a president comes after him with different policies. But at least for the
next four years, leaders and citizens in the Middle East are going to know what they get from Joe Biden.
And I will also say this, you know, we do have a hubris in the United States about what we can accomplish in the Middle East. And I think you
hear that in the comments of those that you just played.
I do think we have to step back and understand the limitations of how America can change political realities on the ground in the Middle East,
especially through military action alone.
And I will certainly be counseling all of my friends in the national security leadership here in the United States to understand both the power
that America has but also the limits of that power in places like the Middle East to try to change the political landscape on the ground.
ANDERSON: Fascinating, sir. So I'm going to let you go in one minute. Just briefly this hour we are seeing images from Azerbaijan of celebrations of
the peace deal with Armenia, covered extensively earlier on this show and in the weeks previous to this. This is a Russian-brokered deal.
Your view?
MURPHY: Well, listen, it's good news that we may be seeing the calming of tensions; let's hope that it is permanent and not temporary. I would be
much more comfortable if the United States had been at the center of these negotiations.
The United States and our allies have equities in the region and the fact that Russia has been the broker, that is just another sign of how weak the
United States has become internationally.
I think that Joe Biden's election will put us back at the table at some of these crisis points as a means of protecting our interests and protecting
our allies' interests.
[10:55:00]
MURPHY: But to the extent that there is going to be a slowing of tensions, to the extent that the conflict will become less deadly in the short run,
that's good news.
ANDERSON: Russia often described as opportunistic in a period where, certainly in various regions around the world, American -- a vacuum of
American influence is being taken advantage of.
Sir, it's very good having you on. We really appreciate the time that you've given us. Important our international viewers get a perspective from
you, as a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, extremely important. Thank you, sir. Do join us again.
MURPHY: Thank you very much.
ANDERSON: More up next including in just a few days Lebanon heading for a total lockdown once again as coronavirus cases skyrocket. One expert warns
if the country doesn't take severe action now, there won't be anyone left to treat those who are sick. A live report is coming up.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS (voice-over): President Trump refused to concede the election to President-Elect Joe Biden. Some in the president's inner circle are telling
him to keep fighting.
MCCONNELL: President Trump is 100 percent within his rights to look into allegations.
BIDEN: This election is over.
WATT (voice-over): In the U.S. This virus is spreading at record rates.
GUPTA: I think that we are going to continue to go up in terms of the newly diagnosed infections and sadly people will die.
FAUCI: We're well over 100,000, and that is really something that is unfortunate. Having said that, it is not too late to turn that around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: Tonight, Donald Trump lost the election but he still doesn't have seem to have got the memo. We'll dive into the push for what is an
alternative reality ahead.
First up, though, tributes this hour are being paid to a man who, with his words alone, led the dreams and design of millions of Palestinian people.
Veteran negotiator Saeb Erekat has died at age of 65 from complications of COVID-19.
[11:00:00]
END
