Foreign Affairs: Many of you may have heard me say before that the most important function of the federal government is, as the preamble to the Constitution says, "to provide for the common defence" and to deal with issues involving our relations with nations around the globe and our place in the world. It is one of the few provinces of governance which is reserved exclusively for the federal government and not for state or local governments. Furthermore, if we mess it up, the consequences of major war or some other national crisis can make our everyday domestic issues pale in significance.
Lately, there has been, and I think there always will be, lots of activity in Congress on issues relating to foreign affairs. Here is just a sampling of some of the debates going on currently:
Iraq: Just today, the House passed a resolution declaring that the United States will and should complete our mission to create a sovereign, free, secure, democratic and united Iraq, without setting any arbitrary troop withdraw date. This resolution passed by a vote of 256-153after 10 hours of floor debate. The past week has witnessed significant positive developments in Iraq including the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the establishment of a unified government, the appointment of ministers and major damage done to Al Quaida’s operations in the country. In a briefing from Secretary of State Rice and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld this week, they pointed out that the Iraqi security forces now number 325,000 versus 130,000 American troops. So, the lion’s share of security is already being done by the Iraqis. Also, the majority of the violence in the country now is not terrorist related. It is either sectarian or just garden-variety criminal activity such as gangs, etc. It’s not over yet, but there is significant progress.
Cuba: An amendment, which sought to alter a spending bill by barring funds from being used to enforce the embargo against Castro’s regime in Cuba, was defeated. I voted against the amendment. Castro’s Cuba is a partner with terrorist states around the globe. Given Cuba’s proximity to the United States, they could be a great threat to us if they had the resources to do so. The embargo has kept them from getting those resources. So, Castro is limited to actions like the one he took last week to cut off electricity and water to our U.S. diplomatic mission there. Castro cannot live forever. Hopefully, after Castro the Cuban people can live in freedom and harmony side-by-side with the United States.
Mexico: Given the border problems we are having with Mexico, some want to cut off aid to that country and otherwise punish them for their cooperation with illegal immigration. I think we must be careful here. There is an election coming up in Mexico and the opposition party would likely be much worse to deal with on this and other issues than the present government. We would be well advised to work with the current Mexican government as best we can and not hurt their election chances.
Turkey/Armenia: Sectarian conflicts such as those in the Northern Ireland, the Middle East and the Balkans seem to go on for centuries. Such is still the case between the Turks and the Armenians which notably resulted in the Armenian genocide in the early 20th Century. There is a proposal to put a railroad from Azerbaijan to Georgia which would completely bypass the most direct route through Armenia in order to keep them from benefiting economically. An amendment to a bill in Congress prohibited any U.S. assistance for such an endeavor if Armenia is intentionally bypassed.
China: Human rights violations in China continue. This week the House considered two resolutions which passed with my support. One recognized the 17th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square. The second condemned the People Republic of China for its continued interference with the internal affairs of the Catholic Church and its persecution of Catholics loyal to the Pope. At the same time as we condemn these actions, we are working with this new emerging economy to hopefully see China as a peaceful and stable member of the world economy for the future.
Sudan: The United States has been increasingly involved with the world community in attempting to stop the genocide in Darfur and bring peace to the region. These horrors have been caused by rebel infighting and much peacekeeping and humanitarian aid was supported by overwhelming votes in the House.
Great Britain: The "special relationship" between the U.S. and the U.K. endures through all of these flashpoints. This relationship is one of the great forces for good in the world today
I could go on and on and talk about Iran and India and Pakistan and Russia and Colombia and Korea.
But you get the point. There’s a lot going on in the world. The best way for us to ensure peace security and prosperity for ourselves, is to ensure that other countries do not see our success as a threat to their own. It’s called diplomacy. One of Webster’s definitions of diplomacy is "skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility". It is called diplomacy because the issues are rarely black and white. No country does everything we would like them to nor do we do everything they would like. So, it must be managed carefully.
But there is also just plain evil in the world. Hitler was one example. Stalin another. And terrorists such as al Qaeda represent that evil today. When we are dealing with evil, diplomacy will fail. Then we must stamp out or contain that evil before it spreads to hurt us all.
June 17th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Congressman:
THANK YOU for voting to continue the Embargo against
dictator Fidel Castro’s outlaw regime.
Andy Garcia’s recent film, “The Lost City” describes how Cuba’s
chance for freedom was betrayed by Castro after the 1959
overthrow of Batista.
The USA should do nothing to reward this despicable murderer.