Foreign Relations

“I have focused on the Mideast…, but I’ve also pressed causes with leaders in Asia, South America, Africa, and Europe, on such issues as creating an international criminal court, increasing NATO’s and South Korea’s share of the burden of defense, cracking down on international narcotics trafficking, and investigating the murders of American citizens overseas.” (Passion for Truth, 291)

One of Senator Specter’s passions in his senatorial career was the amount of time he dedicated to strengthening diplomatic relationships between the US and the rest of the world. In Passion for Truth, Specter described himself as having been interested in international affairs since his boyhood. In the Senate, he involved himself in work related to foreign relations almost immediately, serving on a Senate delegation to Italy his first year in office. Specter’s work in this area would bring him into contact with some of the 20th century’s most powerful- and often, most controversial- world leaders.

Most of Specter’s foreign trips were done under the auspices of his roles on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. A majority of his focus was situated on relationships with countries in the Middle East, a particularly tense area in the era of the First and Second Gulf Wars, the fight for Palestinian statehood, and the wake of September 11th. One frequent destination for the Senator was Syria, which he visited for the first time in 1984. Beginning in 1988, Specter began to develop a diplomatic rapport with President Hafez al-Assad (and, later, his son and successive President Bashar al-Assad), discussing difficult issues such as Syrian-Israeli relations, the Pan Am 103 attack, and the treatment of Jewish Syrians. As Specter’s trips to Syria became an almost annual event, he noted his belief that “my experience with those Syrian leaders [al-Assad and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa] has confirmed my view that members of Congress can promote better relations with other nations, even those who are thought to be unfriendly.” (Passion for Truth, PFT298)

Indeed, the Senator worked diligently to promote better relations between not only the US and Syria, but between the US and many other Middle Eastern countries. He met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on several occasions; though the two were both avid squash players, they unfortunately were never able to schedule time for a game. He also attended meetings with Yasser Arafat, the Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, in attempts to broker peace over the matter of Palestinian statehood. A 1990 meeting with Saddam Hussein was less promising, and though he did raise objections about acting without concrete proof, he voted for the authorization of unilateral US action in Iraq in 2002, hoping the threat of action would be enough to keep Hussein in check.

Despite his focus on the Middle East, Specter’s role in foreign operations was not constricted to one area. In the course of his career, he met with Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto, pursued the facts behind Gulf War Syndrome in order to better support veterans, and investigated the 1996 bombing of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. He visited Fidel Castro on several occasions, encouraging a dialogue with Cuba that would lead to a reopening of economic and diplomatic relationships between the two countries. He also served as an advocate for those suffering from religious persecution, introducing legislation in 1997 that would lead to the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Specter aimed to balance both his duties to the United States and to Pennsylvania, with a goal of ensuring stable, positive foreign relationships that would benefit the country and ensure a peaceful world.