Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “In recent years, Russia has moved to fill the void left by the lack of U.S. leadership in the Middle East and North Africa, working against U.S. interests most notably in Syria but also throughout the region. In this hearing, Members will hear from experts familiar with Putin’s goals, exploring Russia’s strategic objectives in Syria and Libya, its alliance with Iran, and its military cooperation with the region as a whole. The United States must counter Moscow’s growing presence and destabilizing influence in the Middle East and North Africa and that starts by rebuilding our traditional alliances and reasserting leadership that has been missing for too long.”

Opening Statements

Witnesses

Mr. Vladimir Kara-Murza
Vice Chairman
Open Russia
[full text of statement]
[truth in testimony form]

Ms. Anna Borshchevskaya
Ira Weiner Fellow
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
[full text of statement]
[truth in testimony form]

Mr. Brian Katulis
Senior Fellow
Center for American Progress
[full text of statement]
[truth in testimony form]

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Hearing transcript (PDF)