The statement by mccain joined s morning by a group that we all know well youve all been before this committee is i mention to the you a minute ago and i think most of the members of meet have seen in action in the field and investor crocker youve been diplomat in residence Wilson School and at Princeton University been all over the map. And in the last couple of decades, and a investor harry counselor, senator for strategic and budgetary assessment l by my account that is your 9th appearance before this committee does what sound right to you . Yeah. Investor at the university of Washington Institute for the policy i remember being with you in tucky, and other places and a, of course, ambassador Stewart JonesVice President of the cohen group who your presence visited by i think every member here by both jordan and in iraq so it is great to have all of you here. Much of our nation attention has gone towards middle east in materials of military operations and thats appropriately so. Weve faced very real and dangerous threats originating from the middle east and weve seen that the problems there are extremely complex for example, weve formed and led an International Coalition to defeat isis, and with our local partner largely done that and last saturday Prime Minister, a body, announced that defeat of isis in iraq, so its long past time for us to turn our attention to the broadser strategy and national octaves in that region as our competitors have already doing that iran and russia. Very encouraged that under the leadership of President Trump and america is beginning to reclaim some of its worldwide leadership that has waned with the past eight years. In october the administration released an out of line detailing strategy to counter iranian aligned influence. The president also declined to certify the sanctions relief as a part of Iran Nuclear Deal that was something a lot of people didnt realize that the president has to on a period uk basis release it to keep those keep that alive and so weve started a process now. That i think it was right decision, the president also is encouraged by the recent activity that is taking place in by the way, some of this with netanyahu when decision was made and ive never seen a happier guy and at the same time of course the he was very encouraged by the recent decision to move the u. S. Embassy from telaviv to jeers jerusalem and brought bipartisan support and decided to do 20 years ago and finally were doing it so thats good news with with great witnesses, and look forward to the testimony to reads. Thank you very much mr. Chairman i want to commend mccane for scheduling this hearing and thank for leading it today it is very important. Also to thank the witnesses ive had the privilege and pleasure of working with you you have made extraordinary contributions to the National Security, United States and so many different capacities. When chairman mentioned that ambassador idolman nine times here you all were in a positive way so thank you very much. [laughter] we are with indeed happy to have you here today and qft youll provide valuable i sight for a very challenging world in middle east. Working with our progress working with our apartmenter in on the ground we have made great progress to dismabltion isis, according to the u. S. Central command coalition is delivered more than 4. 5 Million People and 52,000 square kilometer of territory from isis control this is a significant achievement for coalition in our iraqi and syrian partners. It is also important to recognize that Isis Al Qaeda and other violent extremist are not yet defeated remain intent on attacking United States in our interest well taking advantage of opportunities by destablization in the middle east. Diet is is our Operational Success and isis we have nonachieved similar success in addressing the political and social challenges in the middle east that gave rise to isis in the first place our efforts to deal with isis and al qaeda and others to deal them lasting defeat was not rest with the department of defense alone Sustainable Solutions were acquire significant contribution of state department, us ideas and others unfortunately achieve such a whole of governor approach is hampered by massive proposed cuts to state department bngt and fact that our current diplomattings are leaving governments service at alarming rate each of you has deep experience many using tool of our National Power and i hope you will provide committee with your views on how such tools would be leveraged. Violent extremism is not the only National Security challenge facing United States in the middle east. Despite success to Iranian Nuclear deal in the United States and a allies in the region namely a Nuclear Armed iran, about the forces and its approximateys continue to campaign and destabilize activities across the region most notably in syria, yemen and iraq and with a Foreign Policy exhibited by saudi arabia is hard to imagine that g. Oflt Political Landscape more complicated than it is today if we are to successful navigate these challenges we need to be clear and communicating our values not gestures from retweeting of rhetoric to announcement in israel president repeatedly made it more difficult for National Security dplo mat pick professionalsed to their jobs. The risk of fail u. S. Policy in middle east is significant and we cant afford any unforcedder roars. I again want to thank Witnesses Today but for significant contribution to our country for decades of work in Foreign Service i look forward to your testimony. Thank you very much. Thank you senator reid and, you know, we try to keep our comments down to about five minutes and give our well attended meeting here time to ask questions invest tore crocker. Thank you mr. Chairman. Rank member reid members of the committee its a privilege to be here today. The timing i think is fortuitous were in a strategic Inflection Point with the military defeat of islamic sate. To try to answer the now what question about and as you both said, as a military defeat is necessary but i would suggest not sufficient. I think it is helpful to remember what happened when i was in iraq 07, oh 09 through the surge we pounded the predecessor but we could never quite eliminate them. They could find little crevices in moosoul why did they find them important to remember then is now. That in iraq and Islamic State are not in and of themselves the problem they are the symptom of the problem. The problem has been and goes throughout the region the failure to establish good failure to establish rule of u law and institution where all citizens in iraq are now many syria feel safe. That has not happened and to take again the as a 30,000 foot view if one looks at modern middle east which is roughly 100 years old it grow out of world war i and in 1919 if theres one single consistent point of failure, it we have sen it go and imperialism and colonialism under british and the french monarchism in smflt central countries like egypt and iraq. Arab nationalism and author again in iraq and arab socialism and communism in south yemen. Now we deal with islamism. And good news is that it too is failing. The bad news is that the underlie issueses of governance that led to failure of every other is untreated and if we are unable to help our friends in the area, get to a better place on these issues, youre going to see a successor so Islamic State i dont know who. I do know that it will not be good news for us. There is a second Inflection Point they hopefully would have a chance to address today. The United States designed and a led the post world World War Ii International order. That leadership changed or that attitude to leadership changed over the last eight years. President obama spoke of not being able to do everything certainly true too often i think that became an excuse for not doing much of anything. Sadly, i think were seeing that continue thewty between administrations from president obama to president president trs are we going to lead . If not who will . If not what might the consequences be. So i would urge before we back out of that International Order post world war ii that we establish and led we needs to think about the consequences i would say finally it is hard to do miff of this if you dont have is people to do it. The budgets cuts suggested by the administration will do Severe Damage to o dote diplomacy and development and a congress has reacted to proposed cuts i think it is very important they not go forward or youre going to see a weak withened Foreign Service far into the future with very significant consequences. Last through truth and advertising here stood is mercy core international, we are heavily engaged on a number of issues one i would look to it highlight would be Syrian Refugees. And mercy court doesnt do resettlement. We focus on keeping refugees as close to their home country as we can. So were extremely active in jordan and in leb knob lebanon many particular, why . That could be the longterm ultimate danger of this problem. We saw what happened with Palestinian Refugees where a spirit of hopelessness and refugee camps bred an entire generation of terrorism. We are working out there to try to get the resources and the programs that will give yng Syrian Refugees a sense that they do have a future. If that funding is cut as had been proposed humanitarian aid by 40 esf by almost 45 , we may be fueling the next wave yores down the line of terror. Thank you mr. Chairman. Thank you ambassador and evelyn thank you chairman inhoff senator reid it is a privilege to be here, and while i dont normally want to speak for my Foreign Service colleague on this panel i think i do speak all of us saying were all thinking about senator mccain today and wishing him very well in his recovery. I agree with my colleague ryan crocker that we are at an important Inflection Point in the middle east, and i think for that reason is particularly important that the committee has scheduled this hearing. And i can not tell you how proud i am to sit here in this company because i have enormous respect for my colleagues on this panel. What i thought i would do is just talk about three things really. Why i think the region remains straw strategically important to the United States but one the United States faces and thoughts about what we might do about those. First you think theres a disposition in washington thats people talk about the middle east today. After decade and a half of difficult and seemingly inconclusive counterinsurnghtly operation in the region and growing u. S. Energy if not independence at at least selfsufficiency to want to look at the region as sthng we ought to disengage from and try and limit our liability in the region. But i would argue that that picking up theme that ambassador crocker touched on that as tempting as disengagement might be to reverse a consensus over past 60 years that maintenance of a stable regional balance of power in the middle east and the prevention of any external or Regional Power from dominating this area of the world is vital to the nations security. It is i think its the case because first of all the Energy Resources of the region remain important to our allies. In europe and asia. But also because Global Energy prices can effect our own economy and so even with our own selfsufficiency were large segments of pleern oil to go offline because of the crisis in the region. The Economic Impact on the United States would be considerable. But moreover i think the problem is that what what as ken pollack at a a ei says what happens in the middle east does not stay in the middle east. This region is a kald result of petry dish for extremism that manifest itself in terrorist attacks against our allies in the region. Our allies in europe, and ultimately the homeland here in the United States itself. Since 2009, i think the United States is largely pursued a policy of retrenchment and reliability which i think has had had unfortunate consequence of raising concerns about the u. S. Role as a security guarantor in the region and i think thats been exasperated by cons again of the freed up resources for tehran to use for its own purposes both to procure weaponry for itself but also to support its proxy in the region but at least more continue knewty than i would looks of the policy of the Trump Administration which are different rhetoric but broadly continued the previous administrations policies perhaps reflecting views that President Trump expressed during the campaign that they whole region as he put it was one big fat quagmire but you think it is something that requires some renewed attention and a new strike that is ji. I mentioned twin challenges and those i think were touched on by my colleague, and it wont come as any surprise that two challenges are irans quest for regional and very much intertwined with that the threat of per sis tangt threat of Sunni Islamic extremism. Even after the demise of the Islamic State of the caliphate and these drive region crisis and also drive one another. So iranian expansionism and afnght its support for shia militia and iraq and sear why also fuel sunni extremism and vice versa. I think the most urgent thing that United States needs to do is develop a strategy and a plan and a policy that rethrect the new realities on the ground in syria where iran is currently at a its most vulnerable and potentially overextended and where the potential for renewed sunni extremism is perhaps highest. Isis lost but the presence of russian forces, Iranian Forces, iranian sponsor shia militia, hezbollah et cetera have aloud iran to emerge as post war sear why and allowed iran to consolidate the at least the perception that they have a land bridge that links tehran directly to lebanon and to on the israeli and jordanian borders. Although there are few really appealing options at this point in syria. I think we can and should exploit iranian overextension there. I welcome secretary mattis recent statement that u. S. Troops will remain in syria to preskt the the reemerge of isis thats a necessary first step but i think that will only be possible if we wehelp our syrian allies the Syrian Democratic forces hold strategic territory thats been liberated from isis control i think that will help proved leverage for the United States in determines syria post war fate and also pose cops call and cost on iran. And i think in general we immediate to develop more leverage with iran to impose cost more had effectively and i would make a few suggestions bhab we might to many that regard. First, i think we ought to have public discussion about dusting amp our plans for neutralizing Irans Nuclear or facilities should iran materially breach or withdraw in response either to sanctions that disbody choughses to impose or because of u. S. Enforcement of the more vigorous of the agreement itself. It has it pears to be doing with north korea pentagon ought to be putting in place the capability to potentially shoot down future iranian Ballistic Missile tests. Iran is developing a very large, very big Ballistic Missile capability no country that has tone that on what iran has done it has never been a Nuclear Weapon state. I think it is equally important for the United States to cooperate very closely with our regional allies ill deper any discussion of that because i think i believe all of my colleagues agree with that and will want to talk about it. I think that we have to recognize that russia has been so far an obstacle not a partner in bolding security in this region. And i think we would do well not to allow ourselfves to be diluted to easily split russia and iran from each other for if a lot of reasons that we can go into i dont think thats likely to happen. I think we also need to increase the internal pressures on the Iranian Regime that remains unpopular regime i fear that the jcpoa has twal mostly benefited the hardliners in iran. Because they stand most to benefit from the sanction relief. But its also made them more dependent on narrowing band of loyalist to maintain stability as everyday iranians feel very little benefit from this sanctions relief. I think we can exploit all