Jane Harman on the Role of the State Department
Jane Harman discusses the role of the State Department as well as a way forward for Syria in this interview with CNN.
During the Aspen Security Conference, Jane Harman talked to CNN about the role of the State Department and the best way forward in Syria.
"The State Department has two roles that are indispensible...diplomacy and development...our kinetic power is third. A large military footprint has an inverse relationship to building support for our policies around the world."
"I think our best weapon in fighting terrorism is a better narrative..just a wack a mole approach is not going to win this. We need to think about the kid who is 15 or 16 and is thinking about whether he is going to strap on that suicide vest or do something constructive for his country. We need to have a narraitve that makes [youth] think that the United States stands for opportunity, improvement, tolerance and pluralism."
About the Author
Jane Harman
Jane Harman, Distinguished Fellow and President Emerita, Wilson Center, is an internationally recognized authority on U.S. and global security issues, foreign relations and lawmaking. A native of Los Angeles and a public-school graduate, she went on to become a nine-term member of Congress, serving decades on the major security committees in the House of Representatives. Drawing upon a career that has included service as President Carter’s Secretary of the Cabinet and hundreds of diplomatic missions to foreign countries, Harman holds posts on nearly a dozen governmental and non-governmental advisory boards and commissions.
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