The White House needs to outline a clear strategy on Syria and North Korea, and obtain congressional approval if it wants to use military force, Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) told Pacific Council members during Spring Conference 2017.

This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Moscow; thousands of Venezuelans protest in the streets of Caracas for nearly two weeks; China orders a fleet of North Korean cargo ships carrying coal to return to North Korea because of that country’s repeated missile tests; and more.

This week, the Assad regime carries out a chemical attack in a rebel-held Syrian province, leading to a U.S. military airstrike; an explosion in a subway in St. Petersburg kills 14 people; North Korea fires a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on the eve of first meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping; and more.

This week, British Prime Minister Theresa May officially initiates the U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union; Pakistan commences production on a 1,500-mile border fence with Afghanistan; impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye is arrested on charges including bribery, extortion, and abuse of power; and more.