International Relations

Today’s vote moves us one giant step forward in strengthening our nation’s partnership with the people of India.  This agreement will be a landmark accomplishment for our two countries.  It will create new economic opportunities and promote the use of nuclear energy at a time when traditional energy resources are becoming increasingly expensive.  Alternatives like nuclear power can pave the way for a cleaner and more affordable energy market.  It can pave the way for thousands of new jobs as both nations expand their nuclear energy infrastructure.

 

I am grateful for the work of President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India for their steadfast support in seeing this agreement implemented.

In wake of revanchist Russia’s invasion of Georgia, a sovereign democracy allied with the United States and Europe, the stunned Bush administration’s response to this failure of “quiet diplomacy” and “engagement” policy with Comrade Putin – he of the soulful eyes – was initially one of stammered clichés, each of which is revelatory, juvenile and injurious.

 

Consequently, to further the cause of liberty and security, we are compelled to dispel the clichés fostering the failed policy of “peace through speech”; reassert the doctrine of “peace through strength”; and advance concrete actions to punish Russia for invading Georgia.

 

The Hill wrote an article regarding Rep. McCotter's call for a Joint Session of Congress.  Full text is below or click here. 

 

Members want Saakashvili to address Congress

 

House and Senate leaders should invite Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to address a joint session of Congress, according to bipartisan members of the Congressional Georgia Caucus.

Chairman McCotter addressed the Georgian peace rally at the Russian Embassy on Friday, August 15.  Click below to check it out!

 

 

The invasion of Georgia by Russia last Friday confirms that a new generation of Lenin's "useful idiots" are alive and well. Senator Charles Schumer, apparently now a lead negotiator for Russia, recently opined that Russia could be persuaded to support stronger sanctions against Iran if, in return, the United States refused to share its anti-ballistic missile shield with our allies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

 

In support of his deal to feed CEE to the revanchist Russian bear, Senator Schumer claimed our missile shield "mocks Mr. Putin's dream of eventually restoring Russian hegemony over Eastern Europe."

 

Photographs showing United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) troops saluting the remains of dead Hezbollah militants are deeply disturbing and, frankly, quite repugnant. UN authorities have defended the soldiers’ actions, saying that the troops were following custom.

Rather than denying UNIFIL’s failings and justifying its soldiers’ reverence for dead extremists, perhaps UN authorities should remind troops on the ground that their principal job is to enforce UN mandated ceasefires objectively. Allowing Hezbollah militants to rearm, leaking them information, and saluting their dead does little to keep the peace or restore faith in a broken UN system.

After a month of weather-related disasters across my congressional district, it wasn't easy to board a plane to Israel for a long-planned series of diplomatic meetings, but the current negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and the rising threat of Iran and its agents in Hamas and Hezbollah convinced me that I should go.

My duties as the Ranking Republican on the Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs include regular briefings on the status of Israel and regional issues, but there is no substitute for a firsthand look.

Recently I spoke about my disappointment with the European Union and their decision to end diplomatic sanctions on Cuba at Babalublog.com. See below:

Annals of Shame

Yesterday [Thursday, June 19 2008], the European Union (EU) unilaterally offered to end its diplomatic sanctions on Cuba. Originally, in 2003, in spasm of moral clarity, the EU imposed a ban on high-level talks with communist Cuban officials after communist Cuba's dictator Fidel Castro arrested a group of political dissidents called the Group of 75.

Watch Congressman Mike Rogers’ interview on Fox News this morning as he talks about Russia upgrading its military capability, especially nuclear components, and the national security implications for Americans and how that is tied to our energy crisis here in the US.

 

In preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the Bush Administration has approved the export of sensitive equipment and technology to communist China to assist with Olympic security. Given communist China’s massive military build-up, lack of military transparency, continued espionage to acquire United States defense intelligence, and history of proliferating weapons and weapons related technology, it is important this recent transaction receive Congressional oversight.

While this transfer could have important implications for our national security, it could pose a profound moral problem if communist China uses American-designed advanced technologies to repress the Chinese people in the name of security.

Recently, I spoke on the House floor in commemoration of the 19th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protest in communist China. The video and text of my remarks are below:

 

Cross posted at Conaway Blog

Yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement with a vast majority of Republicans supporting the agreement and a minority of the Democratic Party supporting the measure.

 

This well-negotiated trade agreement between the United States and Peru is a solid win for a vast array of sectors and workers in the U.S., and I am proud to have voted for it.