The Candidates and The World

Transition 2012

A guide to foreign policy and the 2012 U.S. presidential transition.

Midday Update: Poll, Many Voters Like Mideast Response

by Newsteam Staff Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Photo of the Day: US Secretary of State Clinton meets with Myanmar opposition leader Suu Kyi in Washington September 18, 2012. (Gary Cameron/Courtesy Reuters) Photo of the Day: US Secretary of State Clinton meets with Myanmar opposition leader Suu Kyi in Washington September 18, 2012. (Gary Cameron/Courtesy Reuters)

A Pew Research Center poll released yesterday showed that among voters who followed the news about the attacks on U.S. embassies in the Middle East, nearly half (45 percent) approve of President Obama’s handling of the situation, while 36 percent disapprove. Read more »

Midday Update: Romney, Obama Pivot Back to Economy

by Newsteam Staff Monday, September 17, 2012
Photo of the Day: An Occupy Wall Street activist in New York September 17, 2012.(Brendan McDermid/Courtesy Reuters) Photo of the Day: An Occupy Wall Street activist in New York September 17, 2012.(Brendan McDermid/Courtesy Reuters)

After last week’s focus on foreign policy following deadly protests in the Middle East, both President Barack Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney are expected to try to steer the focus of their campaigns back to the economy (WashPost). Read more »

Midday Update: Romney Advisers Talk Mideast Response

by Toni Johnson Friday, September 14, 2012
Photo of the Day: A supporter of U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in Fairfax, Virginia, September 13, 2012. (Jim Young/Courtesy Reuters) Photo of the Day: A supporter of U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in Fairfax, Virginia, September 13, 2012. (Jim Young/Courtesy Reuters)

GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s campaign advisers on Thursday said that the deadly protests in the Middle East would not be happening if the Republican nominee were president (WashPost). Read more »

Midday Update: Poll Weighs in on National Security Views

by Newsteam Staff Thursday, September 13, 2012
Photo of the Day: U.S. President Barack Obama at campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada September 12, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters) Photo of the Day: U.S. President Barack Obama at campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada September 12, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters)

A new Gallup poll­ shows the Democratic and Republican parties tied, at 45 percent, in voters’ perception of which major party would do the better job of protecting the United States from international terrorism and military threats, a five-year high for Democrats. Read more »

Views from Abroad: A Mexican Take on the GOP Platform

by Newsteam Staff Wednesday, September 12, 2012
A marker on the road signifies the border line between the United States and Mexico at the border crossing in San Ysidro, Mexico September 27, 2011. (Mike Blake/Courtesy Reuters) A marker on the road signifies the border line between the United States and Mexico at the border crossing in San Ysidro, Mexico September 27, 2011. (Mike Blake/Courtesy Reuters)

On this week’s Views, we head to Mexico for another guest post. This time we have Miguel Escobar Valdez, a consul general for Mexico based in Arizona and a member of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI), another institution participating in CFR’s initiative to connect foreign policy institutes from around the world. Read more »

Midday Update: Romney’s ‘Subtle Contrast’ on Afghanistan

by Newsteam Staff Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Photo of the Day: Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney greets supporters in Jacksonville, Florida, September 12, 2012. (Jim Young/Reuters) Photo of the Day: Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney greets supporters in Jacksonville, Florida, September 12, 2012. (Jim Young/Reuters)

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney discussed his plans for the U.S. military and the drawdown from Afghanistan in a speech at the National Guard Convention Tuesday that some say “drew only subtle contrasts with the president’s foreign policy” (WashPost) and mainly “echoed the current U.S. policy” (Politico). Read more »

Midday Update: Campaigns Pause for 9/11 Rememberance

by Newsteam Staff Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Photo of the Day: U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama observe a moment of silence on the 11th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, September 11, 2012 (Jason Reed/Courtesy Reuters). Photo of the Day: U.S. President Barack Obama and wife Michelle observe the anniversary of the September 11 attacks at the White House, September 11, 2012 (Jason Reed/Courtesy Reuters).

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden will be off the campaign trail today to commemorate the eleventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks (Politico). GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan issued statements about the anniversary. Political ads will also pause today (FoxNews). Read more »

Midday Update: Romney Plays Defense on Afghanistan

by Newsteam Staff Monday, September 10, 2012
Photo of the Day: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney at a campaign rally at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia September 8, 2012 (Brian Snyder/Courtesy Reuters). Photo of the Day: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney at a campaign rally in Virginia Beach, September 8, 2012 (Brian Snyder/Courtesy Reuters).

In an appearance on Meet the Press, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney defended the absence of Afghanistan policy in his convention speech and criticized President Barack Obama for not being tougher with Iran. Read more »

Midday Update: Campaigns Head Into Home Stretch

by Newsteam Staff Friday, September 7, 2012
Photo of the Day: Delegates in the crowd during the final session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 6, 2012 (Jim Young/Courtesy Reuters). Photo of the Day: Delegates in the crowd during the final session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 6, 2012 (Jim Young/Courtesy Reuters).

President Barack Obama officially accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president (WashPost) on the last night of the convention Thursday, delivering a speech that included appeals to voters for more time to shepherd the United States through a slow economic recovery and to continue improving its global standing while warning of the setbacks (NYT) that would come with a Republican presidency. Read more »

Convention Update: Touting Obama’s Foreign Policy Record

by Newsteam Staff Friday, September 7, 2012
President Barack Obama accepts the 2012 U.S Democratic presidential nomination during the final session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 6, 2012. (Jason Reed/Courtesy Reuters). President Barack Obama accepts the 2012 U.S Democratic presidential nomination during the final session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 6, 2012. (Jason Reed/Courtesy Reuters).

Most of the 2012 campaign has focused on domestic policy, particularly the economy. But President Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the close of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., made room for foreign policy concerns as well, tying them with his plans for the U.S. economy: Read more »