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FEDERALhearing transcript

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Senate Hearing on the Middle East Humanitarian Crisis

Original title: THE U.S. ROLE AND STRATEGY IN THE MIDDLE EAST: THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

January 1, 2019

Middle East Humanitarian Crisis Syria Iraq Refugees Foreign Policy ISIS

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing documents the official legislative record regarding the U.S. government's assessment of the humanitarian impact of the Syrian and Iraqi conflicts, which informs ongoing foreign aid and military strategy decisions.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Syrian and Iraqi civilians

These populations are experiencing displacement and require humanitarian assistance due to ongoing regional conflicts.

U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

The committee is responsible for evaluating foreign policy and humanitarian aid strategies in response to the crisis.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2019.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on September 29, 2015, to examine the humanitarian crisis in Syria and Iraq. Witnesses and committee members discussed the scale of displacement, the impact of the Syrian civil war, and the effectiveness of current U.S. foreign policy strategies.

Key Facts

Over 4.1 million Syrians have fled the country since 2011.
More than 7.6 million people are internally displaced within Syria.
Estimates suggest over 300,000 total deaths in Syria, with the Assad regime attributed to over 100,000 civilian deaths.
In Iraq, 8.6 million people require humanitarian assistance.
3.2 million people are displaced within Iraq.
The hearing was the second in a series regarding the U.S. role in the Middle East.
The committee noted the establishment of a coordination cell in Baghdad involving Iraq, Iran, Russia, and Syria.

Why It Matters

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the purpose of this hearing?

The hearing was held to examine the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, specifically focusing on the displacement of people in Syria and Iraq and the U.S. strategy in the region.

Who provided testimony at this hearing?

Testimony was provided by David Miliband (International Rescue Committee), Dr. Michel Gabaudan (Refugees International), and Nancy Lindborg (United States Institute of Peace).

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Shift in Coalition Dynamics

The committee expressed concern that Iraq, a U.S. coalition beneficiary, began coordinating with Iran, Russia, and Syria.

Iraq Iran Russia Syria

Connected Entities

personBenjamin L. Cardin“Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations”Map →

personAssad“Leader of the Syrian regime”Map →

personBob Corker“Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations”Map →

personNancy Lindborg“President of the United States Institute of Peace”Map →

personMichel Gabaudan“President of Refugees International”Map →

personDavid Miliband“President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance80
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy65
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment20
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level

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