“Our administration, together with Congress and the private sector, is working very closely with other countries and, indeed, with the international financial institutions and authorities,” said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a speech to the World Steel Association. that touched upon the global economy.

Rice outlined steps the Bush administration has taken to grant more countries access to world markets, including increasing engagement with developing economies, changing the major financial framework to better address economic growth, and signing free trade agreements with 17 countries. Rice also described the Bush administrations efforts to increase foreign aid.

“This administration, working with Congress, has launched the largest international development agenda since the Marshall Plan. We have doubled foreign assistance in the Americas, we have tripled it worldwide, we have quadrupled it in Africa.”

Rice conceded that globalization has brought some negative aspects, including transnational crime and weapons of mass destruction, but said that these concerns need to be met with responsible action and leadership rather than isolationism.

Rice said that education would be another vital aspect of strengthening both the local and global economy.

“It’s important to talk about education, and training, and retraining…education more than any other factor, is the indispensable requirement for every nation to build a confident, constructive, and sustainable engagement with the international system.”

Rice said that her commitment to education will be a major part of her post-Bush administration plans.

“Come January 20th, 2009, 12:01 to be exact, I will again be a private citizen. I know that I will go back to advocate too for a confident engagement with the international system based on the tremendous potential of each and every human being unleashed by the power of education.”

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns explains the future of US and Russian relations and explains that they may be strained.

 

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Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns explains the steps that the Bush administration has taken in dealing with Russian hostility.

 

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Combat may have ceased in Georgia, but in Chris Dodd’s (D-Conn.) view only one aspect of the conflict has been resolved.

“There are two ways to undermine, if not topple a democratic government. Either militarily, or by crushing and strangling the economy to make life so miserable, the mandate of the government comes into question,” Dodd said today during a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the consequences of Russia’s August invasion.

“Many expert observers believe that having failed in the first approach Russia now seems to have shifted towards the second.”

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns addressed the committee’s concerns over the future of Georgia and Russia, the steps the Bush administration has taken, and the implications of the invasion that are still unfolding.

“We and our European partners have made clear there will be no business as usual with Russia… For our part the administration has withdrawn the 123 agreement on civil nuclear cooperation with Russia and suspended US-Russian bilateral military programs,” said Burns.

Questions were raised over the humanitarian response in Georgia. Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) described how President Bush initially said that the Department of Defense would be head the effort which was contradicted when Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said responsibility fell on the State Department.

“It’s a combined effort…the Defense Department took the early lead in moving humanitarian supplies to Georgia which was a natural step to take…but over time we have seen the state department taking the lead under Undersecretary Reuben Jeffrey and working with the Georgians to work on a long term plan for reconstruction,” replied Burns.

The committee also discussed whether there were any warning signs or actions that could have been taken to avoid hostilities.

“I honestly don’t think so. This is a crises and a set of tensions that has been building for some time…there were mistakes and miscalculations on all sides. We worked very hards both with the Russians and the Georgians government to urge restraint,” said Burns.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing to discuss the role of our nation’s military in foreign policy. In particular, the hearing focused on the evolving relationship between the Department of Defense and the State Department in dealing with foreign affairs.

Both Deputy Secretary John Negroponte and Under Secretary for Defense Eric Edelman agreed that the role of the two departments were becoming increasingly intertwined, and both are adapting well to the new changes. Edelman said that unique military situations like those in Iraq and Afghanistan require military personnel to assume roles with which they are not accustomed. He went on to say that traditional state conflict is no longer the only form of international conflict, but rather combatants within the states are providing difficulties. These situations become more complicated when the governments of these combatants themselves are US allies.

This shift in relations is exemplified by the creation of groups like United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). Both engage in humanitarian and military duties. However, several members of the panel expressed concern over the “militarization” of foreign policy, which could jeopardize America’s global image and effectiveness. Edelman and Negroponte remained confident that both departments could maintain their roles without such issues, and asked the committee for increased funding for the fiscal year 2009 to expand their efforts.

Ambassador Harry Thomas, who also serves as director general of the Foreign Service and director of human resources at the State Department, says state department employees today are facing more remote, dangerous locations. He reiterates the commitment of the human resources department to providing adequate resources and training to prepare these employees. However, the current budget makes it difficult to provide necessary training (:36).

 

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Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) says that at a time when our nation’s diplomacy is at an all-time low, the State Department continues to be underfunded. He goes on to describe specific shortfalls the department is facing (:39).

 

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“As Secretary Rice and other senior officials have testified repeatedly, the [State] Department’s staffing needs exceed our current resources” stated Harry Thomas, director general of the Foreign Service and director of human resources at the State Department. He testified before the Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia Subcommittee on human capital issues at the State Department.

According to Sen George Voinovich (R-Ohio), the State Department faces a shortfall of 2,400 personnel focused on core diplomatic efforts. Because of this, the department lacks sufficient personnel to accomplish its priority missions. In addition, he stated that 1 of every 5 employees holds a job that is designated for a more experienced person.

Thomas also stated that positions in the State Department increasingly require employees to travel alone to remote locations that are often dangerous. As such, these employees require advanced training and communication equipment. However, current resources available to the State Department do not allow the organization to adequately prepare members of Department. Thomas concluded his statement by encouraging Congress to consider the funding for the State Department when formulating and passing the budget for the next fiscal year.

During a hearing on cooperation between the Department of State and the Defense Department, House Armed Services ranking member Duncan Hunter criticized the foreign service. (0:53)

 

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The Foreign Affairs Committee held a joint hearing today on discussing the U.S. commitments to Iraq. The subcommittees organizing the hearing were the Middle East and the South Asia, led by Chairman Gary L. Ackerman (D-NY), and International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight, led by William D. Delahunt (D-MA).

The hearing was scheduled to have two different panels. First with the Honorable David Satterfield, senior advisor to the Secretary and Coordinator to Iraq, U.S. State Department, and the Honorable Mary Beth Long, assistant Secretary of Defense on International Security Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense. Professor Oona A. Hathaway from Yale Law School and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress Lawrence Korb were the witnesses of the second panel.

Senior adviser David Satterfield presented the “progress towards developing a basic framework for normalized relations with the Iraqi government, which will include what is known as a Status of Forces Agreement”. This agreement raised couple of concerns amongst the members of the committee. They were upset of the ongoing lack of consultation of the current administration with Congress. The issue of starting a war without the authorization of Congress was also brought up by Chairman Ackerman, leaving both representatives of the departments with no direct answers. The chairman also questioned the administration’s ability to understand and act upon the Constitution