On May 18, VCDNP Senior Research Associate Dr. Hanna Notte testified to the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee (Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa and Global Counterterrorism) on the implications of Russia's war against Ukraine for Moscow's interests, role and diplomacy in the Middle East. Notte was invited to testify by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee in her role as expert in arms control and security issues in the Middle East. Besides Notte, Frederic Wehrey, Ph.D. Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Ms. Caitlin Welsh, Director of the Global Food Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Mr. Grant Rumley, Senior Fellow at the The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, were invited to testify as well.
During her testimony, Dr. Notte addressed prospects for Russia's cooperation with the United States on regional arms control and non-proliferation, as well as the Syria humanitarian and political dossiers. She also elaborated on regional states' perceptions of the Ukraine war, their fears about an accelerated decline of U.S. power in the region, and their security and commercial interests with Russia - all of which mitigate against countries taking firm positions over Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
