On November 24, 2013, Secretary Kerry announced that an interim negotiated settlement had been reached between the P5+1 and Iran on its nuclear program. The announcement contained the broad strokes, but was short on the details. The picture that was painted was that Iran would agree to modest limits on its enrichment capabilities, increased International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring, the cessation of manufacturing centrifuges, and it would not fuel the Arak heavy-water reactor. In exchange, Iran would receive an easing of sanctions on its oil sales and the suspension of certain sanctions...

Last July, Secretary Kerry, together with negotiators from Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, PLO, announced that the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations had restarted. Here we are now, 9 months later, and what do we have? We have a peace process that fell apart, yielding no positive results, leaving both parties with an even greater distrust of one another. In fact, the legacy of this failed round of talks could be that it ended up causing more harm than good, as it seemed to have moved Fatah and Hamas closer to reconciliation while Abu Mazen continues his push for de...

The Arab Spring uprising in the Middle East and North Africa of 2011 brought with them a period of brief hope for the future of democracy in the region. Millions across many nations demanded changes to the way their countries were being run and in many cases run by dictators who held a stranglehold on power for decades, unrelenting and unyielding. In some countries, the people managed to usher out the ruling party and for a moment, it appeared as though we were ready to see democracy rule the day. However, the lack of infrastructure, the lack of democratic institutions in these countries, as...

Despite approximately $14 billion in direct sanctions relief, as well as incalculable indirect benefits to the Iranian economy and the nuclear program, Iran has repeatedly stated that it will never stop enriching uranium or take one step back in its research and development. Despite a 4-month extension of talks and allowing Iran access to an additional $700 million of its blocked currency each month, Iran's Supreme Leader 2 weeks ago called for the destruction of our greatest ally in the Middle East, the Democratic Jewish State of Israel. Iran recently claimed its ballistic missiles are...

This will be our 10th hearing dedicated to examining the Syrian conflict, the precarious situation in Iraq, and the rise of ISIL. The common theme we have seen in our previous nine hearings is that the administration has failed to put together a coherent, a consistent, and decisive policies and strategies to address these threats. We have gone from remaining silent when the Syrian opposition first spoke out against Assad in March 2011, before all the foreign fighters and the terrorist groups coopted the anti-Assad campaign, to finally calling on Assad to step down 5 months after his brutal...

With all the upheaval, instability, and social unrest in the wake of the Arab Spring, Morocco is designated as a major non-NATO ally and is working toward a political transition in instituting democratic reforms. Three years ago, King Mohammed proposed constitutional reforms that would push Morocco toward democracy and reform, shifting some power that was centralized in a monarchy to the people. This new constitution was ratified a few months later and was succeeded by parliamentary elections that saw a new government formed, complete with a new Prime Minister from an opposition party with a...