America Needs to Engage Other Nations Openly and Constructively
April 10th, 2007 by Rep. Louise SlaughterThe Gavel welcomes Chairwoman Louise Slaughter, posting on the Congressional delegation to the Middle East last week:
The bi-partisan Congressional delegation Speaker Pelosi led to the Middle East last week and which I was proud to join went abroad without any illusions. We understood clearly the challenges to peace and security in the region. What’s more, while there, we were entirely committed to defending America’s principles and goals in every way possible.
Our object was not to remake American foreign policy. But as a co-equal branch of government whose responsibilities include funding American efforts internationally, Congress has every right to talk with foreign leaders and to assess first hand whether our national interests are being served by the policies adopted at any point in time by the White House.
What is more, our trip represented something that has been lacking during recent years in the conduct of American foreign policy: real and meaningful diplomacy with all nations, even those we believe to be threatening international peace and stability.
In short, what my fellow delegates and I said during our trip to the Middle East was important, but what mattered even more was the way in which we said it.
Reflecting on the meetings and events I was a part of, I can say with confidence that the messages we delivered to the foreign leaders we met with were both unambiguous and strong. In Lebanon, we spoke with Prime Minister Siniora, and stressed that his democratically-elected government must be given the power to determine its country’s fate, free from outside control. In Saudi Arabia, we met with King Abdullah, and highlighted the importance of a good relationship between our two nations as we both work to confront terrorism. We also supported the Saudis’ work promoting peace in Darfur and between Israel and Palestine. And in Syria, we told President Assad that he must stop foreign fighters from crossing his border into Iraq, where they have been attacking American troops and Iraqi civilians alike. We also stressed that Israel was willing to negotiate with Syria - but only if the Syrians committed themselves once and for all to eliminating their support for any organization that undermines Israeli security.
As important as it was to get these ideas across, what mattered even more was that they were expressed during face-to-face meetings between American officials and the leaders of critically important foreign nations. Ours was the highest Congressional delegation in years to reach out to the region. As such, we represented the clearest challenge Congress has offered since 2001 to the Bush Administration’s refusal to engage diplomatically with nations deemed detrimental to international security and prosperity.
My fellow House Members and I were not the first ones to advocate for a resurgence in American diplomatic efforts. When the bi-partisan Iraq Study Group Report was released last December, readers were presented with a list of recommended actions the United States could take to improve its foreign policy approach to the Middle East. Recommendation number 9 dealt with the issue of diplomacy - specifically, speaking to nations that have been branded dangerous to America.
Iran and Syria were mentioned by name. The report noted that dialogue with these nations is “controversial.” “Nevertheless,” it continued, “it is our view that in diplomacy, a nation can and should engage its adversaries and enemies to try to resolve conflicts and differences consistent with its own interests.”
It is now common knowledge that the Bush Administration decided to ignore virtually all of the Study Group’s recommendations regarding how best to deal with the ongoing civil war in Iraq - ideas such as increasing the level of diplomatic outreach to the region and changing the scale and mission of the American military in that country. This was done despite the fact that the Group was composed of some of the most distinguished foreign policy thinkers of the past several decades - among them James A. Baker III, Secretary of State under President George H.W. Bush and a diplomat who built a large international coalition that provided America with critical support during the first Gulf War.
But Democrats in Congress have taken the Study Group’s important recommendations to heart. And so, realizing that recent years have seen an absence of meaningful, high-level dialogue between the United States and key foreign countries (like Syria), Speaker Pelosi decided to follow the Study Group Report instead of pretending it was never written.
So many of the challenges we are facing in the world today can only be resolved through diplomacy. Military force is sometimes needed, but it is rarely enough. In Iraq, stability will only come when political leaders decide that their nation’s survival is more important than their party’s strength in parliament. In the broader Middle East, peace and security will only be won through diplomacy - by talking to regional powers and making them see what must change.
America needs to engage other nations openly and constructively if we hope to reach our goals around the world. I’m fond of reminding people that diplomatic negotiations were maintained between the United States and the U.S.S.R. throughout the entire Cold War - and helped to avert numerous disasters in the process.
In the same way, real peace and real security in so many of the world’s challenging areas will only be produced by honest and open diplomacy. And while this is a philosophy of foreign affairs the Bush Administration has never truly supported, the White House is increasingly isolated in its beliefs. From the battlefields of Iraq, to the classrooms of our universities, to American think-tanks of all political persuasions, the call for a new approach to foreign relations is being heard time and again. Our nation does indeed have military battles to win. But we must also restore our commitment to using constructive diplomacy as we seek to promote a safer world for Americans and for people everywhere.
The trip Speaker Pelosi led last week was a definite step in the right direction. Hopefully, it will prove to be the first of many.