Congressman Sander Levin

Foreign Affairs

In an increasingly interconnected world, a smart, realistic and effective foreign policy is more important than ever. I firmly believe that our prosperity increasingly depends on the United States being a responsible leader in the world as we work with our friends and allies to solve complex problems and take advantage of new opportunities.  Our nation cannot afford to pull back from the international community in the economic, diplomatic or military arenas. 

The consequences of unilateralism and disengagement are all too clear.  In Iraq we are spending $300 million per day, while the Bush Administration still has no plan to stabilize that country and bring our troops home. In Darfur, more than 200,000 people have died and more than 2 million have been displaced since 2003 as the international community has struggled to respond.

I am working with my colleagues on the House Ways & Means Committee to create a new trade policy for the United States that will shape globalization and help ensure that its benefits are more broadly shared, both here at home and around the world. But broadly shared prosperity also requires us to assist our neighbors in the international community as they work to build strong, democratic societies.

I also serve as the Chairperson of The Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which consists of nine Senators, nine members of the House of Representatives and five senior Presidential Administration officials. Its mandate is to monitor human rights, including worker rights and the development of the rule of law in china, as well as maintain a database of information on Chinese prisoners. The Commission recently held a hearing on the “The Impact the 2008 Olympics on Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China.”

For more information and updates on my work with The Congressional-Executive Commission on China please visit the Commission’s website, www.cecc.gov.

• Ending the War in Iraq
• Stopping the Violence in Darfur
• Development Assistance
• Global Health
• Containing the Threat of Iran