Institute Executive Director Robert Satloff Testifies Before House Foreign Affairs Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | February 9, 2011
Press Contact: 202.230.9550, press@washingtoninstitute.org

WASHINGTON - Executive Director Robert Satloff testified today before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The hearing addressed "Recent Developments in Egypt and Lebanon: Implications for U.S. Policy and Allies in the Broader Middle East."

As the committee's first hearing since the outbreak of protests in the region, this was an important moment for The Washington Institute to help inform U.S. congressional leaders on vital issues related to the Egyptian protests, such as the implications of suspended U.S. aid to Egypt. The following is an excerpt from Dr. Satloff's prepared remarks:

"Events of the past two weeks have constituted an earthquake in terms of Arab political dynamics, the pursuit of security and peace in the Arab-Israeli arena, and the campaign to promote democratic reform in the broader Middle East. As an American, one could not but be moved by the courage and determination of the thousands of protestors yearning for peaceful, democratic change. And as an American, one could not but be concerned that this hopeful moment may -- as has been the case with previous hopeful moments in Lebanon and Iran -- give way to a darker era...."

Download his full remarks here.

About the Washington Institute

The Washington Institute is an independent, nonpartisan research institution that advances a balanced and realistic understanding of U.S. interest in the broader Middle East. Drawing on the research of its fellows and the experience of its policy practitioners, the Institute promotes informed debate and scholarly research on U.S. policy in the region.