Mark Urban on Nikki Haley’s Resignation

AMANPOUR: So, diplomatic editor, you know what the foreign – foreign policy establishment is saying. What do you think will be the reaction to the resignation of Nikki Haley?

MARK URBAN: I think if you look across Europe, she did have a reputation as a straight shooter, a grown up. Now, I think it’s fair to say in some European countries, her line on Iran, and the nuclear deal all, for example, stormed support of Israel were not always appreciated in the ideological set. But they always knew that she was a sensible person, someone within you could have a – a good dialogue. And of course, compared to some of the other figures in the – in the Trump administration, she’d been there for quite a while. So, I think they’ll be regretting the loss.

AMANPOUR: Quite a while means not even two years yet, but I – I take your point. I did say, who was going to hold these, you know, malfeasance when they – when they committed an accountable cause? Nikki Haley was very strong against the Russians. And she was very strong about sanctions. If she’s gone, what do you think will happen in – in terms of holding these people, as I listed, accountable when necessary?

URBAN: Well, your point is well made. In that sense, she was a representative of the stable state – let’s call it that, very much in favor of holding the Russians to account. And it will be fascinating to see next month because the State Department comes to quite a moment on possible sanctions over the Salisbury nerve agent attack. As to whether to impose further sanctions on Russia, it’s an open question. We’ll see. I mean, we’ll see how tough the U.S. wants to go on that issue. But, overall, clearly there’s – there’s a question mark over the willingness of countries to endanger key relationships in pursuit of a particular point. And I think the common theme across the issues you’ve raised in this segment is, you know, with a – with a good or important relationship, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, how far do people want to endanger the wider relationship in pursuit of justice and accountable when there’s some flagrant rule breaking?

AMANPOUR: So, I’m just staggered, actually. I couldn’t believe it when I read all those things out. I mean, that’s just a few of some of the things that have happened by a government on another government’s sovereign territory. You know, why do you think this is happening at this point now?

URBAN: Well, with any of these things you’ve got to ask, what’s the or else? If, for example, the U.K. were to ask for those two Russian suspects, now believed GRU officers, who were said to have gone to Salisbury to do this poisoning, to be extradited and Russia refused, as it did in the case of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, what is the U.K.’s position at that point? Is it going to try and set further sanctions? What other action can they take? It’s quite limited. And that, presumably, was one of the factors playing in the minds of the people who OK’d that operation. It’s that, ultimately, you’ve got to be willing to go really hard on this.