Chris Hill Confirmation Hearing: Highlights From Hill’s Opening Statement

These are the main points U.S. Ambassador to Iraq-nominee Christopher Hill wanted to hit in his opening statement for his nomination to be ambassador to Iraq:

The drawdown of U.S. troops will be “combined with a political diplomatic and civilian effort … to lay the foundation for lasting peace and prosperity.” The objective is “normalizing our relations with Iraq” for a “broad-based” relationship, addressing “the plight of refugees and internally displaced people.” He analogizes it, subtly, to his efforts in Kosovo and North Korea. He runs down the list of generals he’s worked with as a way of insulating himself from the charge, made by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsay Graham (R-N.C.), that he doesn’t understand the military.

Priorities: “providing Iraqi government with support it needs for parliamentary elections”; deepening respect for human rights; “helping them strengthen the rule of law”; sustained economic development. He wants to work with Iraq’s neighbors to stabilize the region.

“One of the finest embassy staffs ever put together … diplomacy is a team sport.” This is a subtle way of saying he’ll rely on the experts in the Baghdad embassy to supplement his lack of familiarity with Iraq. “The most important preparation for these overseas assignments” is “a sense of humility and determination.”

In response to questions from Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), he says his tenure as special envoy for Kosovo during the 1999 NATO war made sectarian challenges “very familiar issues” to him. “You’ve got to deal with them on a very local level,” he said. “You’ve got to try to put yourself in the shoes of these communities and try to be helpful.” Spoken like a counterinsurgent.