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, February 4

Subcommittee Hearing: Terrorist Groups in Latin America: The Changing Landscape

2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 4 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade

Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Panel I

Gino Costa, Ph.D.
President
Ciudad Nuestra
(Appearing via teleconference)

Panel II

Ms. Celina B. Realuyo
William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies
Professor of Practice of National Security Affairs
National Defense University

Mr. Douglas Farah
Senior Associate
Americas Program
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Mr. Michael Shifter
President
Inter-American Dialogue

Chairman Poe on the hearing: “While the Administration continues to grapple for a competent global counterterrorism policy, Latin America provides two case studies where our strategy has seen some success. The FARC in Colombia and Shining Path in Peru are weaker than ever before, but new threats to the region are arising fromtransnational criminal organizations and international terrorist groups, like Hezbollah. This hearing will examine the changing threat landscape in LatinAmerica and how U.S. policy should adapt to it.”

 

Wednesday, February 5

Hearing: Al-Qaeda’s Resurgence in Iraq: A Threat to U.S. Interests

10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 5 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Mr. Brett McGurk
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq and Iran
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “Al-Qaeda controls more territory today than it ever has before, and much of that is in western Iraq where it has recently captured significant cities.  These terrorists continue to exploit sectarian conflicts that the Iraqi government has failed to resolve, and Iraq is now on the verge of civil war.  Our hearing will examine al-Qaeda’s resurgence in Iraq and its threat to regional and globalsecurity.”

 

Wednesday, February 5

Subcommittee Hearing: U.S. Counternarcotics Operations in Afghanistan

2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

The Honorable William R. Brownfield
Assistant Secretary of State
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Mr. James L. Capra
Chief of Operations
Drug Enforcement Administration
U.S. Department of Justice

Ms. Erin Logan
Principal Director for Counternarcotics and Global Threats
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
U.S. Department of Defense

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “The illegal drug trade is a contributing factor to many of the major challenges facing Afghanistan. Last year, Afghanistan cultivated an all-time record high amount of opium poppy despite U.S. led counternarcotics efforts – producing more than 90 per cent of all opiates in the world.  Not only does drug trafficking fund the Taliban and other extremist groups, with estimates suggesting that this generates them hundreds of millions of dollars annually, it creates an increase in corruption and poses a very serious public health challenge in Afghanistan. Drug addiction is at epidemic levels, and the problem is only getting worse. This hearing is necessary to examine how the United States can sustain and improve counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan as uncertainty clouds our post-2014 footprint.”

 

Wednesday, February 5

Subcommittee Hearing: America’s Future in Asia: From Rebalancing to Managing Sovereignty Disputes

2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5 in 2175 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

The Honorable Daniel R. Russel
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Chairman Chabot on the hearing: “The territorial disputes over remote island chains in the East and South China Seas have raised tensions in the region to a dangerous level. As a result of unilateral actions taken by China to project its growing power distances beyond its shores, efforts to ensure regional stability and achieve U.S. strategic objectives are being challenged. It is now more critical than ever that the Administration details a coherent and cohesive rebalance strategy that is much more than endless talk. It needs to detail a strategy that outlines tangible steps to strengthen our long-standing alliances in Asia and to prevent regional tensions from spiraling out of control.”

***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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