On Tuesday afternoon, Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) joined the Hudson Institute for a conversation with Walter Mead to talk about her views of U.S. national security, particularly as it relates to defense modernization and readiness, American preeminence, and Iranian aggression in the Middle East. See the below clips for highlights of her discussion and you can watch the full event here. 

Cheney On Global Security Threats

REP. CHENEY: “The United States has to remember at all times that our safety and our security relies upon on preeminence, relies upon dominance. We’ve got to make sure that we’re focused on that and making sure that we maintain that and that we regain that in areas that we have lost it.”

Cheney On The Threat Posed By Iran

REP. CHENEY: “We want the Iranians to come back to the table, we want a real deal, but the kind of belligerent threats we’re seeing in the Middle East today are ones I think the administration has responded correctly to. Making clear that we’re not going to be blackmailed, that the Iranians have got to understand very clearly that any attempt of force against the United States will be met with an overwhelming response, and I think you’ve seen that by the movement of our assets there. But the Iranians continuing their nuclear program, continuing to have U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund terrorist activity, is something that we simply won’t stand for.”

Cheney On America’s Responsibility To Lead The World

REP. CHENEY: “If we aren’t the ones who are helping to lead the world and set the rules by which people operate, then you will have nations like the Chinese, like the Russians that step in. And neither the Chinese nor the Russians share our commitment to freedom, share our commitment to the importance of the individual, share our commitment to open global commerce around the world. It’s very important for us not to step back.”