Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the following upcoming Committee events:

Tuesday, July 15

Joint Subcommittee Hearing: The Rise of ISIL: Iraq and Beyond

2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade

Ted Poe (R-TX), Chairman

Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

The Honorable James Jeffrey
Philip Solondz Distinguished Visiting Fellow
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
(Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq)

General Jack Keane, USA, Retired
Chairman of the Board
Institute for the Study of War

Mr. Doug Bandow
Senior Fellow
Cato Institute

Mr. Michael Eisenstadt
Senior Fellow and Director of the Military and Security Studies Program
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Chairman Poe on the hearing: "ISIL is on the move in Iraq and seizing more territory by the day. The Maliki government has proven itself to be incapable of countering this threat. In fact, the exclusion of the Sunnis by the government is exactly why we are facing a regional civil war in Iraq. This is primarily a politically motivated crisis that needs a political solution. An Iraq dominated by Iran is unacceptable, as is a wider regional Sunni-Shia conflict that will surely destabilize the entire region."

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: "The rise of al-Qaeda in Iraq, or the Islamic State of Iraq in the Levant (ISIL), shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to the deteriorating situation in Iraq since the United States’ complete withdrawal at the end of 2012. The Middle East and North Africa subcommittee held a hearing on Iraq last November that addressed this, and these two subcommittees (Middle East and North Africa and Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade) held a joint hearing on al-Qaeda’s resurgence last December. Yet somehow the Administration ignored all of the signals and signs, either out of ignorance or an unwillingness to accept that its failed policies have exacerbated the crisis, and refused to act. Now Iraq is in turmoil and we are in danger of seeing aterrorist safe haven spread across the region from Syria to Iraq, yet there is still no urgency from the Obama Administration to act. This hearing will be an opportunity to assess what implications the resurgence of ISIL has for the region and to examine the Administration’s response thus far and its options going forward.”

Tuesday, July 15

Subcommittee Hearing: The Future of Turkish Democracy

2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats

Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Mr. Nate Schenkkan
Program Officer
Eurasia Programs
Freedom House

Elizabeth H. Prodromou, Ph.D.
Visiting Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
Tufts University

Soner Cagaptay, Ph.D.
Beyer Family Fellow and Director
Turkish Research Program
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Kilic Kanat, Ph.D.
Non-Resident Scholar
Foundation for Political, Economic, and Social Research (SETA)

Mr. Hakan Tasci
Executive Director
Tuskon-US

Chairman Rohrabacher on the hearing: “Turkey is a NATO ally and a friend of the United States. The Turkish people have known the benefits of democracy for decades. Yet, recent events in that country, including the censoring of popular social media websites, have raised concerns about media freedom.  We don’t want Turkish democracy to drift into hostile waters. They have achieved increasing economic prosperity, but there are other issues that are of concern and need to be examined.”

Wednesday, July 16

Hearing: Iran’s Destabilizing Role in the Middle East

10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 16 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Mr. Scott Modell
Senior Associate
Burke Chair in Strategy
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Mr. Ray Takeyh
Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies
Middle East Program
Council on Foreign Relations

Natan B. Sachs, Ph.D.
Fellow
Saban Center for Middle East Policy
The Brookings Institution

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “Iran’s support for terrorism has empowered Hezbollah, propped up Assad in Syria, killed American troops in Iraq and created havoc on Israel’s border.  Iran has even attempted to carry out a terrorist attack on US soil.  Such a regime that continues to threaten the U.S. homeland, our allies, and our interests must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.  At this hearing, the Committee will examine Iran’s ongoing efforts to destabilize the region and what the United States should be doing to counter Tehran’s efforts.”

Wednesday, July 16

Subcommittee Hearing: The Growing Crisis of Africa's Orphans

2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Ms. Kelly Dempsey
General Counsel and Director of Advocacy and Outreach
Both Ends Burning

Shimwaayi Muntemba, Ph.D.
Founder
Zambia Orphans of AIDS

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “Over the past 10 years, an orphan crisis unfolded in Africa, where more than 50 million children have lost their parents due to HIV-AIDS and other diseases, civil war, humanitarian disasters and severe poverty.  Death and displacement have overcome traditional family systems, leading to many families headed by children, stressed and extended families and crowded orphanages. International adoption has been discussed as one remedy for thenumerous African orphans. Unfortunately, some countries are reluctant to consider adoptions and are blocking such family placements—despite the lack of acceptable alternatives. This hearing will examine the magnitude of Africa’s orphan crisis as well as responses and possible solutions to it.”

 

***See foreignaffairs.house.gov for updates.

***Coverage note: All Foreign Affairs Committee proceedings are webcast live at foreignaffairs.house.gov/live-video-feed.

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