Foreign Policy

My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of India as they recover from yesterday's heinous attacks. America has a strong ally in India, and our two nations must work together to root-out these murderous thugs.

Yesterday's attacks are a frightening reminder that those who wish to do harm to innocent people have no boundaries which they will not cross. There can be no capitulation. We must work together as a global community with our allies around the world to defeat these murderous purveyors of hate and death.

I am deeply shocked and saddened by the horrific images of the coordinated terrorist attack in Mumbai that killed hundreds of commuters riding the train lines home after work. These terrible images recall similar tragic acts of terror perpetrated in Madrid and London against innocent people, and even last week's revelations of a plot targeting New York City's bridge and tunnel system.

The attack reminds us again of the deadly threat the civilized world faces from those who only know how to hate. It also is a stark reminder that as a global community how vigilant we must be in our effort to apprehend the perpetrators of such acts both here and abroad - before such horrendous acts are committed.

Today's act of brutal terror in Mumbai also shows how vulnerable the world's economic centers are to the deadly threat of terrorism. By targeting India's commercial capital, the terrorists attacked the underpinnings of the Indian economy - the economic engine and diverse ideals of Mumbai.

But now we must focus our attention on the suffering of the wounded and the heavy loss of hundreds of families whose loved ones were killed. I send my deepest sympathies to our Indian friends, and, as a member of Congress, I will work to ensure India receives the necessary support from the United States to cope with this tragic incident and apprehend the perpetrators responsible for this brutal terrorist act.

- Congressman Crowley, former Democratic Chair of the Caucus on India and Indian Americans and a member of the House International Relations Committee

Although Russia is currently hosting the G-8 Summit in St. Petersburg (July 15-17), there are questions about its eligibility to be a member of the exclusive G-8 club.


Through its plentiful energy resources, large landmass, educated population, permanent membership on the UN Security Council, and extensive civilian and military nuclear infrastructure, Russia plays a key role in world affairs.  These factors influenced the Group of  7 (G-7) major industrial democracies (the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany,  Japan,  Italy, and  Canada), to invite Russia to participate in its meetings.  After participating as an observer in four summits, in 1998 Russia became a full member of the group, now renamed the Group of 8(G-8), despite its still-developing economy and the uncertainty regarding the momentum of its democratic reforms.


Since then, however, President Putin has steered Russia away from democracy and toward authoritarianism.  He has increased pressure on opposition political parties and civil society, strengthened state control over national broadcast media, and pursued politically-driven prosecutions of independent business leaders, academics and others voicing criticism of the government.  Regional governors, once directly elected, are now appointed by the Kremlin, and the government has taken a number of steps to reduce electoral competitiveness.  In recognition of this deterioration in democracy, the human rights organization Freedom House has downgraded Russia’s status from “Partly Free

It's certainly prudent for the U.S. to begin to think about how we will interact with a post-Castro Cuba.  However, it would be imprudent to keep in place policies that have made Castro the longest-reigning dictator in the world.

Simply put, more of the same won't hasten democratic reforms in Cuba.

The interests of democracy, both in Cuba and here in the U.S., would be better served by a more honest examination of our current Cuba policy.

Although no document is ever perfect, this Report once again demonstrates the strong commitment of President Bush to help the Cuban people free themselves from the shackles of their brutal oppressor. Other countries and their leaders may wine and dine with the dictator Castro, but President Bush does all he can to continue to marginalize and isolate the dictator to portray him as the desperate, evil and pathetic political dinosaur that he is. We will also remain committed to working to trash the “Wet Foot Policy

I applaud the free, fair and transparent democratic election in Mexico. With over 41 million votes cast the Mexican people have spoken, and Felipe Calderon of the National Action Party (PAN) is their choice to lead Mexico down the road of unity, peace and prosperity.

I expect President-elect Calderon to continue the successful policies of his predecessor, President Vincente Fox, who sought a positive and constructive relationship with the United States, and in that vein, I extend my hand in friendship to President-elect Calderon and the Mexican people.

I applaud the work of Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), which conducted an unbiased and objective district-by-district vote count under the strictest scrutiny, and I thank them for upholding Mexico's commitment to democracy and the rule of law. I urge the IFE to fully address claims of electoral irregularity and resolve lingering disputes in a fair and prompt manner.

Now is the time for Mexico to move past this heated and controversial campaign and work towards forming a unity coalition government, where all the people and parties of Mexico can unite as one and prosper under the strong leadership of President-elect Felipe Calderon.

Once again, I congratulate President-elect Calderon and I look forward to working with him and his administration.

These hearings are nothing more than election year politics -- another smoke and mirrors trick to draw attention away from the real issues. I grew up on the border, I have lived on the border my whole life, and now I represent the border. We live on the front lines of our broken immigration system, and we all know that we need to fix our immigration system and enforce our laws, but enforcement alone does not work - it has failed us the past 12 years. Our border communities want comprehensive reform. We want laws that are fair and that work.

The Bush Administration's policy toward North Korea has so far failed for one very basic reason: it does not have one. Instead of dealing with the weapons of mass destruction that President Bush knew existed in North Korea, he launched a preemptive war in Iraq - a country that he only thought had these weapons. For the last six years, the Administration has resorted to name calling with North Korea and has not devoted the time or muscle necessary to make the six-party talks effective. While the Administration's rhetoric may make for good political theater, it does not lead to successful diplomacy. Whether it's his policy toward Iraq, Iran, or North Korea, the President's approach to diplomacy is clearly wanting. It is time for the Bush Administration to do more than swagger.

Our hearing will evaluate the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq. We will hear from, among others, the GAO Comptroller General David Walker, Ambassador James Jeffrey from the State Department and Leith Kubba from the National Endowment for Democracy. These perspectives will be valuable in helping us assess our strategy to, in Mr. Khalilzad's words, 'end the war.'

I would welcome the opportunity to vote for a free trade agreement with strong, enforceable labor and environmental protections that benefit American workers. Unfortunately, the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement has neither, and I will vote against it. This FTA builds on the failed NAFTA/CAFTA trade model which encourages corporations to abandon the United States to exploit weak labor and environmental standards in other countries. Much like past free trade agreements, it is not in the best interest of U.S. workers, small businesses, farmers, the economy, or the environment. Rather than continue this frantic "race to the bottom" of worker wages and standards, we should repair the damage caused by past trade deals like NAFTA, before more American workers lose their jobs and before more irreparable damage is done to our environment.