Bob's Blog
Speaking about Afghanistan and Pakistan at the Army War College
On September 9th, I delivered a speech on Afghanistan and Pakistan at the Army War College. I was honored to address the student body in Carlisle which was made up of senior military officers from all services of the armed services, as well as from allied militaries in more than 50 countries.
Next month, we will enter the ninth year of our engagement in Afghanistan. In the speech, I outlined three main areas where we need to see progress in the near future: the fight against corruption at all levels in the country; the training of Afghan National Army and Police and the importance of the international development efforts, particularly in the field of agriculture. Each one of these elements are critical to our success in Afghanistan.
World Refugee Day
Tomorrow is World Refugee Day, an annual event to celebrate the contribution of refugees throughout the world and draw attention to their continuing needs. I am proud that Pennsylvania has been a leader in welcoming refugees to the United States, with more than 100,000 refugees from over 30 nations making our state their home since the mid-1970s. As a United States Senator, I have sought to draw greater attention to the plight of refugees and internally displaced persons in Iraq, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. Large refugee populations pose not only a humanitarian crisis, but can impact the political and economic stability of states critical to our national interest.
Last year, I went to the Senate floor to deliver a floor statement recognizing the importance of World Refugee Day. This year, I was honored to attend a reception yesterday evening hosted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). At the reception, I enjoyed a chance to say hello to Angelina Jolie, the UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
Secretary Clinton testifies before the Foreign Relations Committee
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I had the opportunity to raise two foreign policy issues of particular concern to me. I first asked the Secretary about the Administration’s approach to dealing with the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program. The Secretary and I agreed that we must use all tools at our disposal, from diplomacy to robust economic sanctions, to convince the Iranian regime to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons. I support President Obama’s plan to engage Iran diplomatically, and along with Senator Brownback of Kansas I recently introduced the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009, legislation to authorize state and local governments to divest their pension funds of assets held by companies that continue to do business with Iran.
Secretary Clinton and I also discussed the escalating crisis in Pakistan. The Pakistani military is engaged in heavy fighting with the Taliban insurgency, which has captured territory within 60 miles of Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital. What is particularly troubling from the perspective of United States national security is the prospect of a Pakistani nuclear warhead ending up in the hands of the Taliban, Al Qaeda or other extremist groups. A terrorist group acquiring nuclear weapons would pose a grave threat to the world. The Secretary assured me that she and other senior U.S. officials are confident that Pakistan’s nuclear material is adequately secure. I will continue to work with the Administration to help counter the Taliban threat in Pakistan.
Click here to read my floor statement on our strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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