WASHINGTON – Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., is a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission. This week, Cardin sat down with the Capital News Service to discuss some of the most pressing foreign policy issues facing the United States. Below, in a question and answer format, are excerpts from the interview.
Military Action in Syria
QUESTION
You introduced legislation that would repeal the 2002 AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force), for a war (Iraq) you voted against. The Obama administration has used the 2001 (Afghanistan) and 2002 AUMF as the bases to carry out strikes in Iraq and Syria. How important do you think it is for the Obama administration to come to Congress at some point and seek new authorization?
ANSWER
Well the circumstances in 2001 and 2002 were very different than they are today. The authorization that (was) used for Afghanistan was in direct response to the attack on our country. The authorization for the use of force in Iraq, that I opposed, was aimed at one specific circumstance. I think it’s critically important that Congress update the authorization for the use of force. I think it’s important we alter the 2001 and 2002 authorizations and I hope that we will do that to meet the current needs … I have very strong concerns about going into a country where we don’t have consent, Syria … So I think we need to modernize the authorizations and Congress should do that.
QUESTION
So should the Obama administration come back to Congress to seek authorization to carry out further strikes in Syria?
ANSWER
I think the president has certain inherent powers, but I think we are always stronger when Congress and the administration work together, so yes I think they should come to the Congress.
QUESTION
The Obama administration has ruled out ground troops, but according to some analysts, ISIS (Islamic State) cannot be pushed out of Syria and Iraq, or degraded and destroyed without ground troops. Is that something you would support under some circumstances?
ANSWER
I think one of the lessons learned from Iraq is that just because we use American ground troops does not mean we will be successful in a mission. I don’t think we want to see a long term U.S. commitment in regards to being in another country, where a lot of the problems are internal and need to be dealt with by the country itself. So no, I don’t think we should be using extensive military operations in these countries and I certainty don’t believe we should commit to a ground war.
QUESTION
So then how is ISIS or ISIL moved out of Iraq and Syria?
ANSWER
Well there’s no one answer. It’s not just going to be a military solution. Clearly our air attacks are having a major impact. I think it’s the responsibility of the host countries to develop their own capacity to defend their countries against the internal problems. But you also need to cut off their support, you need to cut off their financial support. We know how ISIL has been able to gain financial support. We got to make sure moderate Arab states are not inadvertently helping in regards to the financial support. And secondly, you got to cut off the political support. You cut off political support by having governments that represent all the people of a country.
QUESTION
So lets talk about the allies, and specifically Turkey. They’ve agreed to allow peshmerga forces to cross their territory. But do you think Turkey has done enough to combat ISIS (Islamic State)?
ANSWER
When you’re a border country you got to be sensitive to the impact it has on your country. I’ve been to Turkey, I’ve been to the refugee camps in Turkey and I know what they have done in regards to opening up their borders so those fleeing problems and danger in Syria have been able to come into Turkey. So I think it’s very important that we are mindful of the challenges that the bordering countries have, and yes, I think Turkey has made a major effort to try to help in that regard.
Russia Sanctions
QUESTION
You’ve been involved with the Sergei Magnitsky Act in Russia. A couple of days ago the Russian government said it would recognize the results of the upcoming elections in the separatist controlled areas of eastern Ukraine. What effect are the sanctions against Russian and Crimean officials having? Are they having the intended effects?
ANSWER
Oh absolutely. Russia has paid a very heavy price for their aggression. The sanctions that not only the U.S. has imposed but also Europe (have) had a major impact on the Russian economy … We knew it would not be a short-term success, that it would take some time, and I do think that we now need to look at how we can strengthen Ukraine and the institutions within Ukraine so that it can have a government that truly represents all the people of their country.
Drawdown from Afghanistan
QUESTION
President Barack Obama has said troop drawdown begins later this year. By 2016, the U.S. basically exits Afghanistan. Is a timetable a good idea, seeing what happened in Iraq?
ANSWER
Well I’m not so sure a time schedule has been the cause, root problems of Iraq. Iraq has had it’s own internal problems. The Maliki government was not representative of all of its people, it had a lot of corruption issues … In Afghanistan, it is well past time for the Afghans to take responsibility for the security of their own country. The United States cannot and should not use our military to try to resolve internal disputes. Yes, we want to be present and helpful in regards to extremists and terrorist organizations, and we will continue to do that, but the internal policing and internal military operations within Afghanistan need to be handled by Afghans.
QUESTION
And when U.S. troops leave there have been reports, in The (New York) Times and The Washington Post, that there has been a Taliban resurgence in Kunduz, in the north and northeastern provinces. When the U.S. troops do leave, how much confidence do you have in the Afghan security forces and Afghan institutions that they can deal with the Taliban?
ANSWER
You need to separate the internal conflicts within a country from the support for international terrorism. That’s an issue the United States and international community needs to stay engaged in dealing with international terrorists groups, wherever we may find them. But internal conflicts are matters that need to be resolved by a country. It’s done not just by having a strong military, but it’s also done by having a representative government, providing economic opportunity for all the people and providing a fair society.
QUESTION
(President) Ashraf Ghani has been in power for a few weeks. How do you see his tenure so far, and what hopes do you have?
ANSWER
Well I think we’ve seen some positive steps. We’ve seen certainly some improvements … The Afghan government really needs to deal with corruption … It’s not one person, it’s not one government, it’s been there for a long period of time. They need to deal with the sustainable economy, get off the drug trade, and deal with sustainable economic activities within their country. They need to deal with the tribal realities of the country. So they have a lot of challenges, but it starts with a representative government, government that roots out corruption and represents all the people of Afghanistan.
QUESTION
Now that the war is coming to an end, how do you see the past 13 years in Afghanistan? Has the U.S. reached its objectives, and is the U.S. a safer place?
ANSWER
Well I think we didn’t go to Afghanistan by choice; we went there because there was an attack on our country and that the center of that attack was in Afghanistan … We got distracted by Iraq. I don’t believe we should have ever used our military in Iraq, I think we should have completed Afghanistan well before we did. We were distracted and as a result Afghanistan became more of a challenge than we thought initially.
And yes, I think the objectives we had was to root out the terrorist organizations that were responsible for the attack on our country on Sept. 11. I think we’ve done that effectively in Afghanistan. Are there still problems in Afghanistan? You bet there are, but they’re not of the making that would require a U.S. military presence.
QUESTION
So the Pakistani Taliban has said, or parts of them have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State, and after the operation in North Waziristan they fled to parts of eastern Afghanistan. Do you see it being a sanctuary for terrorists once again?
ANSWER
Well, when we are talking about ISIL or you are talking about the terrorist organizations, we need to deal with them. Part of that response is a military response, which the international community can provide help and support. But we need to cut off their political and financial support … So it’s not just one country’s responsibility, the region needs to be more engaged.
U.S.- Israel Relations
QUESTION
I know Israel is very close to your heart and there’s been a bit of controversy about U.S.-Israel relations. Where do you see them and how do you see them improving in the future.
ANSWER
Israel has no greater friend than the United States. The strength is both in the administration and in the Congress – it’s Democrats, it’s Republicans. I just got back from two days in New York, talked to the Israeli mission.
There is no country like the United States that uses its leadership in the United Nations to protect our friend Israel from the unjust attacks. That relationship is as strong as ever.
QUESTION
There were some reports in The (New York) Times that there were some phrases used by administration officials against Benjamin Netanyahu. Is that not a sign of tension between (the two countries)?
ANSWER
Well I don’t like the fact that when you have these unidentified sources, I think what they tend to do is, they are tools to be used by those who want to weaken the bipartisan, bicameral support for Israel and the strength of both (in the) administration and in Congress. Look at the facts: look at what the Obama administration has done in providing Iron Dome and funding for Iron Dome to the Israelis, look what the Obama administration and Congress has done to bring Iran to the bargaining table to rid the possibility of nuclear weapons … So no, I think the strength in (the) relationship between the Obama administration and the Congress with Israel is as strong as ever.