Nikki Haley in Trump Cabinet members actions and issues (first term)

On War & Peace: Military action & sanctions against Syrian chemical weapons

Q: Since last year, there have been at least 30 chemical weapons attacks in Syria. Why did this particular attack last week warrant military action?

HALEY: Obviously this was cumulative. Assad had been using chemical weapons multiple times. But more so, this was about the Security Council resolutions--Russia had vetoed all of them. So we felt like we had gone through every diplomatic measure of talking that we could, and it was time for action. We hope Assad got the message [that] the international community will not allow chemical weapons to come back into our everyday life, and the fact that he was making this more normal and that Russia was covering it up, all of that has to stop.

Q: Are there any consequences for Assad's patrons, Russia and Iran, who continue to protect him?

HALEY: Absolutely. So, you will see that Russian sanctions will be coming down. They will go directly to any sort of companies that were dealing with equipment related to Assad and chemical weapons used.

Source: CBS Face the Nation 2018 interviews of Trump Cabinet members Apr 15, 2018

On Civil Rights: Our goal should always be to empower women

I think any democracy that has allowed themselves to really lift up women has benefited from it.

Our goal should always be to empower women, to show how they can be fantastic leaders, and to help them get there--and when they are successful, support and encourage them.

Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2017 Trump Cabinet Mar 29, 2017

On Foreign Policy: Time to show people reasons to support the U.N.

This is a moment of great responsibility for those who believe in peace and security through international cooperation. Countries all over the world are turning inward. People are questioning the value of interactions with other nations and with international institutions. Some of those questions are good ones and long overdue, but there's also a danger. Hanging in the balance is the very relevance of the United Nations. This is a time, in short, to show the people reasons to support the U.N.

The Human Rights Council is so corrupt. Countries get on it to protect themselves, to make sure that the fingers never pointed at them instead of actually looking at what we need to be doing around the world. When you've got bad actors that actually sit on the Human Rights Council, it makes you call into question what we're trying to do. I don't think the Human Rights Council has been effective. I'm trying to find value in the Human Rights Council. If I find it, I'll let you know.

Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2017 Trump Cabinet Mar 29, 2017

On Foreign Policy: US is world's conscience; participation in UN reflects that

I came to the U.N. with the goal of showing the American people value for our investment in this institution. And when I say value, I'm not primarily talking about budgets. I'm talking about making the U.N. an effective tool on behalf of our values. The United States is the moral conscience of the world. We will not walk away from this role, but we will insist that our participation in the U.N. honor and reflect this role. The fact is, peace and security cannot be achieved in isolation from human rights. In case after case, human rights abuses are not the byproduct of conflict; they are the cause of conflict, or they are the fuel that feeds the conflict. Desperate people subject to humiliation and abuse will inevitably resort to violence. People who are robbed of their humanity and dignity will inevitably want revenge. They are also vulnerable to manipulation or coercion by extremist groups. Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2017 Trump Cabinet Mar 29, 2017

On Foreign Policy: We will deal fairly with people who are fair to us

At the U.S. Mission, we're all about changing the culture and bringing positive energy to the United Nations. We've put accountability front and center. I have no tolerance for unmet promises and inaction. We demand that of ourselves and we expect it of others. We're also having the backs of our allies, and we're not afraid to call out the governments that don't have our backs. We will deal fairly with the people who are fair with us. If not, all bets are off. Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2017 Trump Cabinet Mar 29, 2017

On Immigration: Refugee ban: What we did was take a pause

Q: What do you think of the administration curtailing immigration from Muslim-majority countries.

HALEY: I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. I believe that the fabric of America is legal immigration. This is not about not wanting people in. This is about keeping the terrorists out. We should never ban based on religion, I mean, period. We should never. And I don't think that's what this is. We will never close our doors in the United States. We won't. But what we did do was take a pause.

Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2017 Trump Cabinet Mar 29, 2017

On War & Peace: Peacekeeping forces should not be permanent

Q: Several times you talked about the idea of exit strategy. What is wrong with having open-missions with peacekeeping if it's basically doing a good job at a reasonable cost?

HALEY: Because there should never be a time we don't want to lift up countries. There should never be a time we don't want to make them more independent. If we're there all the time, all you're doing is creating dependence. So what we're looking at is you're going to see us wind down. But guess what? We're going to work harder on those areas that truly don't have peace, those areas that are trying to get stability and can't get there.

If we are going into an area like South Sudan, there is a serious problem when we can't get food and medical equipment to those people who need it. The reason we can't get it to them is not just because of extremists. It's because of their own government. When you've got that issue, we actually have to punish the government for not allowing us to bring in aid to those.

Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2017 Trump Cabinet Mar 29, 2017

The above quotations are from Trump Cabinet members actions and issues (first term). Click here for other excerpts from Trump Cabinet members actions and issues (first term). Click here for other excerpts by Nikki Haley. Click here for a profile of Nikki Haley.
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