A quick glance around the globe finds an obstinate Iran promising a “lightning response” to any action by Israel; continued and escalating violence in Syria; much of the Middle East still reeling from protests where the long-term results remain unsure; and the ever present threat of a destabilized and also nuclear Pakistan—just to list a few. But read almost any major interview with the Presidential candidates and the discussion centers almost entirely around domestic issues—unemployment rates, taxes, budget cuts, and healthcare.
With the U.S. mired in costly wars, uneasy allies, and decisions driven more by exports and oil than long term diplomacy, the idea of foreign policy not driving at least a strong portion of the election discussion is extraordinary. At a gathering of DC heavy-hitters each laid out their top two choices in the “veepstakes”; only one person mentioned a candidate with national security credentials, and he was the number two choice. Mark Halperin of Time sat down with Governor Romney for an extensive Q & A session without a single question regarding foreign policy, even if you made the effort to read the extended version. Even President Obama, aside from basking in the post-combat glow of killing Osama bin Laden, is talking very little about foreign policy.
The silence on the part of the Obama Administration is understandable as their foreign policy has been, in large part, a continuation of George W. Bush’s policies and practices, albeit with a penitent delivery. The continued massacre in Syria has been met largely with silence, lest we offend Russia or China, who would like Assad to stay. On June 11, 2012, John Williams, President and CEO of Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, spoke of the dire threat of the European financial crisis as a “significant threat to financial stability” Weak jobs numbers and other less than stellar economic data forced the White House to finally speak out on the looming Euro-Zone crisis, but their push felt less leading from behind and more like running to catch a train that’s already left the station.
You would expect Governor Romney to be using the opportunity to talk about what he would do differently, but he too is focused on domestic policy. A top Romney advisor, when asked what the campaign’s top three issues were, replied, “Jobs. Jobs. Jobs.”
They are not even tweeting about foreign policy. A quick look at tweets from the Obama campaign (@BarackObama) over the past month nets three mentions of Sarah Jessica Parker, but not one on an international issue. The Romney campaign (@MittRomney) mentioned North Korea back on April 12th.
To be fair, the Romney campaign delves into detail on their national security plans, and the Obama-Biden campaign website has “National Security’ as one of its top eight issues. But to listen to major news networks and publications is to hear very little on the subject. Missing from the dialog are concrete ideas of America moving forward on the world stage, our tenuous relationships with China and Russia, continued Middle East instability, and our long term role in Afghanistan.
Part of this can be traced to the current national landscape. The slow pace of economic recovery is being felt across the country. The Federal Reserve released a report in June 2012 that reported median family wealth had decreased nearly 40 percent from 2007 to 2010. Due in large part to the decline in home values, that is a staggering reduction to realize in only three years. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke recently on Capitol Hill and warned that the “so-called fiscal cliff would...pose a significant threat to the recovery." In Bernanke’s remarks to the Joint Economic Council in June he said that “according to surveys, households continue to rate their income prospects as relatively poor and do not expect economic conditions to improve significantly.”
With a recovery running at half-pace, even before the twin blows of decreased spending and tax increases, it is understandable that our focus, and that of our candidates, has been domestic. But the world is more interconnected than ever and our homeland security and financial security benefits from stability overseas, proactive diplomacy, strong allies and robust foreign policy. Words buried in websites are a start, but how will we get the answers we need if no one asks the question?
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's September/October 2012 edition. It has been edited for grammatical clarity from its original print publication.
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The Presidential Candidates and Foreign Policy
October 5, 2012
A quick glance around the globe finds an obstinate Iran promising a “lightning response” to any action by Israel; continued and escalating violence in Syria; much of the Middle East still reeling from protests where the long-term results remain unsure; and the ever present threat of a destabilized and also nuclear Pakistan—just to list a few. But read almost any major interview with the Presidential candidates and the discussion centers almost entirely around domestic issues—unemployment rates, taxes, budget cuts, and healthcare.
With the U.S. mired in costly wars, uneasy allies, and decisions driven more by exports and oil than long term diplomacy, the idea of foreign policy not driving at least a strong portion of the election discussion is extraordinary. At a gathering of DC heavy-hitters each laid out their top two choices in the “veepstakes”; only one person mentioned a candidate with national security credentials, and he was the number two choice. Mark Halperin of Time sat down with Governor Romney for an extensive Q & A session without a single question regarding foreign policy, even if you made the effort to read the extended version. Even President Obama, aside from basking in the post-combat glow of killing Osama bin Laden, is talking very little about foreign policy.
The silence on the part of the Obama Administration is understandable as their foreign policy has been, in large part, a continuation of George W. Bush’s policies and practices, albeit with a penitent delivery. The continued massacre in Syria has been met largely with silence, lest we offend Russia or China, who would like Assad to stay. On June 11, 2012, John Williams, President and CEO of Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, spoke of the dire threat of the European financial crisis as a “significant threat to financial stability” Weak jobs numbers and other less than stellar economic data forced the White House to finally speak out on the looming Euro-Zone crisis, but their push felt less leading from behind and more like running to catch a train that’s already left the station.
You would expect Governor Romney to be using the opportunity to talk about what he would do differently, but he too is focused on domestic policy. A top Romney advisor, when asked what the campaign’s top three issues were, replied, “Jobs. Jobs. Jobs.”
They are not even tweeting about foreign policy. A quick look at tweets from the Obama campaign (@BarackObama) over the past month nets three mentions of Sarah Jessica Parker, but not one on an international issue. The Romney campaign (@MittRomney) mentioned North Korea back on April 12th.
To be fair, the Romney campaign delves into detail on their national security plans, and the Obama-Biden campaign website has “National Security’ as one of its top eight issues. But to listen to major news networks and publications is to hear very little on the subject. Missing from the dialog are concrete ideas of America moving forward on the world stage, our tenuous relationships with China and Russia, continued Middle East instability, and our long term role in Afghanistan.
Part of this can be traced to the current national landscape. The slow pace of economic recovery is being felt across the country. The Federal Reserve released a report in June 2012 that reported median family wealth had decreased nearly 40 percent from 2007 to 2010. Due in large part to the decline in home values, that is a staggering reduction to realize in only three years. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke recently on Capitol Hill and warned that the “so-called fiscal cliff would...pose a significant threat to the recovery." In Bernanke’s remarks to the Joint Economic Council in June he said that “according to surveys, households continue to rate their income prospects as relatively poor and do not expect economic conditions to improve significantly.”
With a recovery running at half-pace, even before the twin blows of decreased spending and tax increases, it is understandable that our focus, and that of our candidates, has been domestic. But the world is more interconnected than ever and our homeland security and financial security benefits from stability overseas, proactive diplomacy, strong allies and robust foreign policy. Words buried in websites are a start, but how will we get the answers we need if no one asks the question?
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's September/October 2012 edition. It has been edited for grammatical clarity from its original print publication.
