antiracist because it could have been me. winston, ajc is honored to present you with the inaugural campus courage award for your display of principled leadership and moral in a moment when it may have been easier to do nothing, to say nothing, you did the opposite. you stood up for what is right may.ood, come what you represent the very best of a rising generation. we are proud to call you a ajc.d of the please welcome us -- join us in welcoming winston to the stage. [applause]

>> sorry, i just had to. [laughter] honestly, this is just incredible. i'm so glad to be here and to watch everybody. so much toit means me, it really does. off theincoherent, and cuff, but i had to say something. this is just incredible. [applause]

i would like to open more properly by thank you mr. and mrs. stone for their incredible remarks. mr. stone is the reason i am here now. i did not think i could make it at first, and he persuaded me to leave in the middle of finals week to be with you here today. [laughter] happen.it mr. stone, i'm glad to say, you were right. when i heard i was going to have to come up here and actually say something, i'm not going to lie, i had no frame of reference to approach this. on some level, i still don't. to be here, among people who have done far more for the cause then i have is terribly humbling. why me? when arthur sat me down and said i had been given this award, i did not think i have done anything to do it. i'm used to speaking my mind, and they were kind enough to big microphone.

this is the kind of thing i expect myself to do, and i would have expected nothing less of my friends had my or my communities been maligned -- maligned. think i'mill don't worthy of this award, a cricket is the right thing to do. [laughter] iis award is not a sign that have a compost anything. i am a college student here at comefinition, i have never just anything in my life. this award is a sign that there are people out there, people like you are doing, and appreciate that you are trying to do the right thing. clearly everybody will encounter some kind of prejudice, bigotry, when tolerance in their lives.

absolutely everybody, everyone of us, will have an opportunity to speak out when they see hatred and inaction. that is sometimes difficult. i get it. i was not expecting to win friends and influence people. here is the key point i would like to make today. encourage is never purely individual. i get that one person got to take credit for my column, and he is standing for you. i would not have written that if i did not think it would have meant something to somebody who meant a lot to me. from being part of a strong supportive community that is on the right side of history. it does not have to be a big community, but it has to be out there. that is why i am here today. i realize that this award is not just for me. community justl

got a little bigger. every person has more of a reason to speak out. in a few days, i will leave college for the last time. i'm action quite hopeful for the future of american education. the paraphrase jon stewart, we have made enormous progress in teaching everyone that anti-semitism is bad. where they have dropped the ball is teaching people what and destined them actually is. kids think that the problem on college campuses and everywhere is what this award is about. this award is a reminder to all inus that we can do better the work is not over. it is a reminder that ajc has our back. [applause]

in closing, a lot of jewish people have spoken up for me. it was both my pleasure and my duty to speak up for them to. think you very much, and i wish you all the great things in life. [applause] ♪ >> one of the methods i find most effective is telling a story. more receptive and understanding about a story with facts getting thrown at them every single second. it's for high schoolers to learn how to become advocates for israel and the jewish people. learning more about why the issues were taking place and not just what is going on. i can really understand how complex the issues are. i can now participate in these conversations with my peers and

even people that disagree with my viewpoints. >> you have to listen to what the person is trying to say. i don't know how to respond in a way that's not going to cause a conflict or an arguing. >> if someone said that to you, what would you say back to them? >> if that person were to think about that question first they know that israel wants peace. >> i'm not being blasted with information every time. i'm being eased in through my peers and conversations with them. and committed incredible acts of violence against israel. >> i used to separate being a jew and being a teenager and now after this program i have really been able to associate a lot of the values that i have as a person with a lot of my jewish values and i have been able to intertwine them which is nice. it's to enhance my knowledge and help me to advocate more for

israel. it's not fair to penalize for a few specific points. in order to defend themselves. >> some of the great speakers coming in and hearing interesting things from so many people. >> it doesn't matter if it's a contentious issue you need to stand up for what you believe is right. >> i'm going to take a lot of courage from this program because before i wanted to stand up for myself and i didn't know how but now i needed to be able to have the courage i need. >> in order to be an educated advocate and not just jew i feel like it's the best way to go about standing up for what you believe in. >> you were allowed to learn and grow in your own way. >> just come with a open mind. you're ready to share your experiences and be ready to listen to others.

>> you'll be able to understand what it means to be a jew and what it means to have jewish values but really incorporate them into your life. >> if you're interested in israel, the middle east, or even just learning how to be an advocate for a cause you believe in you'll get all of that and it's been a great experience everyone should want to be a part of. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the chair of ajc jerusalem. >> good afternoon. any democracy is only as strong as it's opposition. the vital exchange and the healthy debate over the best way. it compromises for the good of the nation. none of this would be possible without an opposition that's firm in the principles. in large part thanks to the leadership and chairman of the union and the leader of the opposition. i have met with many israeli

leaders. few are as inspiring and visionary as he who i have known for more than 25 years. he is a dear friend. we were reminiscing backstage about a tiner at my father's apartment apartment. he comes from a family that's dedicated to development from generation to generation as you know his late father was the 6th president of israel and served with great distinction. ladies and gentlemen it is my great pleasure to introduce the leader of israel's opposition. [applause]

>> thank you. you are indeed a great, dear friend. for those of you that don't know matthew is also a very distinguished business leader in israel and tomorrow he is assuming the position of the chairman of the board of trustees to the american jewish committee so we wish you great luck. i want to command the leadership. i want to say thank you to our dear friend for his great service to the ajc and welcome the incoming president. wish you well.

our good friend is david harris who has been on the american jewish committee for so many years. and you have a great office in israel lead by a lieutenant colonel. we wish her luck as well. [applause] this organization has been serving the jewish people and the vision for over 110 years. it's been a prominent act during so many scenes. throughout jewish history. and fighting antisemitism and striving for homeland for the jewish people and of course combatting it. i was very moved by what i have

seen together with you and all i wanted was to give a big hug to these wonderful students seeing these things so bold. and connections to the organization and was the first chief rabbi of israel. he was the first to speak for the ajc. after my late father who was israel's 6th president, my late uncle was the legendary israeli foreign minister and so many others. some extremely happy and proud to be here with you today. >> 2017 will be a unique year. israel will mark a few major milestones. the first one will be 100 years to the vow for declaration and to the national home and the

historical homeland and it will mark 70 years to the un partition plan. the famous night november 47, un resolution in which it was resolved that the only way to secure the collective future of jews and arabs in the region was to create two national lands and one for what they call them an arab state. clearly a palestinian state. we will also be a century for the 6th day war. the liberation of jerusalem an occasion which no international forum can ever deny and no, no resolution and no history will ever break the eternal bond between the people and jerusalem. on this anniversary we will also

reflect on the aftermath of that war. which continues to effect our lives today. and why for some clearly it was the molt of unification and coming home and for others it was determined to be the occupation and i say this simply will be a time for a national introspection and soul searching and i say that it must serve as

a wake up call and a wake up moment that israel must now take it's fate into it's own hands and shape it's own future. understand we truly have a remarkable wonderful state, our beloved state of israel and i don't need to go and explain to each and every one of you why it's so unique and wonderful, it's clear that a lack of progress in separating from the palestinians presents a serious demographic chat to our future. gradually we are finding ourselves dragged toward a disaster. in the meanwhile, violence continues to flourish. and the legit mization of israel gathers extreme and the international community grows increasingly irritated by what's going on in the west bank. we are seeing luming threats on the horizon. cumulatively these threats may leave israel bruised. weakened or isolated at times of great strategic sensitivity. when possible they may erupt again and of course when there's a speeding up of the bts activity all over the globe.

though the opposition leader in israel is at times frustrating. perhaps most times is frustrating this does not weaken me nor quell my desire to change the situation. we find ourselves in. neither by partner in the union nor myself have given up on our ambition to create the new route our nation so desperately needs and lead it forward. the past year was very difficult for israelis as terror ensued again. last january i attended a funeral of another casualty. the funeral of a truly extraordinary woman. a mother of four children and a foster mother of two more.

brutally murdered defending her children from a 17-year-old palestinian coming into her home with a knife and just finished having dinner in a nearby business across the valley and killed her. at this funeral something broke in me. my conviction that israel must not continue on this path. that we must choose action and we must cease to jeopardize our future. it would have been easier to give the government it's way showing the people that it is failing but the cost of inaction in it's failure is that our children will be in pain.

and so i asked myself why aren't we acting. what do we wait for? elements and nations that don't really care for most inherent interests? so in recent months and in the context and hundreds wounded and in the midst of a national sense of futility i identify a moment or a different course and an opportunity for peace. i worked on it with global and regional leaders and experts directly and indirectly as others have done as well. others meaning independent leaders of nations and activists throughout to have advocated the same opportunity.

while the idea of cooperating have long been discussed it appears that this has now come to fruition. the notion that a group of moderate arab nations were willing to eastbound gauge in a process with israel marks a unique opportunity. the egyptian president a bold leader that plays an enormous role in calming the region and quelling extremism. in particular with his recent, most recent statement, a speech where he may have spoke to his own people just recently, a very historical speech which he deliver delivered explains it all. this is a small but dramatic glimpse of what i'm talking

about. it's not only egypt but countries such as jordan, the united arab emirates, saudi arabia and others that are the potential partners with the palestinian authority. to recognize and take part in it. today many leaders suffer less from what i call the israel complex of their predecessors. they're bolder, younger, more indepenitent and willing to work with israel as long as it serves their national best interests. these leaders are prepared to address what is important for both sides. to back the national aspirations of the palestinians and recognize the security concerns and needs of israel.

these moderate arab states are are grouping into something of an informal sunni arab version of a regional nato that identifies the same threats that israel identifies. a new configuration as evolved in front of our eyes especially following the deal with iran. in order to tackle actually the spread of hatred and violence in the region. this is an alliance threatened by iran which continues supporting and exporting terror all over the region and is threatened by isis which continues brutally ravaging the region and is a key threat to world peace. they also identified some which i am discussing.

these countries see diplomatic coordination with israel as a potentially positive development but for them, the israeli palestinian conflict requires a solution. and substantial progress as a condition for upgrading these relations. they demand that israel and the palestinians take steps on the ground and be part of the process and they wish to bring the parties together to the negotiating table.

israel on its part has never taken steps before on the ground for the purpose of confidence building and easing pressure on the daily lives of palestinians. for this and here enters israeli politics. a more moderate israeli government. and a regional initiative and it was in order to see this plan come to fruition. i chose to risk my own political standing and reach out to my opposing political leader who i ran against last year and attempt to face a future facing our children. i open the door to benjamin netanyahu. my political rival in order to face together the face to our nations and we discussed the

possibility of facing the government. unfortunately that effort failed and he finally chose to unite with the extreme right in the political system in israel and to cooperate with with the elements and continue to threaten the fabric of our society and our potential to realize true long-term security and peace that is so essential to the wellbeing of israel. while many previous attempts for peace have failed the paradigm is changing in the region and the opportunity looks increasingly possible. these arab countries want to see israel and the palestinians come to a resolution as part of their own agenda and have a direct incentive and post the palestinians and the israelis and compromise based on the spirits and elements of the arab peace initiative. while i welcome the recent

comments of prime minister netanyahu on the arab peace initiative what we need now to see deeds and not just words. the lessons of history have taught us that there is not enough trust between the israelis and pal stib juans to negotiate alone and reach an agreement at this present moment. definitely not under the current political systems and leadership. in camp david in the year 2000 when arab countries in the region chose not to participate and left the palestinian and the israeli leaders alone and in the recent conference which was aimed toward the two state solution there was a common theme among the speakers. one after another and you will hear it today again i'm sure.

by the foreign minister of the european union and spoke about the importance of the regional players and opportunity for the region and for this reason, the inclusion of the sunni arab powers that have direct vested interest and resolution of the conflict and regional and real hope. so let's do it. my friends. dear friends as i mention and reiterate today there is a golden opportunity that the united states should lead and which the international community should support with no reservations.

with brave and bold leadership we can grasp this opportunity and a better opportunity for us all for the natures of the region and the children of all people and will continue all efforts to try again to implemented the two state solution and get it through this unique opportunity. we will continue to strive to change the vicious cycle of history. and lead israel and the region to a different and better course together with our regional partners. let me say finally together with all of you delegates and guests allow me to extend my very best wishes to muslims throughout the world. and israel and the middle east at the start of the month of ramadan with the traditional wish together with prayers for peace and hope and all peoples

of the region and especially between israeli and palestinians. thank you all very much. [applause] >> my definition of philanthropy goes far beyond making financial contributions. that's certainly a core aspect of philanthropy but philanthropy includes bringing others to the forefront. being a multiplier. everything that we are involved in includes both a financial commitment as well as a personal

commitment. ajc is the most important to us. that's where we give the share of our time and the share of our financial commitment and it's that meaningful to us. >> as much as we have given to ajc it's given us back so much more. it has so enriched our lives. the relationships, the human relationships, the people that have touched my heart and my soul, i have met because of ajc. >> through my experiences of ajc i can honestly say i feel more jewish. i had jewish values but i didn't have an opportunity to express them. express them in a real meaningfl way and i believe i feel more jewish and that makes me happy. >> good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. when we set out to find the perfect speaker for this session we knew we wanted a true political statesman from my home state of tennessee.

someone with a well-known reputation for expanding american innuance. someone that knew how to leverage u.s. soft power and hard power and former u.s. president whom you may know from is tennessee was not available. he reconsidered. we thought we would show case a highly regarded tennessee politician with a strong sense of fiscal responsibility.

someone with a long standing reputation for sticking up for the little guy. but, president andrew jackson, the people's president, could not make it either. fortunately this afternoon, we are honored to host senator bob corker. [applause] >> he meets all of our criteria. he was a successful business man and former mayor of chattanooga and now halfway through his second term in the u.s. senate. senator corker has been a leading voice and inciteful voice in u.s. foreign policy since the beginning of 2017 he held the prestigious and important position as chairman of the senate foreign relation committee. on my travels abroad with ajc there's one thing that i hear over and over and that is this.

they want more american engagement with the world. not less. they believe as we do at ajc that the united states is the world's loan super power does not have a choice as to whether or not it exercises leadership. it has a moral obligation to do so for the sake of global democracy, freedom and stability. [applause] >> senator corker knows this too. and on issues of homeland security, defense, energy security and many more key issues he has been informed and staunch ally of ajc. throughout his career, senator

corker has been a champion for the u.s.israel relationship. senator corker together with the senator and ranking member on the senate foreign relations committee worked tirelessly to ensure that the senate would be able to voice the american people's concerns and doubts and disapproval of the iran nuclear deal. speaking with senator corker this afternoon will be ajc's own foreign relations chair and a member of the ajc executive council alan rich. as the chairman of ajc's international relations commission alan travels the world with ajc engaging in global jewish diplomacy. he will draw on these experiences as he interviews senator corker.

the senator graciously agreed to take questions from the audience so that if you have a question write it down on your card and seat and pass it to the ajc staff member circulating in the room. you can also tweet your questions, we're into tweeting, to @ajc global. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the global forum, with my great pride, senator corker from my home state of tennessee and ajc's own alan rich. [applause] >> thank you, bob and welcome senator corker. it's wonderful to have you with us. >> good to be here, thank you. >> i wish i could say tennessee

is my home state. unfortunately at this point in time its illinois. >> i could see why you say unfortunately. thank you. >> thank you. >> just kidding of course. >> i'm going to dive right into questions. your time is dear and our time is dear but i wanted to remind you about what the audience, about what bob just said. if you have a question for the senator and we're going to try to take questions from the audience also either tweet it to ajc global or fill out the card sitting and there would be staff members and it's almost a natural biographer to it and travelled around the world together. and american global leadership. it is fascinating and i have met leaders all over the world. and have asked the same question continuously. where is the united states.

they're seeking more u.s. leadership. not less. how do you see future in the world. and in the best tradition of american foreign policy and partisan politics stop at our shores what advice would you give our president at whatever party that may have come from. >> there's no question. you know that as well in this current job that the world is not the place without being a u.s. leadership. and they have to have boots on the ground and every country in the world.

it does mean that we're constantly using every tool that we have to advocate for good things. i know it was mentioned by bob and making its introduction a big part of what we do. and country has made a big deal over the last 15 to 20 years. if you want to think about the republican side of the aisle the republican side has been really focused and pushed by neoconservatives and i'm just saying it's a view of the world and all around the worlds and the world issues will end. and there's no better audience than this one. and thank you by having me today. it's a huge privilege.

look, you can push democracy on countries too quickly and bad things happen and exhibit a would be gaza which was a massive mistake to make that happen in the way that it did or at least in my opinion a massive mistake so you've had the neoconservative side and on the democratic side you had the liberal internationalist that believe with every country is a member of an international organization and they met and all the world's problems would come to an end and i think where we need to go in the u.s. leadership is those both have a tremendous amount of idealism attached to them. sometimes idealism doesn't exactly workout. we live in a world is complex and has many competing interests and we have leaders in countries that weren't the best in the world and need to deal with in an appropriate way. i have been more inspired by the work of jim baker and toward more of a realism and i think the next president and i think

some of the mistakes that we have made have been generated through some ideology and haven't been steeped enough in maturity but i do believe that again at every level the united states needs to be engaged around the world and i would encourage the next president to use every degree of leverage that we have as a nation toward that end as it relates to the bipartisanship. and there is nothing that has come out of that committee under my chairmanship that wasn't strongly bipartisan and to me issues, our friendship and our relationship with israel and relationships with countries around the world it needs to be done in a bipartisan way. when you get to a place where it's breaking down along partisan lines you really framed the strength of the

relationships that we have. so i would encourage the next president to certainly spend the bulk of his time on making sure that the united states is appropriately influencing the rest of the world. the fact is when problems arise in other places in global economy and then the type of world that we have today it ends up effecting our nation. but secondarily to make sure that in all that you do you bring the united states congress along with you. i don't know if you remember president bush 41 when he had the issues of saddam hussein going into kuwait, all of you understand that a president can exercise the ability to go into a country under the world powers act for a period of time without coming to congress. they have that ability. if you remember sam none was chairman of the armed services committee and he opposed the united states taking on saddam

hussein and going into kuwait. bush 41 even though he had a staunch, highly respected opponent in the united states senate, came anyway to congress. and one of the few big successes that we have had in a long time unfortunately as it relates to activity. so work with congress as you move along. congress represents the american people and when you bring congress along you're bringing the american people along. you have staying power when pad things happen and sometimes let's face it when you're dealing with things like that

bad things can happen. >> you mention bipartisanship and i want to compliment you on that in so far as even in regard to the iranian nuclear deal process. both you and ajc ultimately came out against the iranian nuclear deal. but that said you and ajc spent full time looking at the deal considering it before a knee jerk reaction and for that i compliment you. and i think that evidence, that evidence, the ability of the democratic, you know, senior personnel committee supporting or opposing it also. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> going to iran, though, we have seen that the iran stock pile of enriched uranium has decreased dramatically but we've seen increased belligerentcy and the biggest state sponsor of terror in the middle east and

perhaps in the world. no change in it's hang waj are regard to the united states and israel. every day there's a country playing host to visiting iranian officials or sending a trade delegation. it's now business as usual with the world's number one sponsor of terror. >> several republican primary contenders said the agreements there and we must accept it. others said first day in office they would rip up the agreement. what would you recommend to the next president? >> let me begin at the beginning of all of that. i think all of us want to see issues like this settled diplomatically.

to me as the negotiations continued we kept eroding the strength of it every time we would meet. i was appreciative of the fact that unanimously almost the entire united states senate joined in making sure that congress can play a role. one thing i want to point out to all of you and it's something that's holding us upright now, when congress puts sanctions in place against a country, we understand the role the executive branch plays and understand that they have to act in real time to things that come up so we grant a president a national security waiver and we put sanctions in place. that gives them the ability to

deal with things in real time when they come up. when the national security waivers were granted by congress, by the way, we have multiple levels of sanctions. you know that you worked with us on and others worked to put in place through the years. no one ever anticipated that a president would take a national security waiver that was granted to him and go straight to the un security council and waive the sanctions forever, in this case for a minimum of 8 years without ever coming to congress. i mean, that was never contemplated. and so right now as we're working on all of these issues that you just talked about, we're trying to put together a bill that will have at least 67 votes. that will deal with human rights. it will deal with bah lastic

testing and terrorism and deal with all the issues you just brought up. that's actually our sticking point right now. and you know, fool me once, fooey on you. i'm not going to let that happen again so we're trying to craft a piece of legislation, we have crafted a piece of legislation. the person that did it is in the room in the audience today listening to this. he is on our staff and outstanding but we want to make sure that if we give national security waivers to a president on these issues that you're bringing up, they don't have the ability again without coming to congress first. without coming to congress first to enter into an international agreement so we know that owl of these issues are of concern. i'm hoping we'll be able to pass a piece of legislation to deal with this. the administration is pushing back against any effort, even though the way the bill is written it does not touch any of the nuclear sanctions. it doesn't deal with any of the

nuclear issues. we're not reimposing sanctions. we are figured out some new ones but they are pushing back against it and, you know, i hope we're going to be able to come to a conclusion because what's happened and this is what we said at the time. i wrote an editorial in the washington post. i am concerned -- i was concerned that the iran deal would become defacto our middle east policy. and that is what is happening. we are now unable to push back in these other areas in ways that i deem to be appropriate and many people on the committee and in the congress need to be appropriate. i hope we're going to overcome it but the fact is, iran has become even more belligerent. when they put on a missile, death to israel in hebrew and when you have john kerry telling us that it was a strict violation that implemented it. strict violation for them to do the ballistic missile they're

doing. they're blocking that record. and the eu quitely is saying to us. saying to members. we're worried that y'all are going to stake take actions that are going to cause our relationships to fray. in other words they too quitely are wishing for congress to not be pushing back against these actions taking place. we'd like to extend more than just that. we want to extend sanctions against all these other activities that you referred to but even the administration is pushing back against an extension of that and as you know the way the snap back provisions work at the un security council there has to be something to snap back to. so if the iran sanctions act has expired what is there to snap back to?

of course the administration will say well we can easily implemented them ourselves. we just think we're on much stronger footing with iran. if they know the united states con depress has put this in mace and those are the things that we're going to snap back to in the event the nuclear deal falls [applause]

>> there is another agreement that is about to expire. that is the memorandum of understanding with israel. for decades, a strategic partnership with israel has been the policy.one of we understand the negotiations are getting close to being completed. how would you describe the israel'state of u.s. relationship and alliance? what further obligations do you think the u.s. has to israel? vice versa, what obligations does israels. oh -- this is re l over to the u.s.? >> despite the fact that relations certainly frayed during the time of the nuclear

agreement, there is no question that they did. i would love to say that republicans are much more supportive of israel the democrats are, but that is not true, thankfully. thankfully that is not true. there was a time when there certainly was a trough. i think when this presidential term ends, and we have a new and not to even prefer some much to the administration, by think there has tenseness there that not existed in the past. what you will see is a return to the norm. i really do. regardless of what comes out of this cycle. in congress, certainly, there is bipartisan support for israel and for the memorandum of understanding. there is obviously a negotiation

under way. israel is under a tremendous security threat from next-door, but also, the region, especially with iran. , whilemet with bb last about concerned the nuclear deal, he was even more concerned about the precision of their nuclear weapons. they are very sophisticated and getting better all the time. the obligations that we have are certainly to have a memorandum that expires in 2018. i know there are a couple of sticking points. i like you based on the conversations we have had. my sense is that over the next short period of time, an announcement will be made that an agreement is being put in place.

you know, there are couple of baskets. the basket of the memorandum of understanding. also, the activities we have had under creating the missile umbrella to protect israel from what is happening next-door. i think that is going to come to a conclusion. if they feel like what is happening during these negotiations is not on their standpoint as good as it might be. the downside is that military leaders and others who depend on as you know, it takes a while to plan. it will be waiting until the next year, getting very close to the time of implementation again. my sense is that an agreement will be reached. i've had multiple conversations about that over the course of the last 2-3 weeks. tohink that is going to come

a satisfactory conclusion very soon. it will be supported overwhelmingly by congress. >> very good. [applause] >> ellen rich walked out onto the stage with a dozen questions for you, but i have to share this -- share the questions with the people in the audience. the first one has come up. someone in the audience has asked the question. toyou are pretty old fellow use technology like this. >> you know, i came out here liking you. what is the right u.s. foreign-policy strategy in combating isis? look, first of all, i think all of you understand that probably better than most audiences, the root cause of what is driving the extremism is

going to take decades to overcome. when you have 40% unemployment, you have countries that are secretary andy, divides that exist in many countries where this is occurring. you go to a country like egypt. 90 million people, 2.5 million .ew births every year 700,000 jobs have to be created each year just to keep up with population growth. they need 24,000 classrooms today that they do not have. the health care system is in the dumps. they have terrorism in the sinai. have tremendous tensions in the country. you look at the root causes of the people becoming extremist. you have the mentality emanating

out of a particular country for many years that are causing the friday prayers to be what they are. situation combustible here. it will take years to overcome that. we have to begin that process of trying to deal with those causes and encouraging the countries to deal with it. we made some disastrous decisions, i'm sorry, as a nation back in 2011, from my standpoint. i referred to this on a sunday morning program yesterday. the move into libya was one of the most ill thought out -- again, i go back to some of the idealism that can take place in foreign-policy. that will be exhibit a in international policy schools for decades. being incredibly ill thought out. the precipitous pullout of iraq.

that happened in 2011. if you look at the fact that we encouraged the moderate opposition in syria, we told them what we were going to do, what we were going to do, and never did it. we never followed through. we never gave them the tools that they needed. we, in essence, to our foreign-policy at the executive branch, created a home crisis. strewated a home for isis the policies that we put in place. now, to deal with them, which, by the way, i was very much opposed to the pullout of iraq precipitously, and the syria issue. but, pushing to a quick that opposition and a time when it with the tools that they need it. here we are.

again, it will take every level of the u.s. government. the treasury department dealing with the source of revenues. the ability to counter, through justal media, and other -- the messages that they send out. i think you know more than any other audience. they are as good as public relation firms in manhattan with their ability to create. we have to counter all of that. at the same time, we have to be more involved in foreign operations to really cause other nations to come in behind this and deal with the issues on the ground. i think you know in the via, there are 5000-6000 faces members.- isis you know the numbers in iraq. we are having tremendous difficulties in dislodging them. obviously, the issues we have in syria. longer-term issue. when i hear about people carpet bombing -- you know, this is

urban warfare. it will take tremendous amounts of intelligence, and certainly, leadership, on our -- to want to join in on the ground and deal with urban warfare in the manner it will have to be dealt with. >> i have been told i have time for one more question and it goes back to the global. we spent a lot of time on the middle east and threats that arise out of the middle east but we live in a big world. looking to the future, what regions of the world you think we should be focusing on? run through. to if you look at the longer term problem, the biggest problem for the united states longer-term. it is the issue of how we manage our relationships with china. are obviously -- they see

themselves as a rival to us globally, the population is massive, 1.3 billion people. they have internal issues themselves, pushing out in the south and east china sea, rewriting history. over the longer term, that is going to be one of the most important relationships for us to manage. in the midterm, russia and what they have done and of course eastern ukraine, but what they are threatening in the baltic and other areas and what they have done to destabilize europe which has been incredible. and to destabilize the alliance europe has with itself and with us. had no cards to play back in 2012. in many ways -- not to be too pejorative -- not -- how he has

managed with a few cards, not himself in thed center of what is happening in europe -- what is happening certainly in syria and other places has been an amazing thing and speaks to the lack of leadership on our part. one of the worst days in -- [applause] u.s.e of the worst days in foreign-policy -- one of the worst months is that the end of august in the early part of with a cross2013 to the redline of we did not do what we said we were going to do . it was a 10 hour operation. [applause] a 10 hour operation, just so everybody understands.

planned from the mediterranean, no boots on the ground, and the fact that we did not take action in cashcritique jumped and figuratively jumped in putin's lap. he saw than what u.s. reactions would be. i met with a world leader, i will not mention his name. we sat and talked until 3:00 a.m. in the morning and he was telling me, i talked to putin and i asked him why he is doing all that he is doing and he said, i get no pushback. there is no price to pay and it plays so well that come, why would i not do that. he is obviously -- what he is doing in the region is a midterm issue. on the short term between now and the next 10 years, no doubt, the two immediate issues are the iran deal and making sure they

do not get a nuclear weapon and that they do not further destabilize the region with the additional resources and economic growth that will be coming their way. and obviously the issue of isis. i know time is up and i thank you so much. onsenator robert corker behalf of ajc thank you for spending this time with us. i want to remind everyone that at 6:00 p.m. we reconvene with eu foreign policy chief, u.s. security adviser susan rice, and the foreign secretary of mexico. >> the most important person relative to the memorandum of understanding getting completed, is susan rice. you should ask her the same question this evening. thank you. [applause] announcer: ladies and gentlemen,

that concludes -- we will see you back here at 6:00 p.m. at the same event, susan rice defended the obama administration's view that the us to state -- two state solution is the best for peace. she also reaffirmed america's commitment to israel's security. this is about 30 minutes. [applause] when president obama appointed susan rice just three ajc praised the president inspired choice.

having consulted with her and provided platforms for her in for not have her years as america's ambassador to the united nations, we hail the ofassadors powerful defense our nation's vital security and humanitarian interest and the noble ideas of the u.s. charter and we pointed out that she had, on so many occasions publicly and privately stood up for israel whenever needed, which, in united nations, regrettably, is too often. just a month after her appointment, david harris had conferred on ambassador rice ajc's distinguished public service award at a special luncheon in the u.n. delegations lounge. in our presentation, we hailed ambassador rice as a staunch

defender of human dignity and democratic values. three years ago and more than a few foreign-policy crises later, our respect and affection for ambassador susan rice are at the same high level and really have grown. she knows ajc's steadfast commitment to american global leadership, to the protection of human dignity, to the unique link between united states and israel, and to confronting, in president obama's words, "the rising tide of anti-semitism." at a time when america's engagement and leadership in world affairs is being tested and questioned across the globe,

as well as on the campaign trail here in the united states, it is indeed an honor for ajc to be addressed this evening by a principal architect of our nation's foreign policy. indeed, it is my privilege, great privilege and pleasure to introduce the united states national security advisor, ambassador susan rice. [applause] susan: good evening, everyone.

stan, thank you so much for that incredibly generous introduction and for your extraordinary leadership of ajc. can we give stan yet another round of applause? [applause] susan: it's not easy being president. i'm reminded of the time shortly after the establishment of israel, when president truman and president weitzman were comparing their respective burdens of their office. truman said, "mr. president, you're lucky to have such a little country. how'd you like to be the president of 140 million people," which was then the population of the u.s. weitzman replied, "yes, but how would you like to be the president of one million presidents?" [laughter] [applause]

susan: so mazel tov to ajc's president, john schapirojoh, and good luck. i also want to pay my respects to david harris, a deeply thoughtful and tenacious advocate, an excellent sounding board, and a true friend who has stood by me during some difficult moments. it's great to be here with high representative federica mogherini of the european union and foreign secretary claudia ruiz massieu of mexico. [applause]

susan: as stan mentioned, the last time i spoke to ajc was at the women's leadership board luncheon in new york, may, 2013. i was finishing up at the u.n. as our ambassador. in those days, i spent a good deal of time at ajc'st headquarters on 56th street. i had the privilege to join you several times. and that that lunch, i was deeply moved to receive ajc's distinguished service award in recognition of the obama administration's staunch support for israel. david thanked me for standing tall, which i'm pretty sure he meant metaphorically. [laughter] susan: so, being here feels a little bit like being with family. [speaking yiddish] [laughter] [applause]

susan: now, i don't know how many people know this, but i grew up in shepherd park, a neighborhood in washington, d.c., which was then a predominantly jewish neighborhood, not very far from here. i watched worshipers walking to synagogue every week. our house had a mezuzah on the doorway. i attended many a seder. as we told the story of a people liberated from bondage. at a time when bat mitzvahs were still rare, i went to more than most girls at the national cathedral school. [laughter] susan: all my life, i have been inspired by the deep morality of the jewish faith, by the

simplicity and the urgency of the command in deuteronomy, "justice, justice, ye shall pursue." [applause] susan: for 110 years now, ajc has answered that call. you have been america's conscience, fighting for civil rights, reaching out to other faith communities, comforting the stranger new to our shores. more and more, as we recognize tonight, you have become the world's conscience as well, from battling apartheid in stan's native south africa to aiding refugees in europe. i have been truly fortunate, as i have said, to work closely with you at the u.n. and now as the president's national security advisor. i echo the assessment of my dear

friend, madeleine albright, who says, and i quote, "ajc remains indispensable. no one understands more clearly the need for vigilance and the danger of silence." so, on behalf of president obama, thank you for more than a century of doing the sacred work of tikkun olam, of building a better world for us all. if ajc where a person like stan, it would be the biggest mensch in the world. [applause] next week is the festival of sabbaoth. congregations around the world will read from the book of ruth as ruth pledges herself to her

mother-in-law and the nation of israel, "wherever you go, i will go. wherever you stay, i will stay. your people will be my people, and your god, my god." that profound expression of family and faith, that joining together of faiths is the spirit animating the relationship between the people of the united states and the people of israel. it's an ironclad bond. it's a solemn promise that endures. "from generation to generation." [applause] susan: ever since president truman recognized israel, just 11 minutes after it declared independence -- that doesn't mean we always

agree on every issue. like all of us, i'm sure the biblical ruth sometimes did not see eye to eye with her in laws. [laughter] susan: but, as president obama told the people of israel when he visited jerusalem, "so long as there is a united states of america, you are not alone." [applause] susan: for those of us who care deeply about israel, this is a time of some concern and sometimes of sorrow. i know our hearts ache for the victims of recent violence, including ezra schwartz, an american yeshiva student and a veteran and vanderbilt student, whose tragic losses we mourn deeply.

but know this, when hamas digs tunnels so they can kidnap and kill israelis, israel is not alone. when one country is singled out time and time again on the floor of the united nations, israel is not alone. [applause] susan: when angry voices attack israel's right to exist, israel is not alone. [applause] susan: and, by the same token, when palestinians are attacked by mobs shouting "death to arabs" and palestinian homes or mosques and churches are vandalized, the palestinian people are not alone. [applause]

susan: president obama is deeply and fiercely devoted to israel and to the well-being of the jewish people. i know it because i see it every day. i watched him as he slipped a folded prayer into the cracks of the western wall. i stood with him as we ran our hands over the charred remnants of rockets. president obama has met with prime minister netanyahu 16 times, more than almost any other leader. last december, president obama hosted president rivlin as he lit chanukah candles at the white house, the first time an israeli president has done so at the white house. just a few months ago, vice president biden visited israel again for a series of high-level meetings, which prime minister netanyahu rightly called "proof that our relationship is strong

in all areas." our commitment to israel, as always, transcends partisanship. when israel was barraged by rocket fire in 2014, the vote in the house of representatives to support israel was unanimous. the vote in the senate was unanimous. now, that doesn't happen very much these days. [laughter] susan: but as the members of congress here tonight could tell you, israel's security is not a democratic interest or a republican interest. it's an american interest. [applause] susan: so, when president obama calls america's commitment to israel's security "unshakable," that's not talk. it's the nearly $24 billion the united states has provided since

president obama took office to help israel maintain its qualitative military edge. it's the f-35's israel will receive later this year, the only nation in the middle east with this advanced aircraft. it's the billions of dollars we are investing jointly in developing and procuring iron dome and other missile-defense technologies. when hamas was raining down 100 rockets a day on israel, those systems saved untold lives. so, we are doing even more. a few weeks ago, israel successfully tested iron dome aboard ships. as we speak, israel and our department of defense are developing anti-tunneling technology, the so-called "underground iron dome." [applause]

susan: so, israel's enemies are on notice. if you come at israel by land, by sea, by air, or even under the earth, you will lose. [applause] susan: the security cooperation between the united states and israel does not stop there. just ask israel's past two defense ministers, who have each praised the closeness of our military ties. our special forces training together. our air forces and navies drill together. this month, american national guard troops are traveling to israel for a joint exercise. and as the person who briefs the president every day on the we -- on the threats we face around the world, including in

the middle east, i can attest that our intelligence cooperation is at an all-time high. [applause] susan: president obama is committed to ensuring israel's security, not just to the remainder of his term in office, but for years to come. israel currently receives more than half of the united states' entire foreign military assistance budget. [applause] susan: and we are discussing the new agreement with israel that would guide our military assistance until the year 2029. even in these days of belt-tightening, we are prepared to sign the single-largest military assistance package with any country in american history. [applause]

susan: it would constitute a significant increase in support and provide israel the funding to update much of its fighter aircraft fleet, substantially enhance the mobility of its ground forces, and continue to strengthen its missile-defense capabilities. that is what we mean when we say "israel is not alone." [applause] susan: this brings me to another critical piece of our support for israel's long-term security -- the iran deal. we had a vigorous debate over this agreement. nuclear physicists, military officials, experts, and over 100 countries ultimately supported it. others, including many in israel, opposed it.

but whether or not you supported this deal, the results are undeniable. iran has dismantled 2/3 of its installed centrifuges. [applause] susan: they have shipped out 98% of their enriched uranium stockpile out of their country, enough for about 10 nuclear bombs. the plutonium reactor core is now filled with concrete, never to be used again. before this deal, iran's breakout time to gain enough material to build a nuclear weapon was two months to three months. today, it would take about a year. and if they cheat, we will know.

with this deal, we have closed off every possible path to building a nuclear weapon, every single one, and subjected iran to the most conference of nuclear regime ever implemented. yet, we are under no illusions. as we've said all along, our is distrustciple and verify. as the president has repeatedly emphasized, this deal was never intended to resolve all of our differences with iran. that's why nonnuclear sanctions on iran remain in place. hundreds of iran-linked firms and individuals remain sanctioned on nonnuclear ground. we have all the authority we need to combat iran's destabilizing activities, and we are. that includes new sanction designations that target iran's

ballistic missile program and support for terrorism. we will not let iran off the hook. [applause] susan: our commitment to israel's security is also why we continue to urge israelis and palestinians to resolve what president rivlin calls "the tragedy that envelops us all." as president obama has said, "peace is necessary, just, and possible." indeed, the only path to sustainable security for israel and to dignity and self-determination for the palestinians is two states for two peoples, living side-by-side in peace and security. [applause]

susan: that is why, as we mark the 49th anniversary this week of the six-day war, we continue to strongly oppose israeli settlement activity. just like every administration since 1967, republican and democratic. just as we oppose counterproductive palestinian actions and strongly condemn incitement and violence. settlement activity corrodes the prospects for two states. it moves us towards a one-state reality. israel's future as a jewish, democratic state is at stake. secretary kerry has just returned from a gathering of foreign ministers in paris, where the united states and all other participants underscored that a negotiated two-state

solution is the only way to achieve an enduring peace. a solution cannot be imposed on the parties. [applause] susan: but we continue to urge them to undertake meaningful actions on the ground that are consistent with their rhetorical commitment to two states. children in -- and gaza, children who are just like yours and mine deserve a future that is not consumed by this conflict. as my cherished friend and israel's national treasurer shimon peres says, "there are two things in life you cannot achieve unless you close your eyes a little bit -- love and peace."

so, we will continue as the psalm says to "speak peace and pursue it." at the same time, we will stand up not just for israel's security, but for israel's very legitimacy. i want to be very clear. no country is immune from criticism. no country should be immune from criticism. the united states certainly isn't. but when one nation is targeted relentlessly, obsessively, bitterly, as israel is time and again, that is just wrong. it is ugly. [applause] susan: it is bullying in the guise of diplomacy, and it has to stop. [applause]

susan: for 4 1/2 years at the united nations, i had the privilege of doing battle every day to defend israel from a drumbeat of hostility. i was proud to lead that fight. the united states fought tooth and nail against the deeply flawed goldstone report. we vigorously opposed the human rights' council's unbalanced and counterproductive focus on israel. when the palestinians tried to short-circuit the path to statehood, president obama stood before the general assembly and said, "peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the united nations. ultimately, it is the israelis and the palestinians who must live side-by-side." and when the security council pushed a divisive resolution targeting settlements, even as the united states was pursuing a more constructive path forward, at president obama's direction, i raised my hand and cast the

first and only veto of this administration. my successor, ambassador power, continues to show that israel has no better friend at the united nations than the united states. [applause] including by pushing to integrate israel more fully into the international system. moreover, when israel's adversaries seek to isolate and boycott israel economically, we forcefully combat these efforts. we strengthen our economic ties more than ever. the united states stands firmly against these attempts to delegitimize israel. [applause]

and when iran holds an abhorrent holocaust cartoon contest, when violence and vile words lead jews to take down mezuzahs in europe, when more than half of american college students say they have witnessed or experienced anti-semitism on campus, we must call out and confront that ancient hatred for what it is -- an absolute outrage. [applause] as president obama said earlier this year when he became the first sitting american president to speak at the israeli embassy, "an attack on any faith is an attack on all faiths. we are all jews." [applause]

and that is why we applaud and work closely with groups like ajc. your mayors united against anti-semitism advertisement in today's "wall street journal" made a powerful statement against hate. that's why, last year, the united states helped organize the first ever united nations general assembly meeting on anti-semitism. that's why we have appointed a special envoy to monitor anti-semitism, ira foreman, and are urging other countries to appoint their own. we won't let up. the ugly hatred has to end. [applause] that is our records. these are our principles.

this is president obama's steadfast commitment. [applause] for me, the warmth and strength of his relationship between the united states -- of this relationship between united states and israel will always be rooted in my very first trip to israel. i was 14-years-old. my beloved late father was on the board of twa. some of you may remember that once great airline. and he took me and my younger brother to israel. we arrived on one of the first ever flights from egypt to israel. it was just after the camp david accords were signed. and on that trip, we bowed our heads in sorrow, we walked in

the old city, climbed, floated in the dead sea, and picked fruit at a kibbutz. i learned by heart the words of the -- like so many americans who visited israel, those memories are etched in my soul. there's another, more recent memory that i will also never forget. it's actually a highlight in my time in this current job. it took place a few years ago, when i had the chance to play basketball on the white house court with some young israelis and palestinians. they are a group you may know called the peace players, and they use sports to bridge communities. we were out on the south lawn, not far from where -- made peace and where rabin and arafat shook hands.

everyone was wearing shorts and t-shirts, boys and girls, israelis and palestinians, observant and less observant, and we played. israelis and palestinians on the same coed team, sweating, bumping each other, going for the ball, hustling across the lines of the court, as if they had never been divided by lines on a map. they were very good players, by the way. much better than us, though that is not saying a great deal. but on that basketball court, i saw what is possible. i saw what the future might hold, if only we have the courage to reach for it. i know these are difficult days.

at times like these, it is easy to get into doubt and cynicism -- to give into doubt and cynicism and despair. it's easy to be overcome by fear, to turn inward and to turn against one another. but as those young people remind us, as the anthem we will sing later reminds us, even in our darkest moments, there is hope. hope for peace. hope for progress. hope for justice. no matter how distant these goals may seem, we can never forget the truth of those magnificent words, "if you will it, it is no dream." so, with god's blessing and god's help, let us keep willing it. let us keep working for it. let us keep mending our broken

world, together. thank you very, very much. [applause] caucus chairatic talks about the role of hispanics in this year's election and the impact of the california primary and legislative issues in the house of representatives, including the republican plan to defeat poverty. newsmakers on c-span. >> this is a amazing family story if you think about it, where there was terribly cruelty

perpetrated, the empire is increased, there are great love affairs, but it's also a family where fathers kill their sons, where wives have their husbands overthrown and murdered, where sons colluded and murder a father. it's a family unlike any other. "q&a," theight on about the1613, dynasty that ruled russia for over three years. werel of the children wearing bizarre bullet-proof vest. vests sewn with romanoff diamonds. hundreds and hundreds of diamonds have been thrown and -- sewn into their underwear coming case they needed to buy their way out. selling theseths diamonds. when the bullets came, this made their agony

much longer, because the bullets bounced off the diamonds, the hardest substance known to man. >> sunday night at a eastern on c-span's "q&a." >> house speaker paul ryan another congressional republicans unveiled their national security plan thursday at the council on foreign relations. the plan focuses on improving border security and advancing america's interests. andrea mitchell moderates a discussion with the chairs of the veterans of foreign affairs homeland security and judiciary and intelligence committees. after the event, we will take your calls live about what you think are the top foreign-policy issues for the next president. this is about 90 minutes.

>> good morning. here,you all for being i'm andrea mitchell, chief cornice bears -- foreign affairs correspondent. thatally anchor a program new anonymous nbc, but i'm here instead. this is such an important moment in our history. i've been doing really dangerous things, i have been involved in serious combat the last nine months, i would say. facingerous places, extraordinary challenges unlike national security. i have been covering the 2016

presidential campaign. it is a relief to be here talking about terrorism and homeland security. and what should we do about ,aking our economy secure because that is also a national security issue. today incredible honored to have the leading house chairman of the national security and foreign-policy for affairs committees -- foreign affairs committee, speaker of the house, paul ryan. i want to thank you for permitting me to moderate this, this is our discussion on improving national security. speaker ryan will give opening briefly and to just reprieved, he's been represented the people of wisconsin ever since. he served as both the chairman is the house budgeting

committee, and the ways and means committee, where he advocated for fixing the tax code, and reforming and toddler programs. in 2012, he ran as the republican nominee for vice president. he took over a speaker of the house less than seven months ago, in april, he made his first foreign visit as speaker, leading a bipartisan group. house republicans created six different tasks force to show how republicans would governor -- would governor if republicans take the white house. today he is unveiling the national security agenda. earlier he unveiled their domestic agenda and up are really for those of us who have some memory, he went to anacostia in the district of program and unveiled a to try to invoke the memory of jack kemp, a great friend and mentor to the speaker and to

many of us in journal of the fashion journalism as well. join me in welcoming speaker paul ryan. [applause] speaker ryan: thank you. i appreciate it. i want to thank the cfr for hosting us. it is kind of you to take the time out of your day to give us this beautiful facility. i really appreciate that. i don't want to take up too much time today. all of your members that you will be hearing from are the ones who put in the long hours and hard work for this. i'm eager to hear from them as i know you are. i want to say a few words about why we thought this plan was so necessary. in january, we came together at our retreat in baltimore and discussed what is it that we ought to do to offer the country better way, to take the problems of the day and offer people real

solutions. in one of those areas we thought this was so sorely needed was in the area of foreign-policy. we just heard the prime minister of india at the capitol hill yesterday, it was a great day. he spoke before congress, and it was a great moment of the growing friendship between our two countries. the main reason i think this moment was so notable is that nowadays, it is so rare. in the past seven years, our friendships have frayed, our rivalries have intensified. it's not too much to say that our enemies no longer fear us, and too many of our allies normally -- no longer trust us. i think this is a direct result of the president's foreign policies. he drew a redline in syria, and that he backed away from it. he vowed that iran would never get nuclear weapons, and the deal he negotiated all that ensures it. until ited off isis

threw off the iraqi government. in his response to russia's aggression has been timid at best. al he did was create avoid -- void, but really, he greeted many voids around the world. and now, our enemies are stepping in to fill those voids. this is what happens when america does not lead. do we think our allies have to do more? of course we do. but they will not do more to defend our shared interest if they think america will leave them in the lurch. america has to set the standard. it has to show the world by words and by deeds, that diplomacy, trade, and cooperation are in all of our interests. otherwise, other countries will pursue their own narrow short-term interest. that means less safety for all of us. less prosperity. we need a confident america.

peaces what will keep the , that is will keep us safe. and that is what this plan will do. --lay out for objectives four objectives. keep america safe at home, defeat the terrorists, advance america's interests abroad and review our national security tools. we lay out six to seven policy steps that we will take to put this plan and -- 67 policy steps that we will take to put this plan into place. it means stopping cyber attacks, taking the fight to the enemy. it means revamping the veterans affairs for our veterans and strengthening our law enforcement tools. it means expanding america's influence, which means expanding free enterprise, and expanding the community of free nations. that is what will restore confidence, and that is what we pledge to do.

this is what we are seeking with our policies. i'm so proud of the work our members have put into this. this is just the second part of the six part agenda which we will be unveiling over the next few weeks. gop. war website, better. better.gopr website, . i would love to get this conversation started. [applause] ms. mitchell: thank you, mr. speaker. i thought i would introduce them. joining us now, the chairman of the house homeland security committee, mike mccall -- michael mccaul.

in the first piece of his foreign-policy agenda, german ul, you-- chairman mcca talked about the borders and the airport challenges we've had. the werethis agenda ouring out improve intelligence sharing, given what is now the feeler we have seen in cairo and other airports? -- the failure we have seen in cairo and other airports? would say wel: i are in the highest threat environment i have seen since 9/11. mentioned the airports, the last point of departure airports are serious concern. i just returned from cairo, egypt to look at that airport. jfk,ve daily flights into

that concerns me. there are many last point departure airports that are not secure, and we know that al qaeda and isis are very intent on putting bob's -- bombs on airplanes. about thenow for sure egyptian airliner, but we know al qaeda in the arabian peninsula is very focused. what our blueprint calls for is a beefing up of security at last point of departure airports, better screening at the airports. homeland security is about identifying the threats and keeping them outside of this country, where there are bad people or bad things. terrorists or potentially weapons of mass distraction. -- mass destruction. i think the border of lies that well -- applies as well. we need a secure border, we know isis talked about taking a

pakistan nuclear weapon and smuggling across the us-mexico border. areof these components vitally important to protecting americans here at home. i think this document that we worked very hard on gives a good blueprint to protect americans, lead as a superpower, and we have had so many terrorists , andries pop up overseas safe havens, and from those safe havens, they can conduct external operations. that is what greatest concern, whether he be yemen or the sinai , libya hastunisia become a failed state. 6000 nice a strong, and iraq in syria, what we saw what happened in brussels and paris. we don't want to see those active shooter plots and suicide bombers happen here in the united states.

how will this document -- it says to protect the american people by developing security based on a republican blueprint that will fight for an and a mystic threats -- foreign and domestic threats. how will that be different, going forward under a republican president, say under president trump? leverage on the speaker for thanking you and the council for foreign relations for ousted -- for offering us this forum. i like to think my colleagues the works we've all put in. you're going to hear a lot of criticism today of the current administration, including from me. , we entitledabout this a better way, because we think there are a lot of things that are not being done by this administration that should be president, who was

signed into law bills that we have been working on in the congress the last few years. one of those major areas is in conjunction with homeland security committee, the judiciary committee has your station over immigration policy and the enforcement of our immigration laws in the interior of the country. we are a nation of immigrants, there's a person here in this audience who can't go back if you generation -- a few generations and find someone who came to united states to better their lives for themselves and their families. we are also a nation of laws, and i believe this is administration has lost sight of that. the first thing we call for is enforcement of the current laws. that means when people show up at the border, some of them enter the country illegally, and we are not doing as much as we could apprehend them. others come in turn themselves in, some have dumped their documents in mexico before they turn up at our border and say

they don't have documentation. they are admitted into the country, given a date to appear for asylum hearing, and then a great majority of them don't ever show up for those hearings. that is a decision that this is administration has made to not detain people on a much higher percentage basis or find some other way to assure that they are going to return to be adjudicated properly. we also have a problem with people entering the country and claiming political asylum or refugee status and not being held until the determination is made. we have bills that have passed out of the judiciary committee that we think should be utilized to make sure that americans are kept safe by making sure that people do not enter the country who may perpetrate terrorist attacks, or violate our laws.

we also found that we have problems with our legal immigration system as well. 30% to 40% of the people who are here illegally entered the country legally on student visas, visitor visas, visa waivers, and then overstayed their allotted time and not left the country voluntarily. and we have problems with the processing of people into the , thery, tashfeen malik woman who, with her husband, perpetrated a horrific terrorist attack in san bernardino, california. the evidence is very strong was not properly vetted when she tolied for her fiancé visa come here to the united states and join her cut -- her husband. we have bills that have been signed into law by the current president like the visa waiver modifications. others have passed the house of representatives with a strong bipartisan vote like tightening

up on refugees coming from certain war-torn countries dominated by terrorists in the syria and iraq. these are part of our agenda to keep america safe. the other role the judiciary committee plays in this process in terms of making sure our law enforcement and intelligence gathering organizations have the tools they need to gather the information and keep americans at the same time, we have to make sure we are protecting americans civil liberties. just last year, congress passed into law the usa freedom act, which stopped the government from gathering huge quantities of metadata, not just telephone metadata, but financial information, health information, whatever. and then taking that information and using it for ostensibly good persons -- good purposes, but having the government store large quantity of data is

foreign to what most americans think the government should be doing. time, we give additional tool to law enforcement and intelligence organizations to able track terrorists more effectively while they are suspected terrorists in the united states. we have a couple of important roles here, and we have made an important contribution to a better way forward to keep americans safe while our next panel is going to talk about how to address these foreign policy and national security issues going on offense, the defense has got to be strong as well. ms. mitchell: in terms of a defense, how does a ban on muslims contribute to our national security? nep. mccaul: you can't ba an entire race or religion from coming into the country. when you need is a proper vetting system.

important, the bill introduced past bipartisan league in the house. we have to target the threat of properly vet and make sure they don't come in. myust want to bill out of committee that deals with tightening up the standards, using social media, which was not done in the san bernardino case. wes is the document that hope the nominee will read and take attention to. there are ways to properly document and protect threats from coming into the united swath of aout just a ban against any race or religion from coming into the united states. ms. mitchell: do you think that kind of rhetoric hurts our national security, in terms of your interactions with foreign leaders? rep. mccaul: we're going to advise, and this is a better way forward.

a document to advise our house republicans, hopefully some democrats will read it too, and we hope the nominee will read out as well. i have always said that we have to be careful in our rhetoric, because that can inflame the muslim community, and can help their recruiting efforts. i see this from a homeland standpoint, but i have to look at threats out there, and i think going on the offense to take out the threat, for instance, being in libya, a failed state -- we are holding back our military strength to take out large training camps devices within libya. we have the same problem in yemen, and isis in the sinai in iraq and syria. finally, after three and a half years, finally started to ramp up our military operations. solvelone is not one to

the problem. it's going to be a political and diplomatic solution, and the counter narrative is so important. we do not have -- we've not been developing a counter narrative message to the isis propaganda. it is a war of ideology at the end of the day. it cannot be won by drone strikes alone. we have failed miserably in this, and i task the department of homeland security to make it a priority and focus, and the state department, and you can't deal with just the united states flag. you have to do it through community leaders, religious leaders, and win the war of ideas. ms. mitchell: how you win the war of ideas? i've covered the state department and watched democratic and republican administrations, secretaries of state, of all descriptions unable to use our public diplomacy in a truly effective