Russ Feingold

I am hopeful that by holding this hearing we can highlight the critical need for greater engagement, attention, and, quite likely, more resources to fully address this problem.

I think that is a slight imbalance, given what we have to do on the ground.

Well, in this regard, you said that identified members of the FARC and other Colombian organizations are on the ground in West Africa and protecting shipments and making deals.

I am not optimistic about the possibility of avoiding a wholesale disaster in West Africa that will have direct spillover effects in Latin America and the United States.

It is a huge issue for DEA and our counterparts--drug-related corruption and other related crimes involved with that.

Well, I have found this panel to be very interesting, and this hearing, I think, is an important way...

a prime example of this type of individual was Viktor Bout, the Russian weapons merchant who Senator Feingold worked hard to bring to justice

Thank you so much, Assistant Secretary Carson.

This work is being done, to a great degree, through the counternarcotics office in AFRICOM.

I'm honored to be joined by the ranking member of the subcommittee, Senator Isakson, and I'll invite him to deliver some opening remarks in a moment.

I want to thank you, particularly, for the Victor Bout case and your help in bringing him to justice.

Thank you, Senator Kaufman, for your participation and your strong interest in this.

Any system of indefinite detention raises those kinds of issues. I do think this could be a very big mistake.

I just want to reiterate how important it is for the legal justification for this program to be withdrawn.

if the statute is that explicit... it is, in fact, unconstitutional for the President and illegal... to override the express will of the Congress.

If you believe, as I think the President has indicated in the past, that the program was illegal, they cannot stand.

Accordingly, we have to prioritize this issue as long as North Korea continues these provocative and dangerous actions.

I'm very pleased that this hearing is being held. It's been quite some time since the committee has explored this issue and one that I think we can all agree remains one of the greatest challenges to our national security.

The stakes are far too high for an ad hoc, uncoordinated policy, and we must make clear that violations of international law and basic human rights actually have serious consequences.

the possibility that we will create a perception that Guantanamo has not been closed, because the essence of that system was preventive detention without charge.

I do not want to minimize that difficulty, but I do not think we should throw away the possibility of using our established institutions of justice before we have even tried to do so.

I think that is where we put our Nation at severe risk by what we did.

Any such system will inevitably be challenged. Any such system will inevitably be tied up in court for a long time.

anytime we treat these detainees as something special, anytime we treat these detainees as the warriors they claim to be by giving them military rules, military detention, military tribunals, we are actually reinforcing their narrative.

The threat of terrorism is global.