Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

EDITORIAL: Commend House speaker, legislators for visit to Syria
Staff Editorial
The Daily Iowan (U. Iowa)
04/06/2007

(U-WIRE) IOWA CITY, Iowa — The United States Constitution, not the executive branch, grants Congress the power to regulate relations between the United States and foreign nations. Only Congress may declare war and regulate international commerce under the Constitution, and our Founding Fathers charged Congress with maintaining armed forces to defend us. The recent visit by a contingent of legislators, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to Syria represents a continuation of this spirit; despite the president's insistence to the contrary, the opening of high-level dialogue with Syria is a necessary step toward reconciling the competing elements of the Middle East.

While President Bush does make appointments to important foreign-relations posts, his actions almost always require Congress' approval. In short, allowing the president to be seen as the nation's only legitimate political authority on international affairs runs contrary to the intent of our Founding Fathers. Pelosi should be commended for her decision to reassert Congress' role in developing a comprehensive foreign policy that accounts for a wider range of diplomatic preferences than could possibly be expressed by a president making decisions based on his sole discretion.

Syria's rivalry with Israel should not preclude recognition of the Syrian government as an important player in Middle Eastern affairs - the nation has played a key role in events in Lebanon, Israel, and Iraq, and it is in the United States' best interest to engage Syria in diplomatic talks to better understand the political reality in the Middle East.

Syria has made overtures to the West since the low point in U.S.-Syrian relations, when the United States recalled the American ambassador to the country in early 2005. While dialogue between Syria and Europe has remained fairly consistent, Bush's administration has been content with cutting off all ties with the Syrian government. Pelosi acted prudently, with an eye to stabilize the Middle East through diplomatic negotiations, when she stepped in to open a dialogue where the Bush administration has insisted only on closing diplomatic channels. Pelosi, traveling with a bipartisan group of congressmen and -women, is promoting an American agenda, not a partisan one. In refusing to toe the president's line, these legislators are reasserting Congress' constitutional right to expose foreign-policy preferences that represent the will of the people, not just of the president. Our legislators need to be well-versed in international affairs so that they can be properly equipped to counter the president when his actions in the international arena become less indicative of the American public's mood.

Syria has been a state on the verge of pariah status for a long time, but its newfound willingness to negotiate should not be ignored. Pelosi deserves commendation rather than criticism for her bold decision to wrest control of this country's fate in the Middle East from a boorish, uninterested president.

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