for me. as a religious sister, i'm not comfortable with the media and so much attention. but i am here, and i am here to ask you, to implore you for the sake of our common humanity, to to help us, stand with us, as we, as christians, have stood with all the people of the world and help us. we want nothing more than to go back to our lives. we want nothing more than to go home. thank you and god bless you. >> thank you, sister. ms. isaac. ms. isaac: honorable chairman royce, ranking member engel and distinguished members of this committee, i'm honored to be here today. thank you so much for having a crucial hearing that really is a matter of life or death. i'm not talking to you as an

attorney, i'm not talking as a politician. i'm talking about being a human being who's been on the front lines. i've been to sinjar mountain. i've met the girls that have been kidnapped and raped by isis. and i'm telling you that we need to give them seeds of hope. seeds of hope to know that they can live and thrive in their home. i'm here because i promised these people, my friends across the world, that i would be their voices today. hear their narratives. i'm here today because of a woman i met. she was in mosul in home at night and out of nowhere, isis came in and said you have two choices. you either convert to islam, or you pay the gizziah. she gave them the money and said give me one minute because my daughter is in the bathroom taking a shower, i'm just going to get her out. they said, you don't have one second. they took a torch, they lit the house, starting from the

bathroom where she was taking a shower. she picked up her daughter rita, and she thought she could take her to the hospital. she had four-degree burns, but rita died in her arms. i'm here today because of joy. an 11-year-old paralyzed kid from the neck down. isis found him in sinjar town. they thought that he was useless to society, so they picked him up with 190 paralyzed and elderly people and they threw him in the border of syria. but in the midst of all this darkness, i see that there's light. light can breakthrough the darkness, and we need to take our role as human beings, push them and help them to survive and thrive.

let me tell you what happened to joy. the heroes of today, the peshmerga army found him with the other 190 and they rescued them, and today they're living in safety and the peshmerga army, who's out there risking their lives, are doing this on a constant basis. they are constantly rescuing the innocents. one of those innocent girls that i met, i don't want to disclose her name for privacy purposes. she's 15 years old. and in one night in sinjar town, isis came in and took her with a group of hundreds of girls into a broken down building. and isis came in and they started to trade. trading her off. categorizing these girls as merchandise depending on whether they were beautiful in their eyes, how old they were, whether they were virgins or not.

literally treating them like merchandise. she was sent off and she was being raped on a constant basis, and she decided to make an escape. she believed that she'd rather die trying. she believed that somebody out there, another human being would help her if she made an escape. and in one night, she broke out of a window and she started to make a run for it. my brave friend went hours hiking on the top of the sinjar mountain. but isis came back for her. and took her back. when she went to that house, they starved her, they beat her, and again, she said, i'd rather die trying. isis forgot to fix the window today broke. -- they broke.

and she made a run for it. and this time, she made it to the very top. and who was there to stand by her side? the peshmerga army. the kurdish regional government, who have already rescued at least 480 girls and children. 30 of which are impregnated. many of those that have been impregnated by isis committed suicide. the others who received the counseling, who received that push of hope, that seed that each of us can provide, started to dream again. started to see a future. today, i ask for four things. i ask that we support the brave peshmerga army, who's resisting terror at the front lines. they're not just fighting to protect their land. they're not fighting to preserve the religious minorities alone. they're fighting for the entire world. second, i ask that we provide humanitarian assistance, more

and more of it, because today there's about two million refugees and idps living in the kurdistan regional government region and they need our support. they need psychological counseling to deal with the trauma. we're talking about a future generation here. let's help them good what they -- get the support they need. let's help the brave government that's on the front lines. the armies that are truly the boots on the ground. i ask that we recognize the amazing rescue efforts. and lastly, i ask of you to help their partners. a country like egypt who's now taking hundreds of thousands of syrians in their and land. a country like egypt when the president heard that 21 christians were killed in libya, acted immediately by deploying those air strikes. a country like jordan is taking in hundreds of thousands of idps and fighting on those front lines.

let's support them, because this is a matter of national security. it's not about them. it's about all of us together. i have a video, if we have a moment to video show these girls, they're going to share with us their stories. >> without objection. [video clip] [ speaking foreign language ] >> these girls were turned out by isis. [ speaking foreign language ]

>> these girls have hope. they have hope that we're going to help them. let's all do it together. thank you. >> thank you, jacqueline. ms. kabawat. hind kabawat: thank you, chairman royce. ranking member engel. and other members of the committee. i am honored to be here today and speak to you about the status of religious minorities in syria. a subject very close to my heart. growing up as a christian in syria, i was surrounded by rich multi-religious history. i have lived much of my life on a road so ancient, it was mentioned in the bible.

today, it saddens me to see the christians in syria paying a very high price for this senseless war. they have been running from their villages and homes. they are displaced. their churches are being destroyed. a report by my colleague on the destroyed churches in syria, including those destroyed by isis and by the regime. protecting christians is essential. but why i urge you to do whatever is possible to protect minorities and christians from isis, i would like to remind you that isis is killing any and every muslim who oppose them.

just as minorities and muslims are killed by assad regime. my friend jemilla, a very religious muslim, was threatened by isis and escaped at night to turkey fearing death. some sunni tribes have suffered massive losses to isis. for example, isis forced more than 500 jews in one day last year. women and children live constant traumatizing fear of rape and recruitment by isis. as a christian, i cannot request safety for my christian community without worrying about others. yes, we need to create safe havens for minorities and all groups threatened by isis. it's monumental and worthwhile task.

and when selecting these areas your organization is essential. -- bureaucracy is essential. areas close to turkish and jordan borders are the best candidate because of the guarantee that those borders will remain secure. additionally, an important component of safe havens will be the proximity to protect zone. by first liberating all isis controlled cities in these zones. the secretary of the safe haven will be easier to maintain.urity -- maintain. last three years, i have regularly visited refugee camps in turkey, jordan, and idp camp inside syria, and others. the women there want to go back home. they want to live without fear.

as we discuss, religious minorities, i urge you also to consider the need of women who have been marginalized as well. they are the key to peace process, and the key to establishing community that provides support for one another across sectarian lines. empowering local councils to deliver social services is another essential component of establishing safe havens for all syrians. the base guarantee for the prosperities of minorities in the middle east is under a democracy that accords everyone the same rights and privileges regardless of their ethnic or religious background.

the message to minorities in the middle east should be one inclusion. equipping and encouraging them to be part of the democratic process. which is the only long-term possibility to defeat extremism and dictatorship in our country. thank you, and i look forward to your questions. >> thank you. thank you. dr. hanson. katharyn hanson: chairman rice -- chairman royce ranking member , engel, and members of the committee, thank you for this opportunity to discuss isis's destruction of minority religious and cultural sites. isis's campaign of targeted extermination includes the erasure of the outward manifestations of minority religious culture, which threatens these communities' way of life. i study the subject as a fellow at the penn cultural heritage center of the university of pennsylvania museum. but, like others on this panel i was in iraq in august 2014

when isis advanced toward the erbil plain. as a program director at the iraqi institute for the conservation of antiquities and heritage in erbil, i was leading a course for heritage professionals from throughout the country, men and women of every religion. this training was interrupted and we departed abruptly shortly after air strikes began. despite the setback, the desire of iraqi heritage professionals to protect the religious and cultural sites of the country remain strong. based on my current research experience in iraq, and consultation with iraqi colleagues, i want to share some examples of isis's destruction. slide one, please. in july 2014 in mosul, iraq, isis destroyed the tomb of the prophet jono. analysis of satellite imagery by the american association for the advances of sciences geospaces

technology project where i am a visiting scholar confirmed this destruction. slide two, please. this analysis also showed that isis removed all evidence of the shrine by clearing rubble. in doing so, isis erased the physical presence for the entire local religious community. slide three, please. it is an archaeological site in syria with preserved roman provincial architecture. it includes the world's best preserved ancient jewish synagogue and one of the earliest known christian house chapels. the chapel dates to about 235 a.d. and contains the oldest known depiction of jesus christ. slide four, please. the site has been extensively looted and is currently under isis control. the before-and-after image analyzed analysis completed by the geotech project,

demonstrates this over 76% of the site's surface has now been lost. slide five, please. two months ago, i traveled to the area adjacent to isis held areas. i met with the director of the antiquities department to identify religious and cultural sites at risk. this site may be one of the only surviving yazidi religious centers. slide six, please. isis has released two videos that include the defacement of an ancient sculpture. these are human headed winged gulls. -- bulls. in ancient times, they represented the empire from the ninth to seventh century bc. today, they serve as important symbols for syrian christians. isis's defacement is thus intended to terrorize the present day iraqi christian community while simultaneously destroying artifacts.

in thinking about how we can address this destruction, i would like to offer three recommendations. first, we must prepare humanitarian assistance to religious and refugee communities as well as to displaced heritage professionals. in the near future, i will return to erbil, iraq, with colleagues from the university of pennsylvania museum and the smithsonian institution, and there we will work with iraqi colleagues to determine unmet emergency needs. more programs like this are necessary, and the u.s. government should encourage new collaborations in the non-profit sector. second, this committee should inquire into efforts to protect religious and other cultural sites during military actions against isis. there is a report that should shed some light on these efforts due in june 2015 thanks to a provision sponsored by mr. engel in the national defense authorization act. i recommend that this committee scrutinize the report carefully for evidence that steps are

being taken to avoid accidental air strikes on religious and cultural sites, and that protection measures are incorporated into advisory roles and military training. finally, there is bipartisan legislation to protect and preserve international cultural property act, introduced by mr. engel, mr. smith, mr. royce, and mr. keating. its purpose is twofold. to bring together the agencies that have existing mandates to protect heritage, and to eliminate the financial incentive for entities such as isis to loot religious and cultural artifacts. i commend this community for its bipartisan leadership on this bill and i urge you to advocate for its final passage into law. i would like to thank the chairman for convening this important hearing at a very critical juncture in the preservation of religious and cultural heritage. i am happy to answer any questions that you have.

rep. royce: thank you, dr. hanson. that legislation, by the way has been passed out of committee. it's on the floor. and we're going to move it shortly, and i would just make a couple of observations. one is that this isis phenomenon, another way it could have been handled was when isis originally was in raqqa as they were leaving raqqa. there were those of us on this committee, as well as some of our ambassadors overseas, that suggested the overwhelming u.s. air power hit the isis forces in raqqa or hit the isis forces as they were leaving in their long caravan as they begin their attacks, town by town by town. and we did not act from the air at that time. we allowed them to take some 14 major cities, culminating in taking mosul without the use of air power at the time, to stop them while they were in these long columns.

subsequently, we began the process in this committee, bipartisan, to argue for arming the kurds. why? because the kurdish battalions were strung out a 600-mile front with isis. they were one effective force, not just fighting isis, but taking in behind their front lines christians, yazidis, other minorities, and willing to put themselves at risk to go into territory isis-held in order to rescue yazidis and other minorities, and they were fighting with small arms fire against isis, which had become the best fighting terror group in the history of any terror organization because they took the central bank at mosul and had at their disposal enormous wealth, and because they took weapons along the way. so our efforts here have gone on now i would say for nine months to try to get into the hands of

the kurds the anti-tank missiles, the artillery, the long-range mortars that they need on the battlefield. 30% of these kurdish battalions are females. they are women fighting on the front lines against isis and they are fighting without adequate equipment, and as you put it so well, they're fighting for civilization. not just their own. for other religious minorities and frankly, for a principle. and because of the pressure from iran, pressure on baghdad, you know, yes, you can support the shia militia, but you can't give support to the kurds. for whatever reason, the weapons dribble in, and this is wrong. this is immoral. the other point i would make, i just wanted to ask you some

questions on the issue of the sale of female captives from religious minority groups to isis fighters. how extensively has isis been involved in what we here call sex trafficking, or slavery, frankly, particularly the kidnapping and sale of women and girls from these overrun communities. has it been an outcome of lawlessness, or is it part of a more deliberate isis policy to destroy and to subjugate those who do not share q&a their their fanaticism? ms. isaac? jacqueline isaac: looking at the isis philosophy, they believe that the yazidi people in particular are not only to be tortured, but they are to be

destroyed in every single way possible. they want them off the face of this earth. and so it is a philosophy to destroy them and to torture them. with the girls particularly that i met, they in one night because they felt safe in the beginning in sinjar town, and in one night, isis came and took all of these girls and they told them first, they gave them an option, they said will you become a muslim? will you convert to islam? and many of them said no. and they told them, you are going to be muslim regardless, because we are going to sleep with you, and the moment that we do that, once we rape you, you will be muslim. many of these girls who chose not to be still were raped and came back believing that they were forced into this religion. this is barbaric. it is systematic. to date today it starts with the

yazidis. tomorrow it's going to be not only the christians, but every woman that doesn't fit within their philosophy. we need to stop the menace that's going on there. we need to stop at its root. this is a nerve center. right now, all the crazies from all over the world are coming to this center point. to this nerve center. if we can cut the snake at its head, we can diffuse them. their sex trafficking is systematic and it will continue, and it can reach our families if we don't do something about it. thank you. rep. royce: let me also ask about psychological counselling. and i'd ask that of the panel. what type of trauma resources are available right now for those who have escaped, and what

more is needed. sister? donna momeka: yeah, i would say from my work on the ground, we don't have that strong program to talk about trauma because i just experienced a case go four weeks ago, a woman who was released by isis with 20aa yadi women thrown in, this is a christian, you take it, we go to our yazidi family. the woman was totally devastated. she was in her 40s, brutally beaten, raped constantly, yet her psychological situation is totally destroyed. she can't control herself anymore when she tells her story how they tortured her in so many ways, that when one of the sisters who took her, found that on her body was with the burn of

the smoke and all of that. so the woman now we put her in a safer place, yet we are trying to find a good psychological treatment for her. yet it's not available where we live exactly. so we lack for that thing. so the social psychological programs, i think they are the most important thing to look to to work on at this moment. rep. engel: thank you. my time's about to expire. i'll go to mr. engel. rep. engel: thank you, mr. chairman. dr. hanson, first after all, thank you for being here today. thank you for your work to help iraqi citizens save their religious history. as you know, america has a long history of leading the world in efforts to protect religious and cultural sites from destruction and you're carrying this legacy forward today.

during time of crisis such as those in iraq and syria, first priority must always be in saving lives and i thank the other witness for emphasizing that as well. miss isaac, about the women's aspect, and our other witnesses about how this is affecting everybody. we're committed to the priority of save lives but we also must ensure that we stop isis from destroying the history of these groups. as we create safe havens to protect religious minorities dr. hanson how do we protect cultural sites safe as well? katharyn hanson: thank you. i think it's very important that we make sure we're supporting local actions, local actors are able to protect sites, much like with firemen, you provide the hose and the water. i also think that in terms of safe havens for individuals, we can also think about that as safe havens within a country for portable objects and artifacts

and safe locations where things can be moved. we have seen that successfully take place in mali, for instance, recently. rep. engel: thank you. miss kabawat, let me ask you this question, according to state department testimony last summer, some of isis' religious minority captives have been able to escape while their captors were distracted by coalition air strikes. to what extent have coalition air strikes affected religious minorities? hind kabawat: when we talk about effect of the air strikes, it affect both majority and minorities because they did hit some civilian places why and i was in hiding one month before they started, and where lots of civilians has been hit.

the problem is that they need to have more homework. they should know where the civilian, so when we want to say targeting civilians, minorities, we need to say targeting civilians and we cannot say only minority because it's sometimes hitting everybody. thank you. rep. engel: thank you. let me ask miss isaac, and also sister, isis is waging obviously a campaign of destruction against religious sites across the territory they control. we saw the slides and pictures. can you comment on the impact, the destruction of religious sites on the people who share a religious connection to those sites? what do we lose when isis destroys these sites? start with sister and then miss isaac.

donna momeka: what do we lose? i would say we lost everything sir. we left -- we lost everything that today every christian that's living in the region of kurdistan we feel we don't have dignity anymore. when you lose your home, you lose everything you have. you lose your heritage, your culture, you become with no identity. and today that's how we see ourselves. and the most brutal thing to us when it was put on tv that two monasteries that were one of them found and another one destroyed, -- one of them

bombe and another one destroyedd just was a sign for us and , that's your history is gone. you are nothing anymore. that's how we see ourselves now. homeless. rep. engel: thank you. miss isaac? jacqueline isaac: as an american of egyptian descend, i moved to egypt when i was 13, and i remember holding on to the heritage, knowing there were ancient churches still there even if we were the minority. i had a tie, i could identify with my ancient churches. today in iraq you have the lalesh preserved for the center preserved for the yazidis, that is their mecca that is their rome. today they hold on to that and the peshmerga is working so hard, if that's gone, the yazidi people will feel hopeless, they won't identify anymore with the land they've remained in for many years. for religious minorities in this region, our heritage is everything.

it ties us to that land. it keeps us there. we're not supposed to just be there to survive. we should be living there to thrive, we should be able to worship freely, go to the heritage sites, bring our children and grand children and talk about that history. without those sites, we've lost it all. thank you. rep. engel: thank you. let me again thank all four of you for wonderful testimony and wonderful courage. we really appreciate it. thank you, mr. chairman. rep. royce: thank you. our chairman emeritus. ileana ros-lehtinen: thank you so much. today's hearing, as we know, focuses on a subject that all too often gets overlooked or ignored when discussing the crisis in the middle east and specifically the fight against isil. we have discussed this in our middle east and north africa subcommittee on several occasions, long side chairman smith and his subcommittee and chris smith has been a tireless advocate for this issue. isil has issued warnings to

christians in iraq that they can convert, pay taxes, or be killed. churches are being destroyed religious artifact sites are being raided and many christians and other religious minorities have been forced to flee. isil massacred 20 coptic christians in egypt and the list goes on and on. however we must acknowledge that isil just doesn't target religious minorities, everyone who doesn't ascribe to its form of islam is a target. so that's why it's imperative that we not only defeat isil but find a way to defeat its radical ideology as well. it's also important to recognize that the persecution of religious minorities isn't just isolated to isil or to iraq or syria. the u.s. commission on international religious freedom has repeatedly called upon the obama administration to designate countries like iraq, syria, and egypt as countries of particular concern.

that's a special classification. why? for their systemic ongoing and egregious abuses that the religious minorities face in those countries. many of us in this committee have decried the fact that the iranian regime's deplorable human rights record and its persecution of religious minorities were not made a part of the nuclear negotiations from day one since the p5+1 efforts were announced. a nuclear deal will legitimize the iranian regime and only serve to make the atmosphere even worse for religious minorities in iran. iran's meddling in iraq, its support for shiite militias have played a significant role in the rise of isil's current difficulties we face in the region and the fight against the terror group in iraq and syria. now we have seen the size of the religious minority communities decline dramatically in iraq and

syria as a result of isil's onslaught. sister diana, i'll ask you. you felt the pain and the suffering of your own community and you've been witness to what isil has done to ancient religious communities of iraq. you have been displaced twice. can you describe for us the conditions in mosul where you were forced to flee to kurdistan? could you please also detail the conditions in kurdistan? lastly, what more can we do to meet the needs of religious minority communities? where can we be most effective? momeka: thank you. i would answer your question in a story that touches my heart a lot and the heart of the people that we're working with. when we were forced to leave, we -- our children became without any education, without school. so a congregation we care a lot

about education as dominican. we start opening kindergartens. so we had 135 children in one of the kindergartens, we handed -- in one of the classes we hand them papers to draw on the paper. amazingly, most of the children they draw back home, their hometowns. they draw some their beds, church, homes, that they relate back home. when we asked them why did you do that? they said, we miss home, we want to go back home. we want to live normal life. 5-year-olds, stood up and said i don't feel like i am home here. when i was home, i used to go to the kindergarten, i used to go to church with my family. i used to play with my toys, with my friends. that was a normal life when we were back in our homes. we used to live normal life, we have education, our parents,

brother, sisters, if they are employed would go to work. now it's the opposite. people are jobless. women do not have any work to do. they are living in containers or unfinished buildings, facing terrible conditions besides the humanitarian aid is not enough for them. it's so different that today even our children, what i want to say, our children, they feel that they don't have a place to live properly. they don't have home. so our life has changed tremendously. since before we were this is a bridge that we can connect among diversities now we felt we're alone, we're abandoned. that's how we feel. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. we know that isil doesn't discriminate. you're either with the terrorists or they will destroy you or subjugate you. thank you.

rep. royce: thank you. mr. brad sherman from california. brad sherman: mr. chairman the two most powerful forces in the syria, iraq shiite alliance in , iran, and the extremists sunnis, on the other. we've seen our friends saudi arabia and others do is move towards what they'll accept as quote, moderate islam, or acceptable islam, and embrace the brotherhood, turkey, qatar and perhaps ear alal nustra. which is after all, part of al qaeda. had we did more in the process perhaps saudi arabia would not be taking that action. the good news is that, reports in the last half hour that the number two commander in isis has been killed. i hope that's true. we'll see. mr. chairman, you commented that

isis has all of this iraqi currency. iraq, should of course issue new currency, making its own currency invalid. many countries have done this. this is a process that is hated by corrupt poll significances -- corrupt politicians and drug dealers and of course the iraqi government has failed to do so which leads to possible conclusion that perhaps corrupt politicians with huge stashes of cash have some power in baghdad. this congress passed the near east south central asia religious freedom act. that required that the state department have a special envoy for religious minorities in that region. we are still waiting for someone to be appointed. do not hold your breath. the attitude of the administration toward following laws just because they are laws is less than i think it ought to be.

speaking of laws passed by congress, we authorized $1.6 billion in nada to counter isil, think included authorization -- basically, the authorization was amended to include provisions for local security forces on the plane including syrian and ucd forces. so far -- yazidi forces. so far far that hasn't happened. , and of course, communities that cannot defend themselves are in a difficult circumstance on the plane. one of our witnesses has been unabashed in support of the kurdish government, miss isaac. i had in my office yesterday representatives of the yazidi, syrian, and kurdish communities that took a very different view the kurdish government. perhaps a balance between the two is that the kurdish

government provided sanctuary that has not allowed these groups to form their own national guard battalions, and no group on the plane will be safe unless they have their own national guard. mr. chairman, i would like to see us bring to it testify before this committee one of the yazidi women who have successfully fled from isis this would require the state department provide an entry visa , and it the woman or girl was coming from kurdish areas, we would need to get an exit visa from that government. rep. royce: mr. sherman? if i could interrupt for a minute. we did have a young yazidi woman, a young girl, slated to testify. she had to drop off of the trip because of health reasons. >> ah. rep. royce: but we will achieve your goal here. i'll relinquish the time back to you.

sherman: thank you. miss kabawat, yazidis are giving the choice, convert, die, or be given an unfair tax. i put three in one category. something that muslim governments have imposed upon the minority communities for centuries and in prior centuries it has been a tax that was endurable, of course it's outrageous and unfair. is isis imposing a tax that is outrageous, unfair, but is a practical thing that the communities could pay, or is it just an excuse for them to say well, we want to confiscate everything on monday, that's your monday tax. on tuesday you don't have

anything left so we're going to kill you? is isis offering to allow at least christians, the yazidis of course, would be treated differently under their roles, a chance to stay in their homes and pay a tax consistent with what is possible, of course, it's outrageous? hind kabawat: just talking about syria, where the isis has full control, most of the christian there is not many christians now in the isis-control area. like raqqa. when they are there, they are in hiding. they did say that they are -- it happened a few time but i think there's not many christians in this area, they're already gone.

in other things, the christians now they're all in aleppo or others. they've been away. where they have been now, in where there is the moderate muslims control, they're not being asked for any because they treat them as equal citizen. thank you. representative sherman i believe : my time's expired. rep. royce: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. dana rohrabacher of california. dana rohrabacher: thank you very much. let me identify myself with mr. sherman's point about the iraqi currency. we must get to the bottom of who the heck is paying for isis who, what -- what government is responsible for providing them money? whoever that is, we need to make sure we come down like a ton of bricks on that government. and we must make sure that is a high priority for this

government to find out who's financing this sinful and this horrendous atrocity against the people of the world. whatever faith you are, whether you're islam or christian or whatever faith you are, this is an abomination to any belief in god. we must stand in unity with people of all faiths in this endeavor. i want to thank chairman royce and engel who have the demonstrated again, the bipartisan nature of many of these challenges that we face, and that standing together america, if nothing else because we come from, you know we are made up of every race religion and ethnic group in the world. we're supposed to be the one that sets the standard for the world, and we can do that by making sure we don't cozy up to people and remain friends with

people who are financing this type of atrocity. i'd like to -- look, it's perplexing position because people are being murdered in this part of the world. your friends, relatives, really, innocent, human beings are being savaged. should our focus be on trying to defeat and eliminate the evil forces that are at play or should it be to extract people from this danger zone to get them here? i wonder if any of you have any thoughts of than all of you, go right ahead. go right ahead. hind kabawat: mr. congressman, i think the solution is to stop the conflict. we have a conflict in middle east, i'm talking about syria.

we have a conflict. you're asking about who is paying isis. they took banks, they took -- they steal. they do everything they can to -- not to have to be depend on anybody to get their money. we want to get rid of them, we have to end the conflict. there is a conflict in syria and people are suffering, and today we need to think about those civilians, how to stop their suffering. there are -- isis attacks every day, people are scared. i know many people there escaped, even if they're muslim, they escape because isis will threaten their lives. we want to stop isis we need to stop the conflict in syria. we need to stop the dictator. both are the enemies of the security and the safety and the future for syria.

thank you. zach -- ms. isaac: congressman rohrabacher, when i take a look at all of the religious minorities that i've met when i was in iraq and i look at their ancient history, you know that they belong there and they want to stay there. and if we try to get rid of the problem by just bringing the religious minorities here -- yes. -- isis will spread everywhere. it will continue. right now we have a diverse fabric in the middle east and it's really protecting, not only the region, but the entire world. the fact that there are christians and yazidis and jews in that region today makes the middle east what it is. we need to look the bigger fight and understand that isis is against the entire world. their short-term plan right now

is trying to get rid of the religious minorities of the region and creating their state. >> right. >> but tomorrow it's going it to be attack the entire world. dana rohrabacher: i think that your point is well made and i just -- i know that sister diana had trouble even getting here. we should not be having barriers to people, especially coming here to make their case and to warn us. at the same time, i've got a few seconds left, let heme say we need to make sure we are standing behind those people like our friends, the kurds, up in erbil who are making this stand. we can't -- we haven't solved that problem yet, mr. chairman, where our supplies can go directly to the kurds, some of them are now, but many of them we have to go through baghdad in order to get the supplies there. we should be making sure anyone in that region who is fighting isis gets the full support and direct support from the people

of the united states. you are in our thoughts and prayers. we know that you're -- these communities, i visited a community in syria. my wife and i actually went and said it was one of our most important experiences in our life where we said the lord's prayer as jesus spoke. in aramaic. hang tough. we're with you. rep. royce: brian higgins of new york. brian higgins: thank you mr. chairman. i want to thank the panel here. your testimony is both eloquent and compelling. i just want to focus on the christian community in the middle east. isis has declared war on christians. isis wants genocide now. they want to eradicate christians from the middle east and africa. christian kids have been beheaded, their mothers raped, and their fathers crucified literally. isis believes christians are

standing in the way of their world conquest, anything pre-islamic they want to destroy and want to prepare the world for the coming of the islamic heldly fate. -- caliphate. christians in the middle east and africa are losing communities that have lived peacefully for 2000 years. 500,000 christian arabs driven out of syria during the last three years of civil war. christians have been persecuted and killed, from lebanon to sudan, now south sudan. civil wars lasted decades. in iraq, mosul is a christian city, the second largest city in iraq, christians have been living there for 1700 years. as you know better than anybody. after the fall of saddam, the numbers in -- of christians in

iraq were estimated christians about 45,000. today, how many christians are living in mosul? donna momeka: very few. only those held hostage there. we don't have the exact number. yet they are maybe a couple hundred or less. representative higgins a hundred : or less. most of those who have fled have moved up to kurdistan? sister: first of all, they fled to my hometown, and -- >> where? >> it's -- which is close to mosul, about 20 minute distance southwest of mosul. after a week or so our displacement happened, which never thought that would happen with a couple hours that we were forced to leave which take -- it's about one-hour distance from my hometown to kurdistan. took us 11 hours to go there because some were marching, some

were driving. because it was a traumatic stage for us. i would say like very few christians have stayed in mosul or that they couldn't leave because they were asleep when that happened. representative higgins: is the hope of the christians from mosul who have been forced to flee to one day return? sister: yes. the message that i was given before i left, they said to me i've been working every day with the idps -- that's what they call us, actually there -- they said to me, sister, just please tell the community, tell the members of the congress that help us to go back home, we want to go back home. representative higgins: what has been the position of prime minister abody relative to the christian community of iraq?

you don't need to say. i get it. yeah. this is, you know, we were told, after al maliki, who was a thug, left, that things would change that the new iraqi government would be inclusive of all minorities in communities. political stability is dependent on the ability to embrace the kurds, the shia, the sunni, but also the christian community of iraq. so that's not happening, clearly. and this is just one of many consequences of the failure to embrace the minority community. this is again the larger problem in the middle east. it's a highly, highly pluralistic part of the world and unless and until you have minority rights you'll never have stability.

a guy like al assad is a bad guy. but what's happening is minority groups have a tendency to gravitate to them for one -- to him for one reason, , because if the majority, sunni, become head of the country, all the minorities will be slaughtered. so long as there is zero-sum game in the middle east, the sum will always be zero. and i often say in game theory there's also what's referred tos -- two as a variable sum game saying there can be many , winners. whatever we do there, however much humanitarian aid we provide there, however much military support we provide in the middle east, internally, the leadership that we get behind, the united states, the leadership that we support, have to embrace, they have an obligation to embrace the minority community because we'll be sitting here five years from now, ten years from now, 20 years from now, we'll be having the same discussion with no

progress whatsoever. again, thank you very much for your testimony. i'll yield back. rep. royce: go now to mr. chris smith of new jersey. christopher h. smith: thank you very much, mr. chairman. thank you for calling this very, very important hearing and our distinguished witnesses for your courage, for so effectively articulating the plight of these suffering minorities in the middle east, particularly christians. thank you for that. and all of those who are suffering at the hands of isis and people who are extremists. you know, i would like to ask a couple of questions. the human rights commission pointed out that the isis violence against christians and other religious minorities quote may constitute genocide. may? i find it extraordinary, you know, the genocide convention couldn't be clearer. eliminating in whole or in part, even the threat rises to the level of being genocide. and of course international

community has always been slow to recognize genocide. we, when i see we, i mean the international community, when it came to sudan, 100 years later we still, only 24 or so countries have recognized the armenian genocide. we seem to gag on the word, and i have tried to get administration witnesses to say what is happening to the christians rises to the level of genocide and that simply is not stated. congresswoman, chairwoman emeritus have chaired a number of hearings on the genocide, attacks against christians and others in iraq. again we keep getting this well , we'll look into it we'll get back, but just say it. say it clearly and unambiguously.

i have chaired 14 hearings on the suffering of christians, particularly in the middle east, and we're still getting, you know, a lack of embrace of the magnitude and the hostility towards people of the christian faith. i would point out that sometimes past is prologue. the clinton administration opposed the international religious freedom act of 1998. he ended up signing it but now we find under this administration the post of ambassador at large was idle left vacant for half of his presidency. we have a very good man in that position, david saperstein, trying to make up i think for lost time. but it was a revelation of priorities that we did not have a person sitting in that very important position. approximately seven months ago legislation passed totally bipartisan, to establish a special envoy for religious minorities in the middle east and south central asia. no secret the administration didn't want it.

but he did sign it. the president did sign it into law when passed in a bipartisan way. but now for seven months nobody has been selected to take that position. that person should have the ear of the president and could settle -- shuttle back and forth and assess what's go on on the ground with clarity and to speak out boldly. nobody has that position. i find that appalling. you might want to comment on that as well. finally, let me ask you the faith of the young people has to have been -- i know we saw that wonderful video of the resiliency of the young women. but the faith of the young people has to be shattered. you know they must wonder where are the faithful elsewhere particularly in the united states, i don't think we have done enough. again, special envoy vacancy speaks volumes to that. but if i could ask you where is the faith of these young people?

donna momeka: the matter of fact mr. smith, is that our faith it's amazing that we see it's increasing more and more. it it's making us more stronger. we left churches that were like used to be filled with people. now, we have only one church. you see people -- like young people, all people, we still have faith in god that we are here. we feel that the hand of god is still with us. in the midst of this darkness, the suffering, we see i got is holding us. he is holding us. otherwise, we would not be what to be witnessing the troubles to our faith that is increasing day after day. the giving of the strength to continue our faith. and to be able to be strong to

stay in our country. from last year, we are willing to come back and go home. we have to hope that someday we will go back home. and that will come from your help. >> mr. congressman, the faith in the christian community in damascus is increasing. my family were christians for the last 2000 years. today, we are more involved in humanitarian work. we know we have to lead by example. this is christianity -- to help others. that is why my family is still in damascus. their faith is for the poor. to take care of others, because this is what jesus christ taught us. to take care of the poor people. the churches are open, like

hospitals. when they liberated, the christians there, they work with the muslims on humanitarian issues. yes, we are christians. but today more than ever, we are christians that we need to practice our christians on the ground to take care of the people who are suffering. >> congressman smith, i went to egypt. and i met the families -- 15 of the 21 that were victims in libya. i was astonished by their faith. as a fellow christian, i thought, how would i be if i were in that situation today? the fathers said to me, thank god, they are today in heaven. thank god, a wife talking to me about how her husband had said i'm going to libya and i will be

in danger. but if i do not make it, teach my children. teach them the principles of jesus christ. that is a story, these are the accounts of their faith. i have seen it in iraq across the board. how christians are standing strong and helping all -- in fact we had a case, there was a group that found a local church. the church with providing care for them, providing a home for them. this is what they are doing they are struggling giving everything they have. so, thank you. >> we go to william from massachusetts. >> thank you for holding this hearing. and thank you witnesses, i want to let you know we all share your commitment to saving lives. to saving religious and cultural heritages and artifacts. stopping human trafficking, i also want to a knowledge, as dr. hansen has, the legislation of

chairman royce, mr. smith who i'm proud to join. in working in this area i want to focus on one thing. i believe that we can do more of in the u.s. to stop this. these terrible actions by isil. that is to look into an issue that time and time again it has come to my attention as the ranking member on terrorism trade, and nonproliferation in this community. that is the issue where i sold is notsil is destroying religious heritage particularly in syria and iraq, it is doubling down on that activity by taxing criminals. they are financing their own

terrorist operations again. so it becomes cyclical. and i saw firsthand, i just came back days ago visiting eight countries in the middle east and europe, just how this is occurring. i had comments from the leaders in these areas saying how smuggling in these antiquities is such a force of financing for these terrorists. so, what i am doing today as well as introducing legislation, it has geared in on one aspect we can easily move to gthwart. even agencies the cells i.c.e. and border patrol, they are not as coordinated as they should be. they don't have the tools.

when these artifacts and this trafficking come to our own borders in the u.s., one of the things we have to do, i believe this legislation does, is to work and make sure that the leadership there -- a designated person to see in on this. more poorly, to have the training in this activity. even that commitment inquiry in aand coordination is there if the u.s. officials don't identify the regions with the greatest risk of looting, and they know the techniques related -- so they can investigate and prosecute this activity. to quell the demand. it is a destination of the world, the united states of america. we are working on that. i like your opinions, your perspective on how this can be

helpful as well. particularly, dr. hansen has experience in that regard. >> thank you. what you mentioned is incredibly important. it is vital that we remove the financial incentive for terrorists groups like isis to raid cultural and religious sites. one of the things we have noticed is that prior to the demolition of shrines and tombs, isis has gone in in advance and looted. things that they can sell -- the reason why they are doing looting, the images we saw is that there is a market for it. your legislation and what you mentioned is incredibly important and taking action to reduce the market. right now, it is crucial that we get restrictions on stolen material from syria put into

place in the u.s. as a market country, our demand for that in the u.s. is some of what fuels isis'actions. >> i was really intrigued when isis show the video of their desecrating these religious institutions and sending those videos to the world saying, they are doing it because of the sense of trueness. they are narrow, if you want to call it religious beliefs -- they should be the only police. yes, if these artifacts are destroyed so no one else can go forth, if they're portable, they are moving around and profiting to fuel their own terrorism. quickly, could you just tell me the scope of this? i heard in my recent visit, it is in the tens of millions of

dollars. i think that is underreported. it is hard to figure on that. >> it is very difficult to get a dollar amount. we know that it is significant. as you saw, all of those artifacts that come out of the ground can get financial benefit from them. you have to assume that even the lowest have to be staggering. i cannot give you an exact dollar amount, that is something we are continuing to research> and work on. > i heard 37 million. mr. chairman? >> mr. scott perry of pennsylvania. >> ladies, i appreciate you being here. your stories are shocking to our consc conscience/ . these stories break our hearts. dr. hansen, we have seen isis

crucified in public squares and stoned to death women and throat gay people off buildings. they probably post this on twitter and youtube. they gain of followers based on social media. the question is, has isis' propaganda campaign. what effective action would you recommend that the united states due to combat social media? have you researched that, what are your recommendations? >> our research does not directly encompass social media. one of the things we have noticed in working with the cultural heritage destruction the videos are very clearly designed to demonstrate power and demonstrate fear. we have an nsf grant to study

what is happening with the phenomenon of damaging cultural heritage. we are working on answering basic questions. like, when does the damage take place? is it before or after the religious minority population is physically threatened and murdered? when it comes to social media what is happening with the videos is exactly the same thing that is happening with the videos of death and distraction. the cultural heritage sites are being destroyed in a way to demonstrate power and fear. >> we will wait to hear back from you based on the grants, if you have any recommendations. i would like to turn to -- is that right? we have been told that the u.s. government is looking at all

and i emphasize all the atrocities that isis's committee. what do you view as viable options to protect the community? if there are any. >> again, mr. congressman, i feel underground when they hear this comment, they get disappointed and angry. we cannot protect one minority without thinking about what is happening to the whole country. we are talking about thousands of refugees of christians, but there are millions of sunnis. so, the solution would be a package. we do not want to be isolated from the others who have lived with us all our lives.

i want a solution not only for the minorities, i want a solution for all of syria. so when we say we want to protect us, it is offending me. i don't want to be protected. when my other neighbors, their under attack. we need to protect the whole civilians. we have so many moderate muslims and christians, we live together all our lives. if you want to protect us, as a christian emma i'm asking you to protect my neighbor. thank you. >> sister, do you think that the isis targeting of minority communities has primarily been due to strategic opportunity -- you were there and it is easy. you are vulnerable? or is it something more deliberate? would you articulate if it is one or the other or

accommodation of the two? >> i mentioned earlier, mr. congressman, that it was hard for us or it we used to watch the news that isis took over mosul. we never thought in a few hours we would be out of our homes with nothing at all. i, myself, with my habit in my passport. both of my sisters left with no documents, nothing. so, it starts with -- it was gradually. if it was deliberately or not, i cannot say that. we were driven out of our homes within a couple of hours. that was it. without any warning. >> my time is expired, thank you. >> we go now to mr. cellini of rhode island.

>> thank you to our witnesses for your really courageous testimony. and the description of the horrors and the violence and a sadistic behavior of this terrorist organization. i hope this is something that the whole world understands as result of your being here today. the significant, personal risks you and yourselves are doing. as my colleague from massachusetts said, we are doing everything we can to protect the sites. but more poorly, we want to protect lives. this effort to destroy cultural and religious identity is an extension of their effort to eliminate entire communities. it is something we have to respond to in the strongest terms. my first question is, i know

there are religious minorities that i faced terrible persecution. and they have fled their ancient homeland. but they are unable to cross the border in many instances. they are not technically refugees. they are internally displaced persons. what can we do, what can united states be doing better to help these communities that are trapped in very unsafe locations? be an assay forin a safer place and these refugees? anyone? >> mr. congressman, i went to northern iraq and i met the government. i was amazed at the work they have done. not because of meetings i went to, but because of the ground. i followed the girls that were

kidnapped by isis, for example. i saw the care they were giving. if the kurdistan government, they're still doing everything they can. like the girls we met, christians and all other minorities feel equal. a lot of these workers have been unpaid for months at a time. to give everything they have to these religious minorities shows that they are truly a safe haven. i have never seen a people like the british people. they have gone through their own atrocities so many times, they understand what it is like to be a religious minority. i say the solution is to support the peshmerga army. they are on the front lines, the boots on the ground. let's help them and support them

in any way we can. let us help the kurdistan regional government providing humanitarian systems. to get medical care and psychological care. when i was in jordan, helping the refugees, there was this little boy. the secretary-general had flown over. he said, do you see that helicopter? he said i hope to god that it bombs jordan. i was shocked. i said, why would you say something like that? because it happened to me, it has to happen to everyone else. a lot of the children that are coming into these territories have seen so much distraction and trauma. and they do not know how to deal with it. they are -- in order to protect this generation, we have to support the kurdistan regional government. as they work on medical care but also that psychological element, as well. and of course, to support the

partners like egypt and jordan were bringing in refugees and taking care of their people. they're educating, 14,000 college students in syria. about 40,000 students and culinary school are being taken care of to support them on the ground. >> i was just in jordan and saw the syrian border the incredible work they are doing. we have to be supporting that. >> again, mr., richmond, i emphasize the protected zone. i was in jordan last month also. it is important to start thinking about this. we need to get the civilian initiative in a safe area. where they can be protected from the isis and the bombs of the syrian regime.

this will give better position for syria and jordan so they can take care of others. all of the humanitarian aids, we appreciate it. we know that you are doing a lot. but we really need to be in a safe zone. i really asked you, it is so important. thank you. >> if i may ask one final question. i want to address one of congressman higgins' questions. there are many people who argue that isis is an outgrowth. what do we need to see from the current iraqi government, or a future syrian government to demonstrate the kind of tolerance and inclusiveness that will prevent this kind of violence? should the united states be doing more to condition our support on the iraqi government on their commitment to take

certain steps to detect minority populations? and build a more inclusive government? the syrian solution is a long-term answer. in this interim. , can we be doing more to demand the iraqi government? >> i think it is very important to do -- to answer your previous question we are known as idps. we will be like that forever if we do not return home. there are efforts from both parts to return home. i think that would be the solution. of course, with your help, you know. that will give us a better life. otherwise, there will be no education. and there will be no health care because that will not happen when you are and idp. you don't have an identity or entity. that is where we belong.

there are efforts from both parts to return home, and we can start to rebuild. we can start all over again. thank you. >> regarding syria, talking long-term, we need to think about a few things. first, we need not to destroy the institutions. this will happen only if we have a political solution. we need to pressure the regime to come to the negotiation table and make a transition. we need to include everybody. and everything will be good if we can end up with a political solution. this is a long-term. this is the best way to protect minorities. to save the institutions and have a transition government include everybody. >> thank you very much. >> i can interject here.

you are suggesting that to get there, you need a no-fly zone -- a safe zone. an area where, for example, the business community -- the sunni and the christian communities are trying to hold out there. but they have isis on the front line. intermittently, the bombs and the chemical attacks occur from the assad regime all over the city. they are trying to hold out against isis. so you are saying, do you believe that if there was a no-fly zone there, and there was a prohibition from the dropping of the barrel bombs, that would help civil society take a foothold there? could you explain that thinking

to me? >> i did witness the barrel bombs when i was there. it is very hard to grow when there is an immediate threat to your life. yes, i am not a military expert. but i believe that we need to stop the barrel bombs. this is the first step for the community, or everybody. >> and you think also in doing that, it helps drive the impetus for a settlement because then they can see that society cannot be overrun there. >> there are so many examples from the local counsel that include the christians. >> i have noticed emma the battalions i have seen, among the free syrian force there -- there sunni and you know, i have

talked to other community members who are supporting the efforts there and aleppo. to build on them. >> we need first to have a safe place for this community. once we stop the barrel bombs then we can get a good example and other local communities. they knew that i'm christian. and i've been working with the civil citing to empower i know in syria, what you see in the sectarian violence -- at the end of the day, this community, we live together. the syrian people cannot continue to live if they don't live together. >> thank you. i want to thank all of our

witnesses for their testimony here today. and isis is, in fact, conducting a war against religious minorities -- against tolerance. and, as you shared, against civilization. and i want to thank our panelists for being the voice of the persecuted. and the committee has long been focused on ensuring a robust humanitarian response and an effective security strategy, as well. the legislation we have on the floor of the house thank you for supporting the legislation. and i think your appeals for safe zones and the longing to return to your homes have given us new facts to consider. and now i think to consider with an indelible human face.

sister, thank you. to all our panelists, thank you for being with us. we stand adjourned. >> tonight on c-span, presidential candidate marco rubio outlines his view on foreign policy. the house debates a ban on abortion or after 20 weeks of pregnancy. and numbers of congress react to last night's amtrak train derailment. >> this sunday night on first

ladies, we will look into the personal lives of three first ladies. rachel jackson was called a bigamist and and a daughter or during andrew jackson's 1828 campaign. she died of an apparent heart attack before he took office. her niece becomes a hostess, but his later dismissed as fallout from a scandal. and when widower martin van buren becomes president his niece becomes hostess. sunday night, at 8 p.m. eastern on seac c-span's examination of the public and private lives of the people who served as first lady. sunday's, on american history history tv. the common to the sries,eries,

in book is available providing lively stories of these fascinating women. creating an illuminating and entertaining read. it is available as a hardcover or e-book through your favorite bookseller. >> a month after officially launching his campaign, senator marco rubio outlined his foreign-policy views on the council on foreign relations. he also talks to charlie rose on cbs news that covers his views on isis, terrorism, and ironic nuclear deal, and the palestinian conflict. [applause] senator rubio: thank you. it is an honor to be back at the council. charlie: senator rubio has had

an extraordinary political career. after serving as lord a state legislator and eager, he was at that time closely identified with governor bush. now they are competitors. i take note of the fact that the senator has been, in a number of instances, reaching out to share his views on a variety of issues, especially foreign policy. it's an honor to be here to introduce you to him and to have him introduce the views he holds, because many people believe this election in 2016 will between large part about foreign policy. usually elections are about economics and how people feel about their well-being and whether the country is on the right track or not. the foreign policy seems to be more and more relevant in this election. so with that, senator marco rubio. [applause]

senator rubio: thank you. it is an honor to be back at the council of foreign relations. i appreciate very much the opportunity to address you here today. i wanted to begin my remarks i quoting from the closing of another set of remarks. from a speech i believe echoes across history due to its proximity to tragedy. but that stance more importantly, more powerfully, as a testament to the bipartisan tradition of strong american leadership. on the morning of november 22, 1963 president john f. kennedy spoke at a fort worth chamber of commerce event. he spoke on the need for a strong and active america. he ended with this. " i am confident, as i look to the future, that our chances for security and chances for peace are better than they have been in the past. the reason is because we are

stronger. with that strength is the determination to not only maintain the peace but also the vital interests of the united states. to that great cause, texas and the united states are committed. " those are the final words of the final speech president kennedy ever spoke. but it lives long across decades and parties, eventually bringing about the conclusion of the cold war and the emergence of america as the world's superpower. president kennedy, make most before and since understood what i believe our current president does not. an american strength is a means of preventing war, not promoting it and that weakness on the other hand, is the friend of danger and the enemy of peace. since the end of the cold war the threats facing america have changed.

but the need for american strength has not. it's only grown more prevalent. as the world has grown more interconnected. in recent decades, technology has demolished the barriers to travel and trade transforming our national economy into a global one. the prosperity of our people now depends on the ability to act freely in the international marketplace. turmoil across the world can impact american families almost as much as turmoil across towns. it can cause the cost of living to rise, or entire industries to shed jobs incredible. today as never before, foreign policy is domestic policy. sadly, i believe president obama often disagrees with that simple truth. he entered office believing

america was too hard on our adversaries. that if we only took a step back and did more nationbuilding at home, eating leadership to other countries, america would be better like and the world would be better off. so he wasted no time stripping parts from the engine of american strength. he enacted hundreds of billing -- billions of dollars in defense cuts that left our army contract to be an pre-world war ii levels. our note -- our needy at pre-world war i levels and the air force with the smallest and oldest combat force in its history. he demonstrated a disregard for our moral purpose that at times flirted with disdain. he criticized america ever having arrogance and the audacity to dictate our terms to other nations. from his reset with russia to his open hand to iran, to his unreceptive gate it opening to cuba -- his unreceptive opening to cuba, he has embraced regimes that oppose every nation our

country has championed. the deterioration of our strength has led to the world more dangerous. then went president obama entered office. in the last two years, we have seen emboldened russia and made and annex -- invade ukraine and annex crimea. we have seen isis sweep across multiple dates and -- states and attempt to establish a caliphate. we have seen one of the most devastating humanitarian catastrophes in decades as hundreds of thousands have been slaughtered at the whim of a tyrant. the largest migration of refugees since world war ii, bringing instability to an entire region and putting whole generations at risk of radicalization. we have seen china rapidly expand its military capabilities and take aggressive actions in the south and east tennessee's. -- east china seas.

we have seen north korea expand its artist -- arsenal. we have seen cyberattacks against our allies and people. we have seen peaceful protesters met with violence from their government. most frightening of all, we have seen iran expanded its influence throughout the middle east, and threatened to annihilate israel as it moves closer to a nuclear weapons capability. the president's proposed deal with iran will likely lead to a cascade of nuclear proliferation and middle east and it could force israel to take old action to defend itself, making war with iran even more likely. president obama's desperation to sign a deal, any deal, has caused him to elevate politics over policy, legacy over leadership, and adversaries over allies. the likely impact of this deal,

along with the broader unraveling of global order underscored truths we must never again forget. america plays a part on the world stage for which there is no understudy. when we fail to lead with strength in principle, there is no other country, friend or foe, who is willing or able to take our place. the result is chaos. i believe the element of maintaining american strength lies and the ballots. it is up to our next president to properly fund and modernize our military. it is up to our next incident -- president to restore our people's faith in the promise and power of the american ideal. we simply cannot afford to elect our next resident, one of the leading agents of this administration's foreign policy. a leader from yesterday whose tenure as secretary of state was

ineffective at best, and dangerously negligent at worst. the stakes of tomorrow are too high. to look to the failed leadership of yesterday. while america did not intend to become the world indispensable power, that is exactly what our economic and legal freedoms have made us. the free nations of the world still look to america to champion our shared ideals. vulnerable nations depend on us to deter aggression from larger nations. and oppressed people still turned their eyes towards our shores, wondering if we hear their cries. wondering if we notice their affliction. we cannot bring peace and stability on our own. the world cannot do it without us. the question is not should we lead, but rather how should we lead in this new century?

what principles should govern the exercise of power in this new era. the 21st century requires a president who will answer that question with clarity and can see. one that will set forth a doctrine for the exercise of american influence in the world and will adhere to that doctrine with the principal devotion that has marked the bipartisan tradition of presidential leadership from truman, kennedy to reagan. today i intend to adopt the doctrine, and i intend to be such a president. my foreign policy consists of three pillars. the first is american strength. this is an idea that stems from a simple truth that the world is at its safest when america is at its strongest. when america has the mightiest army and navy and air force, and marine corps and coast guard and intelligence community, the result is more peace, not more conflicts. to ensure our strength never

falters we must always plan ahead. it takes forethought to design, and many years to build capabilities we may need at a moments notice. to restore american strength, my first priority will be to adequately fund the military. this will be priority even in times of peace and stability. although the world today is neither peaceful and are stable. we need to undo the damage caused by this sequester, which is why i have endorsed at the national defense panels recommendations that we return as soon as possible to secretary gates fiscal year 2012 budget baseline. adequately funding the military will allow us not only to grow forces but also to modernize them which allowed -- will allow less to remain on the cutting edge and every arena before us, land, sea and air and also cyberspace and outerspace here it by modernizing and innovating, we can ensure we never send our

troops into a fair fight, but always equip them with the upper hand. when they come home, we should be is firmly committed to their well-being as they have been to ours. a strong military also means a strong intelligence community. equipped with all the tools he needs to defend the homeland from extremism. both homegrown and foreign trained. keep this will be extending section 215 of the patriot act. we cannot let politics clad the importance of this issue. we must never find ourselves looking back after a terrorist attack saying we could have done more to save american lives. some argued that with all the fiscal challenges our nation faces, we simply cannot afford to invest in the military. but the truth is, we cannot afford not to invest in it. we must remember the defense budget is not the primary driver of our debt. every time we try to cut a

dollar from it, it seems to cost us several more to make up for it. this is because the successes of all of our nations depends on the safety of the american people and the stability of the global economy. with brings me to my second pillar, which is the protection of the american economy in a globalized world. when america was founded, it took more than 10 weeks to travel to europe. in the 19th century, the steam engine cut that down to around 12 days. in the 20th century the airplane cut it to around six hours. in the 21st century, you can access global markets in a single second with the top of your smartphone. millions of the best jobs in this new century will depend on international trade. it was more important than ever that congress gave the president trade promotion authority so he can finalize the tpp and the transatlantic trade and investment partnership.

these will create millions of jobs and cement u.s. strategic partnerships in asia and south america and europe. secretary clinton preached a message of international engagement and smart power yet not willing to stand up to special interests and support free trade are either hypocritical or failed to grasp trade and trade's role as a tool of craft that can bolster our relationship with partners, and in the process create millions of better paying american jobs. as president, i will use american power to oppose any violations of international waters airspace, cyberspace, or outerspace. this includes the economic disruption caused when one country invades another. as well as the chaos caused by disruptions, such as the south china sea or straight up or move -- vermouth.

any nation that at times to block comments will have to respond to my administration. god will be the days of debating where ship is flagged or whether it is our ace to criticize territorial expansionism. in this century, business must have the freedom to operate around the world constants. the third pillar of the doctrine is moral clarity regarding american core values. we must recognize that our nation is a global leader, not simply because it has superior arms. but also because it has superior aims. america is the first power in history motivated by a desire to expand freedom. americans can simply expand its own territory. in recent years, the ideal that formed the backbone of american policy the strong support of democratic principles and the protection of the sovereignty of our allies, these values have

been replaced by at best caution and at worst outright willingness to betray those values for the expediency of negotiations with repressive regimes. this is not just morally wrong it is contrary to our interest. because wherever freedom and human rights spread, partners are born. but whenever foreign policy becomes unhinged, it weakens global stability and forms crack in our national resolve. in this century, we must restore americans willingness to think big, to say boldly what we think for and why it is right just as ronald reagan never flinched in his criticism of the soviet union political and economic repression, we must never shy a week on demanding that china allow true freedom for its 1.3 billion people. nor should we hesitate in

calling the source of atrocities in the middle east by his real name, radical islam. as president, i will support the spread of economic and political freedom by we reinforcing our alliances, resisting efforts by large powers to subjugate smaller natures, -- neighbors maintaining a robust and transparent foreign assistance program, and advance the rights of the vulnerable including women and religious minorities who are so often persecuted. so that the afflicted people of this new world will know the truth. the american people hear their cries, see their suffering, and most of all desire their freedom. these are the three pillars of my doctrine. american strength, the protection of our global economy, and a proud advocacy for america's core values. this approach will restore american leadership to a world that we needed it.

it will reestablish a foreign policy based on strategy and principal, rather than one based on politics and polls. one that is overseen by the white house. not micromanaged by it. and i will restore america's status as a nation that shapes global event, not one that is shaped by them. i want to allow plenty of time for discussion and how this edition will work. let me close with one final thought. the president of the united states is often called upon to make difficult decisions in the defense of our nation. these decisions, they cost. far greater than money. my greatest honor in the senate has been to work with our men and women in uniform, our intelligence professionals diplomats and veterans. i have seen the tremendous sacrifices they and their families make. i have also seen the tremendous impact those sacrifices have had on the world.

i have talked to filipino typhoon survivors who knew that an american carrier over the horizon meds food and water -- meant food and water and survival. i have talked to japanese and south korean's menu that an enduring u.s. presence allowed their nations to prosser -- prosper. i have spoken to europeans convinced that america's role as a security guarantor has prevented a bloodsoaked continent for centuries. i have talked to american business leaders who knew their ability to access millions of international customers and create thousands of domestic jobs have hinged on american strengths. most personally, i have seen american freedom and security play out in the lives of my parents, my children, and myself. increasingly in recent years i have also met people frustrated

by the direction of american leadership. cuban dissidents devastated by the president's confession to the castro regime, for nothing in return. north koreans disappointed by america's reluctance to speak out against it. arabs and israelis worried about america's indifference to iran's growing influence. syrians crashed that america did not help prevent their country from descending into chaos. afghans worried that americans will leave them like we left iraq. europeans anxious about russia's rhetoric. and many of our own people concerned about their safety, in a truly increasingly chaotic world. of all the important duties of the presidency -- and there are many -- protecting our people in their interests wherever those interests lie, is the highest

honor the greatest burden and the most profound privilege. the first duty of the president, as written in the constitution is not tax or in chief or regulator in chief, it is re commander-in-chief. anyone who advocates averting our eyes from the dangers of the world must be prepared to explain against six years of counter evidence, how retreat will lead to a safer world. because they will not. only american leadership will bring safety and enduring peace. america led valiantly in the last century, from truman to kennedy to reagan. because of our leadership, that century became known as the american century. following the end of world war ii pope pius the 12th noted as much. this is what he wrote. america has a genius for great

and unselfish deeds. into the hands of america god has placed the destiny of an afflicted mankind. i believe america still has that genius. i believe mankind remains afflicted, and i believe it's festively is -- it's destiny still largely remains in our hands. i believe this generation will continue to advance the cause of peace in our time. when we do, not only will amerco remain safe and strong but the 20% free will also -- but the 21st century will also be an american century. winky for this opportunity. -- thank you for this opportunity. [applause] >> thank you senator. let me begin by this question. charlie: in previous conversations with me you have said that one problem today is

that we are trying to fix 21st-century problems with 20th century ideas yet all of the men that you cited where of the 20th century. senator rubio: first, there are timeless truths. the sun still rises in the east and americans power still matters. the challenges are different. today we face multiple challenges. not just a confrontation with another nationstate the soviet union, which we face. we faced traditional nations like china with its own ambitions, particularly in the asia-pacific, and russia where vladimir putin wants to be the president of a great country but he cannot achieve it economically so he tries militarily. but then we also face nocturia -- north korea, governed by a criminal syndicate. iran, governed by a shia cleric. and radical actors. the need for leadership is still

true. the challenge is different. charlie: should we be the world's policeman? senator rubio: that's not necessarily the role i would advocate. but i do think these require global response. a global response requires someone to convene the world to take action. only america is capable of doing it. the absence of american leadership, our european allies cannot, with a distraction -- a way to confront. american leadership is critical in creating alliances necessary to confront these challenges. charlie: this weekend a meeting with the president and arab leaders will talk about problems in the middle east. there is reporting the bbc about a news organization that a drone missile strike just killed the number two leader of isis, because the number one leader has already been disabled. the two examples seem to suggest american leadership. senator rubio: a couple points.

i think it is good we have leaders of the gcc meeting at camp david. i think it should have happened a while ago. i regret the king of saudi arabia is not among them. charlie: there may be a series of reasons why he's not here. senator rubio: i would expand on that and also expand to jordan. a predominantly sunni government to have a shared interest. they are concerned about two things. the rise of extremism, and unique countries want to confront extremism. and the other is the rise of iran's ambitions to dominate the region. that is a perfect example of a group of nations that can come together to confront these challenges but it will require america to bring them together. that meeting and effort i hope should have happened a while back, but i suspect much of

those meetings will be dedicated to conversations about bringing these countries some point of ease with regards to negotiation the president is undertaking with iran. charlie: about the effort to reduce the impact of isis. do you give the president benchmarks? -- bad marks? i mentioned the airstrikes, drone strikes that were part of a successful airstrike. to run isis out of tikrit. senator rubio: i believe we could have prevented much of this if we were engaged with the syrian crisis earlier. at the initial stage, the best majority of people opposing aside -- bashir assad were syrians. we should identify people we could work with on the ground and empower them. in the absence of doing so we left a vacuum. that is how it played out. that is what -- that is the condition that allowed isis and

a group on the rebound in syria to come back, once isis began to emerge i did not consider them a jv team. i thought they were much more of a potent threat than the president gave them credit for. both targeting hubs --for the gist of operations and also transit points they needed in order to project power moving forward. the truth is we probably need more. but i think it is critical that a sunni risk front them on the -- force confront them on the ground. part of the can be iraqi. but i also think it is important to go to allies in the regions. jordanians, a kitchens, willing to put forces on the ground to stabilize the country. charlie: there's no doubt in your mind they are willing to put forces on the ground. the studies at the egyptians and others to help in yemen and the egyptians refused. senator rubio: there are two

areas of concern. i think they're more willing to be helpful than the have been. the problem is, they need american religious support, air support, and special operations to help them. charlie: should we offer air support in yemen? senator rubio: the saudis are conducting that. charlie: but the u.s. did give them some advice. senator rubio: we have given them some increasing advice, but not to the level it should have been. ultimately, that is a much more complex the tuition -- situation. it involves iran but also al qaeda. but the answer in terms of confronting these threats of regional influence, yemen has become the latest flashpoint. they played for a joint pan arab sunni force that will stand up to extremism could confront the challenges. charlie: and advisory support underground. senator rubio: yes i think

ultimately you can invest special operations forces to help them improve capabilities. but these countries have expressed -- they understand it is their fight. there are fighting for the very identity of what it means to be a sunni muslim, and there confronted by a very serious challenge. a journalist said it is important we address this from muslims, and they need to be confronted. charlie: when you look at the strategy of the president today against terrorism, you are -- you're significant difference is what? senator rubio: early on in his tenure -- even before that he viewed american engagement abroad as a cause of friction. the notion that we have problems around the world because there was a grievance against the united states because of something we had done. in fact, much of these

conference -- conflicts are ideologically based. they are not grievance. it goes deeper than that. it is ideological. they want to be the dominant power in the region in want to support the revolution to other territories. the president, during the green revolution of 2009 refused to take aside and said he would not interfere. meanwhile, iranians were in the streets protesting. i think he should have expressed. my third point, it is important that our foreign policy be kind to our rallies -- be tied to our values. he did not do that in the early stages. beyond that, i have problems with the reset with russia. an understanding of the nature of vladimir putin. charlie: how come to russia in a moment. you have said the u.s. is

holding back against isis because it does not want to upset iran. holding back?? senator rubio: absolutely. iran is on the ground in iraq heavily. not just advisers. iranian fighters on the ground side-by-side with shia militias. they are agents of the region -- iranian government. iran does not want the u.s. presence in iraq of any kind. they have tolerated airstrikes because they can't stop them. they are -- there are rumors that i think some of them believe, that the u.s. is actually helping and we help them prevent isis. they don't want us there and don't want any american presence. i believe the militias on the ground pose and extraordinary threat to american facilities.