Jeff Flake on his time as ambassador and current political issues

Former Arizona Congressman and former Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the latest political issues as well as his time as Ambassador.

Ambassador Flake reflected on the current environment of the Republican Party and provided his thoughts on the future of the party in the midst of the Trump Administration. He additionally shared his experiences as Ambassador to Turkey and the state of the international relations of the United States.

When talking about how America’s history moves in lurches, Ted Simons, host and managing editor of “Arizona Horizon,” asked, “Is this a lurch right now; is this something that is difficult to come back from?”

Flake said, “I thought, ‘The fever will break at some point,’ and it will. I’ve said often that grievance is not a governing philosophy. You have to get back to what you truly believe in. Better principles, limited government, economic freedom, free trade. I think those things that animated the Republican Party for decades will come back. 

Simons asked, “Do you think we’re heading to abandoning NATO or going against the EU?”

“I don’t think we’ll abandon NATO, but it’s tested now,” Flake said. “I’m glad that NATO is strengthened with Sweden and Finland in NATO. A lot of my time in Turkey was spent trying to get Sweden into NATO over Turkey’s objection. I’m glad it strengthened that way. I think Europe needs to take more responsibility for its own defense and spend more on its own defense.”

“For example, the lack of proliferation of nuclear weapons may not hold. So I worry about some of those effects,” said Flake.