I am pleased to be here today to discuss the programs and activities funded by the international affairs budget - the 'function 150' account of the federal budget. As you requested, my goal today is to help set the stage for a thoughtful examination of the issues that should be raised in assessing the current programs and activities on the books that support U.S. foreign policy and economic objectives. To date, no one has undertaken such a comprehensive review of 150 account activities. This examination appears to be warranted in light of the dramatically changed world environment and new budget realities and increased demand for accountability for results. GAO'S 1996 symposium involving leading academics and practitioners in the area of international affairs evidenced the broad and significant changes that are taking place in the world in terms of governance, finance, economics, and political-military affairs. I will establish the context for my statement and provide an overview of six categories into which we have placed the international affairs programs. Then I will outline a framework for assessing these activities and their funding. And finally, I will discuss some of the critical issues and questions that should be examined in each of our six categories.

A necessary and unprecedented account of America's changing relationship with Israel When it comes to Israel, U.S. policy has always emphasized the unbreakable bond between the two countries and our ironclad commitment to Israel's security. Today our ties to Israel are close—so close that when there are differences, they tend to make the news. But it was not always this way. Dennis Ross has been a direct participant in shaping U.S. policy toward the Middle East, and Israel specifically, for nearly thirty years. He served in senior roles, including as Bill Clinton's envoy for Arab-Israeli peace, and was an active player in the debates over how Israel fit into the region and what should guide our policies. In Doomed to Succeed, he takes us through every administration from Truman to Obama, throwing into dramatic relief each president's attitudes toward Israel and the region, the often tumultuous debates between key advisers, and the events that drove the policies and at times led to a shift in approach. Ross points out how rarely lessons were learned and how distancing the United States from Israel in the Eisenhower, Nixon, Bush, and Obama administrations never yielded any benefits and why that lesson has never been learned. Doomed to Succeed offers compelling advice for how to understand the priorities of Arab leaders and how future administrations might best shape U.S. policy in that light.