In the last Congress, I had the honor of serving as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. The so-called “Arab Spring” began the month I took over as Chairman (just a coincidence I assure you!)
It was an incredible experience during a tumultuous period in this always volatile region of the world. I had the opportunity to visit with our brave troops in Iraq, meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and witness firsthand the results of revolutions in Egypt, Yemen, and Libya. In retrospect, perhaps my saddest experience was spending the better part of two days in Tripoli, Libya with our courageous ambassador, Chris Stevens, who would be murdered by terrorists in Benghazi, Libya one month later.
In Washington, my committee held numerous substantive hearings on regional developments in the Middle East, and heard testimony from key State Department officials, scholars, and think tank professionals.
Yesterday, the Foreign Affairs Committee met for the first time in this new Congress, and I was formally appointed Chairman of another panel – the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. It’s an assignment that I believe will prove to be equally interesting and challenging.
It’s interesting to note that President Obama announced awhile back, with considerable fanfare, his Administration’s intention to pivot U.S. attention and resources from the Middle East, to East Asia and the Pacific. His reasoning is that as U.S. commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, thwarting the expansionist tendencies of our real strategic world rival, China, must be stepped up.
My committee will have jurisdiction over U.S. policy in an area that spans almost half the Earth’s surface, and contains more than half the world’s population. It stretches as far north as Mongolia, and south to New Zealand, from Pakistan in the west to the Pacific island nations in the east. The Asia-Pacific region includes countries such as India, the world’s largest democracy; Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation; and China, the world’s most populous country. With a collective economy that accounts for more than 50% of world trade, Asia is the scene of some of the United States’ most important economic, commercial, geopolitical, and security interests.
While I don’t have a crystal ball, I’m expecting to face a number of critical issues in our subcommittee over the next two years.
China, Japan, and South Korea are going through a period of political transition. How their new leaders approach U.S. bilateral relations, and how they deal with each other, will have a major impact on both economic and security issues in the region.
North Korea continues to behave belligerently, most recently demonstrated by the launch of a second rogue missile in December. Grave concerns about its nuclear program persist.
China continues to act aggressively toward its neighbors, asserting questionable claims to disputed islands in the South China Sea. China also continues to expand its military and economic influence in the region, and continues its missile build up in the Taiwan Straits.
India dominates the South Asia region with its vibrant economy, cultural influence, pluralistic society, and growing military power. India’s interests and those of the United States converge in many areas – but not always. In addition, India continues to struggle with poverty, stifling government bureaucracy, and corruption.
And then there is Pakistan. While it can hopefully play a central role in U.S. efforts to combat Islamic militancy, and in shaping the reconciliation process in Afghanistan, we continue to be concerned about the threat by Pakistani-based extremist groups to both the United States and to Pakistan’s own civilian government.
An ancient Chinese proverb says “May you live in interesting times.” That is likely to be the case in the Asia-Pacific region into the foreseeable future.
