Al-Qaeda in Iraq, now known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS, is growing steadily in size, power, and influence, as its militant ranks have blossomed. In the summer of 2013, ISIS carried out attacks on two different prisons in Iraq, and in those attacks freed hundreds of experienced al-Qaeda fighters and leaders. The group is now able to carry out approximately 40 mass casualty attacks every month. Multiple car bombings struck the capital this morning. The nearly 9,000 deaths in Iraq last year made it the bloodiest since U.S. forces departed in 2011. The civil war in...

When we flip a light switch in this country, power up a computer or swipe a credit card, we take for granted that the electricity that we are going to need to do that function is going to be there. But imagine for a moment if our shops or our schools or our hospitals and our homes had absolutely no electricity, what would happen if you flipped that switch and nothing happened? Even the most industrious manufacturer would be very hard pressed to stay in business. The most dedicated surgeon would be powerless in a hospital to save lives. This is the reality throughout most of sub-Saharan...

Many around the world are just now hearing of Boko Haram. For communities in Northern Nigeria, they know the death and destruction that this group brings, and they have known it for a number of years. As Boko Haram has spread, they have continued to burn schools. As of today, over 500 schools have been destroyed. Over 100 teachers have been killed. We are faced with two challenges in Northern Nigeria; in the near term, seeing these girls rescued, and in the long term, rendering Boko Haram unable to threaten the region. This is a group that has killed thousands of Nigerians. The loose...

Ukraine is facing not one crisis but a number of them. Its new government is confronting an economic and financial crisis brought on by years of mismanagement, years of corruption by previous government officials and it is doing this while under military invasion and economic coercion by neighboring Russia. The world has been speaking up, sending a clear message that Moscow's actions are out of bounds. The new government in Kiev cannot succeed without strong and rapid support by the international community. Working in close cooperation with our European allies, the U.S. is crafting an...

After Zimbabwe's elections in July of 2013, another Robert Mugabe victory, achieved through cheating, strong-arming, and harassment, Mugabe has unfettered access to all government posts and all state resources. It is likely that the graft and corruption, which have characterized his regime, will continue. Chromium, platinum, and diamonds have enriched Zimbabwe's leaders, but not its people. Mugabe, the liberation leader, who has led his country since 1980, has always resented that the U.S. Government did not support his war against the previous white minority government. Despite our efforts...

Despite its April 17th pledge to help de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine, Russia has done exactly the opposite. There is nothing murky about that. It is clear as can be. The role that Russian Special Services have played in destabilizing Eastern Ukraine is indisputable in supporting so-called separatists, coordinated armed attacks on government buildings, orchestrating kidnappings, and violence against local politicians, reporters, and even OSCE monitors. Russian disinformation campaigns have only made matters worse and I echo the sentiments of the chairman of this committee as this committee...

Never has a terrorist organization occupied such a sanctuary. Never has such a terrorist organization had the access to the abundant natural resources that ISIL has at its disposal. Never has a terrorist organization possessed the heavy weaponry or the cash or the personnel that ISIL has today. And its brutality, of course, is unmatched. This committee, on a bipartisan basis, has been pushing the administration to confront this threat. For months I pressed the administration for drone strikes, as the terrorists columns advanced on Iraqi cities. That is what the Iraqis wanted, and it is what...

Nigeria is one of the United States' main Africa trading partners, and a major economic and political force, beyond even the African continent. Boko Haram is a Nigerian terrorist organization whose full name in Arabic means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad." The name Boko Haram is a translation meaning that conventional education, Boko, is forbidden. Because of its repeated attacks against Christian targets, especially on holy days such as Christmas and Easter, Boko Haram is seen by some as principally anti-Christian. In the last year alone, Boko Haram...

Less than 3 years ago Libya, at the time, if we think back, was hailed as a successful example of multilateral engagement-NATO and our allies all working together to stop the slaughter of civilians and to free an oppressed people from dictatorship, as was articulated at the time, to chart a prosperous path forward for this country in North Africa. Unfortunately, in the ensuing years we have a situation since that date where the reality is that Libya has become chaotic, violent, awash in terrorist organizations and more militias than we can count. Its porous borders allow for the easy transit...