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
-
How China Is Stealing America’s AI
Commentary
Sometimes the fingerprints are obvious: Kimi K3 has identified itself as “Claude,” Anthropic’s model; it was trained on so much of its rival’s output that it mistakes itself f...
By Liza Tobin
-
UAE Fends Off Iran Attack as Conflict Escalates
Video
Rachel Ziemba, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins Bloomberg's Horizons Middle East & Africa to discuss the latest on the Iran War and the r...
By Rachel Ziemba
-
Iran War Exposes Limits of U.S. Military Endurance
Video
Six months into the US conflict with Iran, oil flows from the Persian Gulf have recovered to about 40% of prewar levels, but risks remain as the Strait of Hormuz stays constra...
By Chris Kennedy
-
Whither the Taiwan Sanctions Coalition? with James Crabtree
Podcast
James Crabtree joins the podcast to discuss the new CNAS report he co-authored with Emily, Whither the Coalition? Assessing the Prospects of a Diverse Sanctions Coalition in D...
By Emily Kilcrease, Geoffrey Gertz & James Crabtree
