Foreign Affairs | Congressman Ted Poe, Serving the 2nd District of Texas

Foreign Affairs

As a Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I strongly believe America has a role to help spread democracy, the rule of law, and to help open societies across the globe. I am committed to protecting American interests abroad and believe the best way to do that is through a foreign policy that respects the sovereignty of foreign nations, while at the same time demands adherence to universal principles of liberty and justice.

I am deeply concerned with the rise of militant Islam and the threat that this ideology of hate has created for free and democratic societies around the world. I am especially troubled by our current situation with Iran. As Iran seeks a more powerful role in the Middle East, their quest for nuclear energy has sounded an alarm to the rest of the world. I believe the international community must remain united against the development of nuclear weapons technology in Iran. It is clear that a nuclear Iran could very quickly ignite an arms race in the Middle East and destabilize an already volatile region. I am a cosponsor of H.Con.Res.783, a resolution which would stop World Bank disbursements to Iran until the International Atomic Energy Agency certifies that Iran is in compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

As a member of the subcommittees on Terrorism and Europe, I have had the opportunity to make several trips to Europe to learn more about counter-terrorism efforts abroad in countries that have been fighting terrorism longer than we have. Most recently I traveled to the United Kingdom and met with homeland security officials there to discuss the efforts and progress they are making to address the problem of homegrown terrorism. This issue is of great concern to me because as citizens of European nations, these individuals are free to travel to the United States without a visa, making it more difficult on our border agents to determine if they are coming to do us harm. The war on terror is a global war. If we are to win this war, democratic societies must work together to overcome Muslim extremism.

I am firmly committed to finishing the job in Iraq. I believe it is in the best interest of the United States to complete our mission. War is hard, but retreat and a unilateral withdrawal is a plan for another Vietnam failure. Abandonment is what our enemy wants. The United States must remain focused and committed to equipping the Iraqi people in their quest for democracy and freedom. In November of 2007, I joined my colleagues in voting against H.R. 4156, a bill that called for the immediate removal of our troops from Iraq.

Appointed by the President to serve as one of two Congressional Delegates to the United Nations this year, I have the honor of representing the interests of the United States to Ambassadors from countries all over the world. I am also in a unique position to communicate the concerns that I and many Americans share over the direction and actions of the United Nations. I look forward to representing the views of my constituents and this Congress there in the coming year.

To learn more about my involvements and the work being done by the Committee and Subcommittees on Foreign Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives, please visit their website at: http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/.

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