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Democracy in the Middle East
The world is seeing major changes in
some of the most unstable regions. The
United States has a role to play in advancing human rights and restoring our
own leadership around the world. Bill’s
service on the Foreign Affairs Committee enables him to play a key role in
moving US interests forward.
US technology is one way that America has
played a role in the democratic changes that are taking place in the Middle
East. Democratic activists have used the
internet to gain following in the country and admiration around the world. The American people, however, were shocked to
know that government were also using social media to monitor protests and track
down opposition leaders. Even worse, we
discovered that companies with presence in the United States were helping these
regimes exploit technology and turn innovation into violence.
The Keating plan would require sales of this type
of technology to include a human rights end-use agreement. Those who
purchase American internet-monitoring technology would be closely watched for
how they employ it. It makes no sense at
all that we would allow American companies to sell technology to governments
that are using it for the very purposes that our country is constantly
condemning. That is simply not what American innovation is all
about.
Afghanistan and Pakistan
For the past decade, our lives in this
country have been defined by the cowardly and despicable act that
occurred on 9/11. In a post-Bin Laden world, we must remember that the
threats against our country do not die with the man. Our national
security remains of the utmost importance, and we must continue to
cultivate critical partnerships in the region in order to protect
ourselves from threats beyond our border. Terrorist organizations
operating in the region and government regimes that support them
represent a real threat to the United States and our allies.
At the same time, our commitment in Afghanistan is not open-ended.
We must see more progress from the Afghan government in controlling
corruption and improving the security of their country. They must step
up in order for the United States to step aside.
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Photos from Bill's recent Congressional Trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan
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Even if we were to see progress in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda is
spreading in places like Somalia and Yemen. While we work to remove
Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, we must also work to prevent a terrorist threat
from spreading to new and vulnerable places. Bill has been a longtime
advocate for a more comprehensive counterterrorism strategy that allows
the US military and government to be more nimble so that we can confront
these new and emerging threats. It is critical to our national security
that we work to help stabilize this region.
Bill has voted for an immediate withdrawal of US troops from
Afghanistan, and will work to make sure that our troops come home safely
and quickly.
Foreign aid
There remains urgency in the world for
international humanitarian assistance to peoples in need, and the US is
in a position to be a global leader by helping those who are less
fortunate help themselves. Following the guiding policies of President
John F. Kennedy, who pledged to assist those “across the globe
struggling to break the bonds of mass misery,” Bill believes that
foreign aid has a role to play in opening up global markets to US
businesses and boosting our national security by demonstrating global
leadership.
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