December 01, 2022
Leading From the House on Foreign Affairs
On the week of a leadership change in the House Democratic Caucus, much has been written about Speaker Nancy Pelosi's and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's legislative prowess and decades-long impact on U.S. politics. Experts and fellow leaders have extolled their ability to understand members' needs; count votes; persuade and cajole members; and cultivate the party's core infrastructure.
Democrats' new leaders will be well positioned to build on this legacy and continue the Democratic tradition of muscular internationalism.
While these kudos are amply due, far less attention has been paid recently to Pelosi's and, particularly, to Hoyer's international achievements and what they mean for democracy activists around the world. Pelosi and Hoyer are, at their core, premier Democratic internationalists who believe in the power of Congress to wage battle against dictators and to act in support of global democracy.
The two traveled the world to meet with dissidents, transatlantic allies, and like-minded democratic leaders who could help push back against autocracy wherever it was emerging or entrenched. They wielded Congress's moral bully pulpit—persuading and, where necessary, castigating adversaries; comforting concerned allies and activists; and giving hope that the United States remains a democratic beacon, especially during the tumultuous Trump years. Democrats' new leaders will be well positioned to build on this legacy and continue the Democratic tradition of muscular internationalism.
Read the full story and more from Newsweek.
More from CNAS
-
Ziemba: Oil Market Overlooks Buffers Amid Long Conflict
Video
Oil held a decline as tankers laden with crude continued to exit the Persian Gulf, despite persistent threats and limited progress on a deal between Iran and Oman to reopen th...
By Rachel Ziemba
-
Jones Act Relief Extended, Iran War Presses On
Video
President Trump extended a waiver Monday for foreign ships transporting oil around the US as the war in Iran continues to disrupt supply chains. Bloomberg News' Mike McKee & B...
By Chris Kennedy
-
The Blind Spot in U.S.-China AI Competition with Paul Haenle and Terah Lyons
Podcast
Paul Haenle and Terah Lyons of JPMorganChase join Emily and Geoff to talk about their recent report on U.S.-China AI competition and what policymakers miss when they only look...
By Emily Kilcrease & Geoffrey Gertz
-
Weapons Stockpiles Become the Next Constraint
Video
Rachel Ziemba, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins Bloomberg Surveillance to discuss U.S. weapons stockpiles and their impact on future nego...
By Rachel Ziemba
