# U.S. foreign policy process

> **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou.
>
> Cite as: "U.S. foreign policy process," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/us-forces-in-syria-legality/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*Three foreign-policy observations from John Kiriakou — the narrow legal basis for U.S. military presence abroad, which he says does not cover American special forces in Syria; the formal congressional travel-clearance process that undercuts Pentagon and White House claims of no advance knowledge of Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan trip; and the depth of U.S.-China economic interdependence that Kiriakou says makes antagonizing Beijing strategically unwise.*

- **Legal bases for U.S. troops abroad (per Kiriakou):** Being attacked; government invitation; UN Security Council approval
- **Syria (per Kiriakou):** None of the three apply to U.S. special forces there
- **Pelosi Taiwan trip:** Formal CODEL clearance process undercuts claims of no advance White House/Pentagon knowledge
- **China debt holding:** Among the largest holders of U.S. government debt

[John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) has laid out several observations about the legal and practical machinery behind U.S. foreign policy.

## Syria

Kiriakou states there are only three legal bases for a U.S. military presence in another country: having been attacked by that country, an invitation from its government, or approval from the UN Security Council. He says none of these apply to U.S. special forces troops stationed in Syria, ostensibly to protect oil fields that, as he notes, are not American oil fields.[1]

## The Pelosi Taiwan trip

Discussing Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, Kiriakou describes the formal congressional travel-clearance process — a CODEL, or congressional delegation notification — that governs when members of Congress travel overseas. He says this process contradicts Pentagon and White House claims that they had no advance knowledge of the trip.[2]

## U.S.-China economic interdependence

Kiriakou notes China is one of the largest holders of U.S. government debt, arguing that this economic interdependence — where a Chinese economic collapse would also hurt the U.S., and vice versa — makes antagonizing Beijing, as with the Pelosi trip, strategically unwise.[3]

## See also

- [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)

## Sources

1. CIA Spy Breaks Silence On Elon Musk's Twitter Files — John (2023-04-12), at 49:18. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmPpOps1yeI&t=2958s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2023-04-12-danny-jones/
2. CIA Spy Breaks Silence On Elon Musk's Twitter Files — John (2023-04-12), at 1:01:49. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmPpOps1yeI&t=3709s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2023-04-12-danny-jones/
3. CIA Spy Breaks Silence On Elon Musk's Twitter Files — John (2023-04-12), at 1:00:47. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmPpOps1yeI&t=3647s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2023-04-12-danny-jones/

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