Nita Lowey, the Democratic chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, is standing in the way of critical U.S. diplomacy. She’s refusing to allow the State Department to pay for U.S. representation at the 2020 World Expo in Dubai. As Foreign Policy reported last week, Lowey says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should take a hike if he expects Congress to fund a U.S. pavilion at the event. Having been unable to raise sufficient private funds to pay for the $50 million to $60 million projected cost of the U.S. pavilion, Pompeo is asking Congress to allow him to repurpose funds from the State Department budget.
Lowey’s stance is idiotic. The World Expo, to be held from October 2020 to April 2021, will see 192 nations set up stalls to attract foreign investment and advance positive diplomacy. But America’s necessary involvement isn’t ultimately about public relations. It’s about showing the world our desire for constructive engagement and, perhaps most importantly, our ambition to compete with China and Russia.
That the 2020 expo will be held in Dubai makes it even more important.
The United Arab Emirates is an important ally and trading partner. But if America rejects participating in the expo, our Chinese and Russian competitors in attendance will make sure everyone notices. Keen to assume the role of international interlocutor in the Middle East and gain all the arms sales and political influence that go with that role, Vladimir Putin works hard to present America as an impotent and unreliable force in the Middle East. In a region where political decisions are made as much on the basis of perception as they are on reality, America’s detachment from the World Expo would send a dangerous message. It would encourage our allies to move closer to Russia and China in the belief that we are no longer reliable. And that would mean reduced support for U.S. counterterrorism priorities, greater regional instability, and more successful Russian efforts to drive up global energy prices.
The U.S. pavilion would serve other important interests too.
For one, it would allow the United States to advertise that strongest virtue of our economy: its relative stability as a safe haven for investors. With a lot of high-wealth individuals filtering through the expo at a time of rising regional tension, there’s good reason to think the U.S. could attract significant new investments to our shores. That means ingredients for new jobs and economic growth. In addition, a U.S. pavilion would also offer some valuable intelligence service opportunities.
Still, the key here is for America to recognize that we are in a global struggle for influence. Seeking to replace the American democratic order with its feudal mercantilism, China is waving its flag and influence around the world. It wants to take control of foreign demand and supply chains and ensure that all wealth ultimately flows through China.
Neither China nor Russia cares about international stability, the rule of law, or private property rights. If America steps back from this challenge, our adversaries will have that much more chance of succeeding. Let’s not give them that chance. Congress should fund the U.S. pavilion at the 2020 World Expo.
