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

Tuesday, February 6
Hearing: U.S. Cyber Diplomacy in an Era of Growing Threats

10 a.m. on Tuesday, February 6, in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Committee on Foreign Affairs
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Mr. Christopher Painter
Commissioner
Global Commission for the Stability of Cyberspace
(Former Coordinator for Cyber Issues, U.S. Department of State)

Mr. John Miller
Vice President for Global Policy and Law, Cybersecurity, and Privacy
Information Technology Industry Council

Michael Sulmeyer, Ph.D.
Director
Cyber Security Project
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
(Former Director for Plans and Operations for Cyber Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense)

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “Authoritarian regimes and foreign actors are working overtime to impose more control online, including through censorship. These destructive efforts to weaponize the internet undermine America’s foreign policy and security, as well as our economy. As Americans become more and more connected with digital technology, the United States must ensure the internet remains open, reliable and secure. This hearing will explore foreign threats to the internet and the important role diplomacy plays in addressing them.”

Tuesday, February 6
Subcommittee Hearing: Syria: Which Way Forward?

2 p.m. on Tuesday, February 6, 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 Robert Ford
Senior Fellow
Middle East Institute
(Former United States Ambassador to Syria)

Mr. Faysal Itani
Senior Fellow
Atlantic Council

Mr. Charles Lister
Senior Fellow
Director of Counter-Extremism and Counter-Terrorism
Middle East Institute

Mara Karlin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of the Practice of Strategic Studies
School of Advanced International Studies
Johns Hopkins University
(Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development)

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “In the seven years since anti-Assad protests began, successive administrations have failed to implement a positive strategy for U.S. involvement in Syria, leaving it to others to define the battlefield. Tehran and Moscow have instead dictated the terms, supporting the murder of hundreds of thousands and exacerbating Syria’s humanitarian and political crises. With Secretary Tillerson recently laying out the administration’s vision for Syria, this hearing is an opportunity for members to hear expert assessments on the new strategy, evaluate the impact of Iranian, Russian, and Turkish activities on U.S. interests, and explore policy options for finally putting an end to Syria’s bloodshed and terror.”

Tuesday, February 6
Subcommittee Hearing: U.S.-Pakistan Relations: Reassessing Priorities Amid Continued Challenges

2 p.m. on Tuesday, February 6, in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Seth Jones, Ph.D.
Harold Brown Chair
Director, Transnational Threats Project
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Mr. Jeff Smith
Research Fellow
South Asia
Heritage Foundation

Mr. Munawar “Sufi” Laghari
Executive Director
Sindhi Foundation

Aqil Shah, Ph.D.
Wick Cary Assistant Professor of South Asian Politics
Department of International and Area Studies
University of Oklahoma

Chairman Yoho on the hearing: “U.S.-Pakistan relations are changing, and many would say that change is overdue. In the post-9/11 era, the United States has undertaken concerted engagement towards Pakistan, and made massive investments in the country. But year after year, Pakistan has failed to become a reliable and constructive security partner. Extremist groups are still tolerated within Pakistan, and rising religious and ethnic intolerance is contributing to internal instability. Despite the disappointments, reality dictates that Pakistan will remain a critical part of the U.S. security calculus— central not only to the U.S. war on terror, but also to the emerging U.S. ‘Indo-Pacific’ strategy that will guide our engagement in South and East Asia.  In this hearing, the Subcommittee will reassess U.S. priorities in our bilateral relationship with Pakistan amid its continued challenges, and hear policy recommendations from an expert panel.”

 

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

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

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