This Fight Ain't Over

Think the debt ceiling gridlock was ugly? Congress is just getting warmed up. Here are eight more foreign-policy battles right around the corner.

BY JOSH ROGIN | AUGUST 4, 2011

While imperiling global markets, enraging the American people, and generally doing little of benefit for the country besides giving pundits something to talk about, the U.S. debt ceiling crisis also brought almost every other piece of important congressional business to a halt for weeks, if not months.

"Just to speak to how dysfunctional the U.S. Senate is, we're here over the debt ceiling, but instead of focusing on the issue at hand, we're going to focus on something that's irrelevant possibly and has nothing to do with why we're here," Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said last month when he insisted that Congress not talk about Libya until the economy is fixed. "Let's not take up an issue that will have no effect on and has nothing to do with the debt ceiling, and take on those issues that will."

Now that a deal has been struck, lawmakers should be able to return to the other pending matters on their agenda -- after they get back from their five-week vacation, that is. And when they do finally return to town, they'll face a long list of foreign policy and national security issues that are priorities for President Barack Obama's administration, but which remain stalled on Capitol Hill.

Here are the top eight foreign-policy items currently held up by the do-nothing 112th Congress.

Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images 

 

Josh Rogin is a staff writer at Foreign Policy and writes The Cable blog for ForeignPolicy.com.

JOHN MCAULIFF

10:17 AM ET

August 5, 2011

Cuba policy is missing

The President's important opening of Cuban American travel and remittances is under attack by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart's effort to reinstate the Bush era in the Appropriations bill. This has prompted a veto threat, perhaps motivated by a political assessment of how the conflict will affect the votes of 400,000 travelers to Cuba and additional numbers who send remittances, including quasi investments. This is over 20% of the Cuban population in the US

The White House's opening of non-tourist travel is being implemented only half-heartedly by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the State Department, but even that has prompted apoplexy among hard line exiles and wannabees including Sen. Menendez and Rep. Ros-Lehtinen.

This may seem only a special interest side show except that it powerfully shapes views in Latin American capitals about how tied down US policy still is by cold war shibboleths.

John McAuliff
Funf for Reconciliation and Development

 

ROOTSPREADEEP

12:51 PM ET

August 5, 2011

Excellent article

Josh, you've really done a splendid job here. Wish we could come to a quick resolve on the internal dispute preventing a smooth sale of the Javelin ATGMto India which is very likely to fall to the Israeli Spike. US could use a major win right now in this field particularly in that market.

 

HIGHER EDUCATION

3:30 PM ET

August 5, 2011

Well Done

Congratulations Josh, this is really a harrowing account of future problems. America needs wins not only in foreign policy, but also in higher education, medicare and medicaid and general partisan politics.
JW

 

MAGGIE_MEYER

9:15 AM ET

August 10, 2011

Won't the South Rise Again?

I have to say this article was excellent. I can't wait for the fall session to start and to spend entirely too much time ogling CSPAN. My room mates are already dreading it, I tend to be an active debate watcher.

However, I am surprised that this list did not include the South China Sea issue. Especially with China rising and our concerns with trade, debt and laws of the sea continuing to be at the forefront of policy, I would think that figuring out security through the Malacca Strait and other key trade routes would be pivotal for the coming congress. Even continued presence in the MIddle East, and the cost-prohibitive nature of brining supplies to troops in ways other than across the blue, calls for security in the region.

I think that this debate will go hand in hand with Defense Spending and military action in the Middle East.

 

KELSI257

7:08 PM ET

September 2, 2011

This Fight Ain't Over

Think the debt ceiling gridlock was ugly? Congress is just getting warmed up. Here are eight more foreign-policy battles right around the corner. Josh, you've really done a splendid job here. Wish we could come to a quick resolve on the internal dispute preventing a smooth sale of the Javelin ATGMto India which is very likely to fall to the Israeli Spike. US could use a major win right now in this field particularly in that market. skin care myth The White House's opening of non-tourist travel is being implemented only half-heartedly by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the State Department, but even that has prompted apoplexy among hard line exiles and wannabees including stavky Sen. Menendez and Rep. Ros-Lehtinen.This may seem only a special interest side show except that it powerfully shapes views in Latin American capitals about.