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International Relations Weekly Columns
10/10/2004 Combating Hunger
Haunting pictures from Darfur, Sudan remind us of how blessed we are and how desperate life has become in some parts of the world. In those countries, burgeoning population, reduced agricultural productivity, ingrained poverty and political repression has led to human deprivation and death. In Africa today, 200 million people are undernourished - in some areas there is starvation. While food production is growing around the world, in Africa it has been declining.   Read More...
9/12/2004 Dealing with Darfur
In a past column, I praised the Administration's progress in Sudan. Continuous diplomacy by the President and Secretary Colin Powell's personal involvement had brought peace after 18 years of war between the Arab Muslims in the North and Christian Blacks in the South. Yet, I also noted the separate and thorny issue of Sudanese government suppression of Muslim Blacks in the western province of Darfur.   Read More...
7/11/2004 A Growing Menace
Iran is becoming increasingly active in its drive to not only derail Iraqi democracy, but also to lead the Islamic radical movement into the future. In recent months, we've seen a series of provocations in Iraq that could be considered acts of war and that may make a coalition response necessary:   Read More...
7/04/2004 Lessons from Oil for Food
Recently, both my Agriculture and International Relations Committees held hearings on the United Nation's Oil-for-Food (OFF) program scandal. That program taught us a lot about the United Nations' (UN) weaknesses and explain the actions of countries like France and Russia when they worked against us last year.   Read More...
6/27/2004 Visas and Jobs
My House International Relations Committee held an important hearing on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) on June 16. VWP was created in 1986 and made permanent in 2000. The idea was to accept visitors from certain countries without visas and with minimal security checks. The countries selected to participate had few applicants who were suspect, responsible security measures in place, and reciprocal commitments to treat Americans in a similar way. Then September 11th raised security concerns. While we still trust almost everyone that wants to come to our country, we also need to verify that they are who they say they are and that they are here for legitimate reasons.   Read More...
6/20/2004 Iraq's Links to Terror
As a member of the International Relations Committee, I've questioned many Administration, military, and foreign officials about international terrorism in the Middle East. The 9/11 Commission report released on June 16 confirmed the Administration's statements that there were long-standing relations between Iraq and al-Qaeda.  Read More...
5/09/2004 Rationing Water
Lack of clean water is perhaps the world's largest humanitarian problem. An estimated 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.4 billion lack access to basic sanitation. Three billion people a year suffer from a lack of clean water and over 6,000 of them die every day. This chronic sickness, death, and lack of water for producing food reduce the economic prospects for many countries, contributing greatly to continuing poverty.   Read More...
4/25/2004 Tension Across the Taiwan Straits
The United States has pursued a so-called "One China" policy since the early 1970s when President Nixon opened up relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC). My International Relations Committee reviewed this policy at a hearing with prominent officials from the State and Defense Departments along with experts outside of government. It accepts that Taiwan and the PRC are parts of a single country to which both claim sovereignty. We are also committed to a peaceful resolution of these conflicting claims, which mostly entails defending Taiwan from potential PRC aggression.   Read More...
4/05/2004 The World's War on Terrorism
On April 1, my House International Relations Committee met with the State Department's Counterterrorism coordinator. The day before, we were all horrified by the brutal images from Fallujah in Iraq. Four American civilians, three of them former soldiers, were attacked by a mob and killed, burned and mutilated. We saw Iraqis beating those bodies with shovels and rocks. And eventually two of their burned, beaten bodies were hung from a bridge. In addition, we saw pictures of the mob with, children and adolescents among them, cheering this brutality.   Read More...
3/21/2004 Progress in Sudan
Sudan is geographically the largest country in Africa and is in the midst of a devastating 18-year civil war that killed an estimated two million people and has caused great misery to millions more. The conflict is between an aggressive Islamic government that draws most of its support from northern Sudan and animist and Christian groups in the southern part of the country. Government forces have harshly repressed rebel areas, starving an estimated 200,000 people to death in 1988 and enslaving significant numbers of captured rebels. When I was visiting Sudan's neighbor, Libya, a few weeks ago, we discussed this troubled country.   Read More...
3/07/2004 Libya and the War on Terror
Last week, I went as part of a Congressional Delegation to Libya, a country in Northern Africa that extends deep into the Saharan desert. The size of Alaska, most of Libya's 5.5 million people live on the Mediterranean coast. Its cities are not unlike our Midwestern towns, although there were no shopping malls and streets were lined with individual, one-story shops. Representing the United States, we met with legislators, Libyan leader Moammar Gaddaffi, and Libyan citizens. The people were talkative, friendly, and happy to see Americans. I met with medical students from Al Fetah University who were anxious to practice their English, and they gave me a book on the medicinal properties of plants.   Read More...
2/29/2004 Science and Security
We live in a time when global competition for high paying jobs is fierce. The only way to maintain and increase our standard of living is through innovation, technological advancement and hard work. Unfortunately, our schools aren't producing enough young people with the math and science skills necessary to meet the demand for this growing type of economy. However, our economy has been able to maintain a scientific edge on the rest of the world by attracting gifted foreign scientists and engineers.   Read More...
1/11/2004 China in 2004
I write this column from Beijing, China, where I am a member of a congressional delegation participating in an interparliamentary exchange. Where China goes over the next couple decades will have a huge influence on U.S. and world security.   Read More...
1/04/2004 China's Economic Prospects
There are numerous obstacles to better U.S. relations with China. Some are political, some are economic, and the question is: are we smart enough to find solutions that will not be disadvantageous to the United States? It depends on where China is really headed: does it intend to become a full partner in an open world economy, or to gain power behind a wall of government subsidies and protectionism? Does it hope to incorporate its people in a just, representative political order, or to enforce the power of the current political elite? Will China cooperate in combating terrorism and the proliferation of weapons, or will it make decisions simply based on their economic and power advantage?   Read More...
12/28/2003 2003 and Looking Ahead
2003 has been an exciting and momentous year. Our policy in Iraq, from the run-up to war to the magnificent performance of our troops to the capture of Saddam Hussein and the democratization process where already, most Iraqis are economically better off, will have effects for decades. Our work in Afghanistan has stopped the Taliban and has resulted in a reduction in the terrorist recruitment and training in that country. We reached less positive turning points in our space policy with the loss of a the Columbia space shuttle, and in our entitlement programs with increased spending and the creation of a new prescription drug benefit in Medicare. The economy has been growing stronger, but the government ran a record deficit that will have to be reduced.   Read More...
12/21/2003 Forgotten Afghanistan
As a member of the International Relations committee, I have joined in the search for solutions that will add to our security in countries such as Iraq, Liberia, Sudan, the Congo, and Afghanistan. With the chaos in Iraq and now the dramatic capture of Saddam Hussein, the conflict in Afghanistan has received little media attention in recent months. While the political situation there is still unsettled and the people are among the poorest in the world, progress is being made and there is hope for the future.   Read More...
12/14/2003 The Economic Challenge from China
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Washington and met with President Bush and other officials on December 9. He came to smooth U.S.-China relations. There are significant disagreements about Taiwan, the war on terrorism, North Korea's nuclear program, human rights, proliferation of dangerous weapons, and China's military buildup. To try to work out some of these problems, I will be joining a group of my colleagues in January as part of a congressional delegation traveling to Beijing.   Read More...
12/07/2003 Another Try for Peace
On December 1, an unofficial agreement was signed in Geneva between ex-politicians from Israel and Palestine. The agreement laid out a hypothetical and unofficial peace agreement. While the agreement is only symbolic and unlikely to lead to official talks any time in the near future, it does focus attention on a lingering problem. If it were possible to resolve the conflict between Israel and Palestine in a manner satisfactory to both sides, it would go a long way toward reducing the tension in the Middle East.   Read More...
10/12/2003 A Shared Responsibility for World Peace
The President's request for $87 billion in new appropriations, which is now moving through Congress, has refocused attention on Iraq. Coupled with the American resolution at the U.N. and the international donors' conference on Iraq set for October 23, it raises the issue of shared responsibility. Much of the free world, which has seen its security improve with the removal of Saddam Hussein, is now trying to avoid sharing financial responsibility for building Iraq into a democracy and making sure it becomes stable. We can't afford to carry so much of the burden in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia, and shouldn't stand for so many of our allies shirking their responsibility to help.   Read More...
10/05/2003 How to Cope with China
Recently, I met with a delegation of Chinese parliamentarians. China is undergoing huge changes that will alter relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China for decades to come.   Read More...
08/03/2003 U.S. Interests in Liberia?
On July 22 and 23, West African Ministers met in Dakar, Senegal, to grapple with another world problem - the ongoing crisis in Liberia. Their conclusion: send in troops. The United States presented a resolution to the U.N. calling for action with the U.S. participating. Already, Nigeria has offered to deploy two battalions to the war-torn capital of Monrovia and seven other African countries are pledged to follow as soon as logistics can be arranged. As a complement, the United States pledged $10 million in contracted support for the deployment of West African forces and on July 25 President Bush ordered an Amphibious Readiness Group to the waters off the Liberian Coast.   Read More...
07/20/2003 Counterfeiting Funds Terrorists
Worldwide, the trade in counterfeit goods is estimated to be 5 to 7 percent of total world trade, with a value of $450 billion per year. This trade robs U.S. companies of as much as $250 billion of lost fees, royalties and licenses each year. The holders of copyrights, patents, and trademarks are granted certain rights, called "intellectual property rights." Copyrights and patents protect new ideas and products. The creator legally owns the right to sell the product. Trademarks help identify products by company.   Read More...
06/22/2003 Our Iran Problem
We've been spending a lot of time over the last few weeks in the International Relations committee talking to experts on the Middle East. Despite the fall of Saddam Hussein's brutal regime, prospects for a lasting and prosperous peace in the region remain threatened by a fanatical neighboring government. Two years into the War on Terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to ignore and defy calls by the international community to combat terror. Iran is the "most active state sponsor of international terrorism" according to the State Department and is most deserving of membership in President Bush's "Axis of Evil." Now that we have dispatched terrorist-sponsoring regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is no surprise that Iran is obstructing efforts to replace them with stable democracies.   Read More...
04/27/2003 Another U.N. Roadblock
Certain members of the U.N. Security Council, after having blocked the effort to secure a second resolution in support of disarming Iraq, are now maneuvering to maintain influence at the expense of the Iraqi people. Russia has proposed maintaining the sanctions that were placed on Saddam Hussein's regime that prohibit the free export of oil and prevent the importation of most goods. France has suggested a "suspension" of the sanctions, which includes the implicit threat that they could be re-imposed.   Read More...
04/13/2003 What Comes Next in Iraq?
On April 9, we saw jubilant crowds of Iraqis take down statues and pictures of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. Like the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, it was a spontaneous and heartening celebration of freedom after oppression. At the same time, most resistance collapsed in Iraq and the Iraqi ambassador to the U.N. announced, "The game is over." At our briefing with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that afternoon, he said it had been a good day, but that some cities North of Baghdad continue to hold out and scattered fighting will continue. It was surprising to learn of the recovery of our POWs on April 13 and the very small resistance in Saddam's hometown, Tikrit. This means that the major battle is over. We are now faced with terrorist-type resistance, often being carried out by Syrians or other non-Iraqi's. Another concern was the looting taking place throughout Iraq.   Read More...
03/23/2003 The War
Emotions ran high in Congress this past week. In addition to the war, we were arguing the 2004 budget. Along with other budget hawks, I felt that we should hold down spending as a way to reduce the deficit. With 435 members in the House, there were many ideas about appropriate spending and taxing levels. Tempers flared and rhetoric was heard as five different budgets were scheduled to be debated on Thursday.   Read More...
03/02/2003 Russia's Future
On February 26, the International Relations Committee held a hearing on Russia and its policies toward Iran and Iraq. The witness was Mikhail Margelov, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Federal Council. Margelov is one of the top foreign policy makers in Russia, and I had met him in Russia when I joined the congressional delegation that secured Russian cooperation for the war in Afghanistan.   Read More...
02/23/2003 Strained U.S.-Europe Ties
The confrontation with Iraq has revealed increasing tension in our ties with Europe, and especially with France and Germany. It is becoming increasingly evident that many Europeans see the situation very differently than Americans do. This is underscored by the aggressive European opposition we've seen to action against Iraq in NATO and the U.N. Security Council - exceeding that of traditional enemies such as Russia and China. We need to try to understand this opposition from France and Germany and what it means for the future of U.S.-European relations.   Read More...
02/09/2003 Showdown at the U.N.
The first five days of February were dramatic. On February 1, the space shuttle Columbia went down. On the third, the President presented a budget that holds the line on discretionary spending but still results in the largest deficit in history. On the fifth, Secretary of State Colin Powell presented our case on Iraq to the U.N. Security Council.   Read More...
01/26/2003 Food and Fear
An increasingly acrimonious debate between the U.S. and Europe over biotechnology is now distorting trade worldwide. I issued a report as Chairman of the Research Subcommittee -- "Seeds of Opportunity" - about the safety and potential of agricultural biotechnology, and am following this debate that is affecting the WTO negotiations going on now. This "white paper" report, which has now been translated into five foreign languages, explains the safety and promise of this new technology.   Read More...
01/12/2003 Iraq and North Korea
On January 8, I met with Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman and two assistant secretaries to discuss North Korea and Iraq. One question I asked is the difference between the threat from and the Administration's policy toward the two countries.  Read More...
12/29/2002 Europe's Future
Europe has traditionally been a top priority for American international relations: we started as a European colony, American families have European roots, we've fought two world wars and a cold war there in the last century, and many of our most important trading partners and military allies have been in Europe. The European Union (EU) is an economic/trade agreement among European countries. The goal is to gain economically by having more trade and association between EU countries. As a member of the European subcommittee on International Relations, I have been closely following recent decisions at the EU summit in Copenhagen. They will have an important impact on future Europe-U.S. relations.   Read More...
11/03/2002 North Korea Rumblings
Even as we grapple with the United Nations to establish a tough and credible inspections program in Iraq, news has come out of North Korea that it has an aggressive nuclear weapons program of its own. In mid-October, the North Korean regime under dictator Kim Jong Il admitted that it had the program in violation of a 1994 agreement between the U.S. and North Korea. This came on the heels of another admission that North Korea had kidnapped at least five Japanese citizens two decades ago, forcing them to train North Korean intelligence officers in the Japanese language. These disclosures both reveal the naivety of previous American and international agreements with North Korea and require the development of new policy.   Read More...
08/25/2002 Crisis in South America
To add to our international challenges, an economic crisis is engulfing South America. It's hitting hardest not in poor countries like Guatemala or Guyana, but in what were stable democracies like Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Economic troubles in these states threaten to spill over into neighboring economies and reverse recent progress in democracy.   Read More...
08/11/2002 The Problem of Iraq
President Bush has announced a policy of "regime change" in Iraq. The specifics, however, are still being debated, with suggestions that some kind of U.S.-led invasion could be in the works. The Administration will have to present its case to Congress and the American people. In the International Relations Committee, we have been considering the Iraqi threat to national security and our options to counter that threat.   Read More...
08/04/2002 Hunger in Africa
Headlines proclaim a regional food crisis in southern Africa. Grain production is down 4 million tons; food aid of 1.2 million tons is needed to sustain the most vulnerable people. Millions of people are at risk. Zimbabwe is having its worst food shortage in 50 years. The crisis has happened in Africa's most agriculturally advanced region, traditionally a breadbasket for other countries further north.   Read More...
04/14/2002 Stalemate in Palestine
On April 10, I met with former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the current fighting in the Middle East. He stressed the difficulty of negotiating with the Palestinians, and warned that if we aren't able to stop suicide bombings in Israel, then they may spread to the United States with "suitcase bombs." As not only a military superpower, but an economic superpower, however, we can exert considerable pressure on both sides to encourage a resolution.   Read More...
02/17/2002 Conflict in Kashmir
I write this article right after a meeting with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. An international dispute over a province in Northwest India/Northeast Pakistan, and the terrorism it inspires, has become an important side issue in our effort to eradicate terrorism. Kashmir, a predominately Muslim area located high in the Himalaya Mountains, is a continuing source of conflict between India and Pakistan. Neither country wants to give up what they consider to be their territory. Recent attacks by Islamic (Muslim) radicals from Pakistan in Indian-held Kashmir and at the Indian parliament in New Delhi have brought the two nuclear-armed nations to the brink of war.  Read More...
02/03/2002 Biotech & World Hunger
Today, about 800 million people lack sufficient food. In third world countries malnutrition, especially among children, is common. Yet, we expect two billion more people in the world by 2030, most of them living in developing countries. Poor soils, pests, drought, distribution and storage are all obstacles to feeding these people. Agricultural biotechnology, however, can help.   Read More...
11/18/2001 Progress for Afghanistan
Our recent surge in the war has been remarkable. America was struck unaware at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, killing nearly 5,000 innocent citizens. Just a bit more than two months later, we've built a coalition of more than 70 nations against terrorism, deployed U.S. and NATO air and ground forces halfway around the globe, launched a major relief effort to save the civilian population from imminent starvation, won overwhelming popular support for our effort in Afghanistan, taken over the major cities of Afghanistan with the help of our Northern Alliance allies including the capital, Kabul, and finally, toppled the Taliban government. It has been an impressive effort that shows America's diplomacy, power, and humanity.   Read More...
09/30/2001 Mission to Moscow
The congressional agenda changed radically on September 11. While we had anticipated a Fall of haggling over the budget, defense and foreign affairs have rightly taken center stage. Conducting and winning the war on terrorism has assumed critical importance, with protecting the American public and stimulating a shaken economy close behind. As a member of the International Relations Committee active in Russian affairs, I was asked to be a member of a delegation traveling to Russia, Italy, and Turkey to help assemble the international coalition to fight terrorism.   Read More...
04/15/2001 What China Has to Lose
During the recent controversy over China's detention of our 24 American servicemen and women on Hainan Island, many people lost sight of one the most important aspects of the U.S.-China relationship -- trade. After our International Relations Committee briefing April 3 and 4 on the "hostage" situation and the Bush Administration's strategy, several of us predicted it would be resolved quickly because China has so much to lose in its relations with the United States.   Read More...
03/11/2001 Toward a New Foreign Policy
The passage of the income tax relief legislation in the House on March 8 capped a busy week. That debate dominated the headlines and brought Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Vice President Dick Cheney to Congress to talk to me and other members. Work was done on other important issues, however, including the establishment of a credible foreign policy under the new President. In that regard, Secretary of State Colin Powell appeared in a hearing before the International Relations Committee and I met with the Secretary General of NATO, the foreign ministers of Sweden and Denmark, members of the Northern Ireland assembly as well as the President of the European Parliament.   Read More...
10/29/2000 Deadly Misjudgments
The fighting in Palestine claims more and more lives, Israeli and Palestinian. At the same time, it has dashed hopes that an amicable peace can be reached any time soon in the Middle East and revealed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's manipulation of the so-called "peace process" to further the Palestinians' true goals of weakening Israel and threatening its existence.   Read More...
09/24/2000 The Tragedy of Russia
In the summer of 1991, I visited Russia for 32 days with a delegation of American officials. The dramatic coup attempt launched by Communist hardliners had just failed in the face of widespread resistance led by Boris Yeltsin in Moscow.   Read More...
04/16/2000 Mistakes with North Korea
North Korea is an outlaw nation. It threatens South Korea (and the 40,000 U.S. troops stationed there) with the world's largest standing army and has been in a continuous state of war with the south for more than 50 years.   Read More...
04/02/2000 Debacle in Kosovo
When we entered the Kosovo conflict, many of my colleagues and I were opposed because we felt that our objectives were unrealistic and would tie us down to a long occupation of Kosovo.   Read More...
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