February 1, 2005

“Mr. Chairman, I would like to commend you for holding this important hearing just two days following elections in Iraq. I would also like to thank our distinguished panel of witnesses who are here today to share their thoughts on US policy toward that country and the greater Middle East. There is no more important issue facing us than the future of that region, and I look forward to hearing the expert testimony of all our witnesses, and to engaging in a productive dialogue. Dr. Cordesman, I would especially like to thank you for the various items you have submitted for the record. You make some very important recommendations that I believe the Bush Administration would do well to heed.

“Obviously, it will be some days yet until we know the results of the Iraqi elections. But I think it is important to say that regardless of the many challenges we face and any disagreements we may have over the direction of US foreign policy, the holding of elections in Iraq was a momentous event for the Iraqi people. But we shouldn't take that to mean something it doesn't.

“The elections are not the end of our task in that country - they are a beginning. First of all, we will not always have troops there. If the new Iraqi government requests that the US withdraw its troops, we should abide by its request. And if it doesn't make this request, we should still do everything in our power to ensure that we adequately prepare Iraqis for handling the defense and stability of their country as quickly as possible.

“That means we will have to start being honest about the numbers of Iraqis currently up to the task of defending and stabilizing their country. Common sense dictates that if the number of those types of forces were even close to the figure that Secretary of State Rice quoted for trained forces generally in that country - 120,000, including 50,000 police - then US troops would likely be able to start withdrawing as we speak. That is obviously not the case.

“Simply put, when it comes to the training of Iraqi forces, we have a long way to go. And we are in desperate need of an effective plan to get there.

“But paying lip service to withdrawal and having a realistic plan to do so are not one and the same. We can't approach withdrawal from Iraq in the same haphazard and shortsighted way that we approached the invasion of that country. We have to have a plan or we could turn a difficult situation into something much worse. I couldn't agree more with Dr. Cordesman on this point - that regardless of whether we withdraw gradually over the next couple of years or if the Iraqi government asks us to leave in the coming weeks - we must not abandon the people of that country.

“What does that mean? It means that there is more to nation building - and I think it is safe to call it that - than the use of military might. Regardless of when we exit, we should be generous with offers of aid and assistance to the new Iraqi government - even if that government sometimes takes stands on issues with which we disagree. We've refused to learn this lesson with respect to democratically elected governments in our hemisphere, such as Venezuela, and I hope that we don't make the same mistake with respect to Iraq.

“What is needed more than anything else when it comes to nation building is the partnership of the people in the nation you are trying to build. To loosely borrow a well-known phrase, the new Iraq needs to be a country built by Iraqis and for Iraqis. That means using US aid increasingly to put Iraqis to work in the building of their country. According to statistics, at least 2 million Iraqis are currently unemployed. American aid could be used to put them to work in rebuilding their country's infrastructure. This is the right thing to do. But more importantly, it would give Iraqis a greater stake in the success of a democratic Iraq, which is in our mutual interests.

“Moreover, US aid should be focused on short term projects, not long-term lofty ideas. Because the legitimacy of the new Iraqi government will be based in large part on whether it is able to provide the basic services that every citizen expects of their government.

“However, the subject of this hearing rightly extends beyond US policy in Iraq and seeks to address the future of our policy throughout the greater Middle East. Iraq is not the only place where elections were recently held. In the Palestinian territories too, there is a new democratically-elected government in power led by Mahmoud Abbas. That government has not only paid lip service to the need to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process - it has also taken some steps toward that end. The Israeli government has responded in a positive way to these steps. But we're at a delicate juncture here. A door is open, and we do not know how long it will remain so.

“I commend Secretary Rice for using the beginning days of her service as Secretary of State to travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories and meet with both sides. I hope that her trip will mark the beginning of a high-level and personal involvement by the Bush administration to advance the cause of peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

“Another issue that cannot be ignored is that of Iran. It is obviously in our best interest, as well as in the interest of regional Middle East security, to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. To that end, the US must do two things.

“First, I believe we must work more closely with the Euro-3 - Britain, France, and Germany - to put together a comprehensive strategy for dealing with Iran's nuclear program that includes both credible carrots and credible sticks. And second, we must reassure our allies in the region that our twin commitments to development and security - especially in the event that Iran achieves nuclear capability - extend beyond Iraq. Our allies will be more confident in the US commitment to that region knowing that US interest will not fade as we eventually disengage from Iraq.

“In short, we have our work cut out for us. But the future could hold great potential if we get our act together with respect to our policy in the Middle East. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”

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