Political Quotes

“I rise to discuss a very troubled part of the world, the Middle East, a region that is experiencing perhaps the greatest turmoil it has seen since the end of the First World War. After more than 4 years, with over 200,000 people killed and 4 million forced to flee, Syria's civil war and humanitarian crisis continues to drag on. President Assad still clings to power, and he clings to that power with the help of Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah. Opposition groups remain divided, and they are weak, while terrorist groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda's al-Nusra Front exploit the chaos. ISIS also exploits sectarian tensions across the border in Iraq, where its fighters battle Iraqi and Kurdish forces, as well as Shia militias, for control of large parts of the country. And, according to press reports, a Saudi-led coalition meanwhile battles Iranian-backed Houthi rebels for control of Yemen, home to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. In addition to its support for Assad and terror and proxy groups, Iran continues other hostile activities, such as testing ballistic missiles, attacking in cyberspace, and violating human rights. I think this is an important thing to remember, as the expectations of the Iranian joint nuclear agreement--this was not a panacea for all of the things that Iran is doing. As a matter of fact, it specifically was a negotiation to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon, which I think has been achieved for at least 10, if not 15 to 25, years.…”