Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday stressed the importance of international cooperation just one day after President Trump said first speech to the United Nations that he would prioritize U.S. interests.
Mattis during an Air Force conference in Maryland pointed to the international coalition of 69 nations working to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as an example of successful partnerships with other nations.
He also called for the U.S. to be more open to alternative ideas from its allies abroad in remarks first reported by the Washington Examiner.
“Never did I fight in an all-American formation. I’ve always fought alongside coalition partners,” Mattis said. He added that the United States needs to do more than just listen to its allies, arguing that a successful partnership involves compromise.
“We must be willing to do more than to listen to our allies, we must be willing to be persuaded by them,” Mattis said. “There is a whale of a difference between listening to somebody else’s different idea and then going right on about the way you were going to do it, and being willing to be persuaded.”
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Mattis touts importance of global alliances one day after Trump gives "America First" speech at UN https://t.co/5NpVavQUx0 pic.twitter.com/KkHG6cSzJp
— The Hill (@thehill) September 20, 2017
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