Elliott Abrams

Venezuela is at a crossroads. Over the past month, we have witnessed a massive outpouring of hope and courage and tenacity by the Venezuelan people.

The Arab Spring came from the bottom up.

Should we continue with this policy of significant financial support for the LAF when it seems not at all to be working?

That is why I think this committee and others need to reassess those expenditures.

If we are trying to strengthen the Sunni or Druze or Christian influence inside Lebanon against Hezbollah, we are failing.

I think Ms. Frankel is right in saying that we are, in many ways, weakening our diplomatic instruments.

If we are trying to eliminate the degree to which Hezbollah serves Iran, we are failing.

If we are trying to strengthen Lebanon's independence we are failing. If we are trying to limit Hezbollah's power, we are failing.

This notion that, well, we cannot do this because there will be disorder in the West Bank or the Palestinian Authority would collapse, I think it is a reasonable concern, but it is not going to happen.

As long as the Palestinian Authority is, in effect, rewarding terror, we need to make our views, our repugnance, known.

this terrible death of Taylor Force is what really got people to stand up and say, wait a minute, now we understand it, and it is intolerable.

The moral point is crystal clear, and now is the time to act.