The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on Tuesday to consider the nomination of Rajiv Shah to be Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In his opening remarks, Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) declared the mission of USAID “near the top of our list of priorities” and highlighted the committee’s efforts to reform foreign assistance through the Foreign Assistance and Revitalization and Accountability Act (S. ...

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing Wednesday exploring possible strategies in Afghanistan. The three witnesses representing alternative strategies were Dr. John Nagl, president of the Center for a New American Security, Dr. Stephen Biddle, Senior Fellow for Defense Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Rory Stewart, director of the Carr Center on Human Rights Policy at Harvard University. The witnesses and senators discussed the goals of ...

The U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday to testify about the current status of American involvement in Iraq. Ambassador Hill emphasized the importance of Iraq to the greater Middle East as a potential "engine for regional stability and regional economic growth." Towards this end, Ambassador Hill identified the support for "democracy and democratic institutions on a purely nonpartisan basis" as "imperative" for ...

The markup for Fiscal Year 2010 Markup for the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill (click here for summary) took place yesterday afternoon chaired by Appropriations Committee Chair Senator Inouye (D-HI). The committee's version of the bill includes far less than requested for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a significant increase in funding for Yemen, and the expenditure of Economic Support Funds (ESF) to support reform in Iran, not requested by ...

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hosted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to discuss the FY2010 budget for the Department of State. The hearing was moderated by the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator John Kerry (D-MA). Senator Kerry praised Secretary Clinton for the work she's done thus far and cited the twenty two countries and 70,000 miles she's travelled as evidence of how hard she's working. Kerry ...

The Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs hosted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to discuss the FY2010 budget for the Department of State. The hearing was moderated by Subcommittee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Throughout the hearing, Secretary Clinton discussed her efforts to revitalize the role of the State Department which include investing in the people of the civil and foreign service at both ...

Yesterday, Ambassadors Jeffrey Feltman and Robert Blake appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for their confirmation as Assistant Secretaries of State for Near Eastern Affairs and South and Central Asia respectively. Senator Casey (D-PA) presided over the hearing and stressed the importance of these two regions to U.S. national security. During the Q&A the nominees fielded questions on Iran's nuclear program, Arab-Israeli peace, prospects for a Palestinian unity government, ...

Earlier today, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to discuss the administration's new policy toward Pakistan. He focused on the importance of strengthening Pakistani democracy and providing the necessary resources to enhance civilian capacity. In light of the increased funding proposed by the Kerry-Lugar legislation and the emergency supplemental bill, some committee members expressed concern over the clarity of objectives and proper measures of accountability. For POMED's ...

Yesterday, Karl Eikenberry, a Lieutenant General who completed two tours in Afghanistan and served as Deputy Chairman of NATO, appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations for a confirmation hearing to become the next U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan. Senator Warner (R-VA), along with Senator Inouye (D-HI) introduced Eikenberry as the right man for the job due to his extensive military and academic accomplishments. Some commentators have noted that in ...

Christopher Hill, a career diplomat who led the U.S. delegation to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program, appeared today before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations as President Obama's nominee for Ambassador to Iraq. The confirmation hearing touched on issues such as corruption in the Iraqi government, diplomacy with Iraq’s neighbors, and the future of the Sunni “awakening councils.” Mr. Hill also discussed relevant lessons from his experience in the ...

On Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee heard testimonies on the status of Iran's nuclear program, its current political climate, and U.S. policy options. Witnesses included Frank Wisner, former Ambassador to Zambia, Egypt, the Philippines, and India; Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations; Mark Fitzpatrick, Senior Fellow for Nonproliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies; and Karim Sadjadpour, Associate with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. ...

In her confirmation hearing yesterday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton outlined her view of "building a world with more partners and fewer adversaries." She expressed a commitment to strengthening civil society in Iraq and removing troops as outlined under SOFA, focusing greater attention on increasing stability and the rule of law in Afghanistan, pursuing all diplomatic tools in dealing with Iran, and reaching a sustainable solution between Israel and Palestine. For POMED's full ...

Yesterday afternoon, the full Senate Appropriations Committee held a session to markup three of the annual appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2009: for State and Foreign Operations, Agriculture, and Defense.  The markup of the State and Foreign Operations bill, which contains all funding for foreign assistance and nearly all funding for other international affairs programs, was considered rather quickly and approved by a 28-1 vote. The bill grants $36.62 billion, which ...

POMED's hearing notes are now available for the appearance of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Iraq on Tuesday.  Both testified to significant security improvements as a result of the troop increase in the summer of 2007 and argued that “fragile” progress has created an atmosphere of encouraged political reconciliation among varying groups. Members of the committee challenged the pair on issues of Iraqi ...