Senator Chris Coons on ‘Striking the Right Balance: America’s Commitment to Syria and Afghanistan’

A discussion with Senator Chris Coons, US Senator for Delaware.
In this discussion, Senator Coons will offer his views on the value of continued US troop commitments in Syria and Afghanistan, and what US strategy towards both means for America and its Western allies.

Speaker Biography

Senator Chris Coons has earned a reputation as a principled and pragmatic lawmaker, focused on some of the most important issues confronting Delaware and the nation. Chris has emerged as a strong voice for job creation and the innovation economy, jobs, progressive social justice and Delaware’s values

Serving on the Appropriations, Judiciary, Foreign Relations and Ethics committees, Chris is uniquely positioned to help nurture American innovation and make the United States more competitive in the global market. His legislative agenda has focused on job creation, levelling the playing field for clean-energy technology, expanding the impact of research and development, tax credit and measures focused on attracting federal resources. In particular, he is a champion of the Violence Reduction Network to help law enforcement combat violent crime in Wilmington and the University of Delaware’s new National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals.

Before joining the Senate, Chris spent a decade of successful service in New Castle County government. As New Castle County Council President and then New Castle County Executive, he earned a reputation for delivering real results on behalf of Delawareans, preserving critical community services while protecting the county’s finances during the least stable national economic climate in decades.

Prior to serving as county executive, Chris worked as an attorney for Delaware-based W.L. Gore & Associates, an innovative, science-based business, where he helped the company expand. Chris previously worked for the ‘I Have a Dream’ Foundation, helping at-risk youth stay in school, get to college and build their lives, and with the Coalition for the Homeless.

Senator Coons is a graduate of Amherst College with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and political science, taking a semester to study abroad at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. He earned a law degree from Yale Law School while simultaneously earning a master’s degree in ethics from Yale Divinity School.