A Look Ahead — Week of October 28 – November 1
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, October 29
Hearing: Next Steps on Egypt Policy
10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 29 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
The Honorable A. Elizabeth Jones
Acting Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Near East Affairs
U.S. Department of State
The Honorable Derek Chollet
Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
U.S. Department of Defense
Ms. Alina Romanowski
Deputy Assistant Administrator
Bureau for the Middle East
U.S. Agency for International Development
Tuesday, October 29
2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
Frederick W. Kagan, Ph.D.
Christopher DeMuth Chair and Director
Critical Threats Project
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
General Jack Keane, USA, Retired
Chairman of the Board
Institute for the Study of War
Ms. Lisa Curtis
Senior Research Fellow
Asian Studies Center
The Heritage Foundation
Stephen Biddle, Ph.D.
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Defense Policy
Council on Foreign Relations
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “As the Administration’s deadline to finalize the Bilateral Security Agreement with the Afghan government approaches, it’s becoming clear that there are still major obstacles to overcome. It is vitally important that the BSA adequately address the safety and well-being of our brave men and women who will remain in Afghanistan after 2014. We must get this right to ensure our gains made in Afghanistan will not be reversed and so that we can continue to honor our fallen heroes. This hearing will focus on the status of the BSA, the April 2014 elections, and will also closely examine the role Pakistan plays in the future stability of Afghanistan.”
Chairman Chabot on the hearing: “As the 2014 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan quickly approaches, mounting internal political and security uncertainties are escalating the probability that Afghanistan will unravel unless the Administration changes its political strategy. Little agreement on how to conclude U.S. involvement there is ultimately threatening to plunge the entire region into a condition more unstable than it was 12 years ago. This instability is further compounded by lingering suspicions between the U.S. and Pakistan. Although the Administration points to recent improvements in the U.S. relationship with Pakistan as cause to release $1.6 billion in military and economic aid, we need to be more cautious. Pakistan’s leadership changes have not obviated its own internally divergent interests, still heavily influenced by extremist groups, which could undermine U.S. objectives. This hearing is a critical opportunity to evaluate the implications of the President’s irresolute withdrawal plan from Afghanistan and the challenges confronting the U.S.-Pakistan relationship.”
Tuesday, October 29
Subcommittee Hearing: Guo Feixiong and Freedom of Expression in China
2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29 in 2255 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
Ms. Zhang Qing
Wife of Guo Feixiong
Ms. Yang Tianjiao
Daughter of Guo Feixiong
Pastor Bob Fu
Founder and President
ChinaAid Association
Mr. Chen Guangcheng
Chinese human rights activist
Mr. T. Kumar
Director of International Advocacy
Amnesty International
Chairman Smith on the hearing: “This hearing will focus on the persecution and suffering of recently imprisoned Chinese writer and human rights activist Guo Feixiong and his family,” said Cong. Smith, chairman of the House human rights subcommittee, noting that Guo is the better-known pen name of Yang Maodong. “Guo is a dissident writer and attorney who has defended the rights of journalists and villagers fighting local corruption. He is a seminal figure in the rise of China’s rights movement. The hearing will also discuss how free speech and expression—which are supposedly guaranteed by the Chinese constitution—are being marginalized and trampled upon by the Chinese government.”
Wednesday, October 30
Subcommittee Hearing: China’s Maritime and other Geographic Threats
10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 30 in 2255 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
Perry Pickert, Ph.D.
Retired Career Intelligence Officer
Mr. Rick Fisher
Senior Fellow
Asian Military Affairs
International Assessment and Strategy Center
Mr. Steven Mosher
Director
Population Research Institute
Chairman Rohrabacher on the hearing: “The Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats will hold an open hearing with outside witnesses to assess Communist China’s maritime and other territorial claims that threaten regional and global stability. China’s greatly expanded offensive naval, air, and missile forces, coupled with its commercial fleet, numerous paramilitary organizations, and conventional military forces have projected power and asserted sovereignty far beyond Chinese self-defense, risking rapid and unpredictable escalation towards war between several of the largest economies in the world. We intend to highlight this situation and address solutions.”
Wednesday, October 30
Joint Subcommittee Hearing: Establishing a Syrian War Crimes Tribunal?
1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 30 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
Mr. David M. Crane
Professor of Practice
Syracuse University College of Law
(Former Chief Prosecutor, United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone)
Alan White, Ph.D.
President
AW Associates
(Former Chief Investigator, United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone)
The Honorable Jeremy Rabkin
Professor of Law
George Mason University School of Law
The Honorable Stephen G. Rademaker
National Security Project Advisor
Bipartisan Policy Center
Mr. Richard Dicker
Director, International Justice Program
Human Rights Watch
Chairman Smith on the hearing: “The Syrian civil war has been the stage for some of the most horrendous crimes against humanity in recent history,” said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the House human rights subcommittee. “There is considerable evidence of deliberate attacks on civilians by all sides. Those responsible for the mayhem and deaths of an estimated 100,000 people and counting must know that they will be held to account for their atrocities. This hearing examines the creation of a war crimes tribunal to achieve that end.”
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “The Syrian conflict has resulted in the deaths of at least 100,000 over the last two years and has forced more than 2.2 million Syrians to flee to neighboring countries. War crimes are being perpetrated by both the Assad regime and extremist elements on a daily basis with both sides committing atrocities that are so appalling that they shock the international community’s conscience. With no end in sight to this conflict, it’s important to once again shine the spotlight on the humanitarian aspect of this crisis and discuss what steps responsible nations can take to hold accountable those who are guilty of these horrendous actions.”
***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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