Home |
Site Index |
FAQs |
Contact |
RSS |
Podcast
home > campaign 2008 > campaign blog: the candidates and the world
“[D]id nuclear arms help the Soviet Union from falling and disintegrating? For that
matter, did a nuclear bomb help the U.S. to prevail inside Iraq or Afghanistan, for that matter? Nuclear bombs belong to the 20th century. We are living in a new century.”
–Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in an interview with NBC’s Brian Williams that aired Monday.
The Columbus Dispatch says the state of Ohio, where Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is to give an energy address on Friday, has become a battleground for the presidential campaigns on the issue of coal.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has again called for “meaningful and impactful” sanctions (WSJ) against Iran. He also expressed doubt that Iran has actually suspended its nuclear weapons program.
Responding to news of Iranian missile tests, both candidates called for tougher sanctions on Iran Wednesday. On Good Morning America, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) said Iran is a “grave threat,” and called for “direct diplomacy” with that country’s government. He said the United States should be “gathering our allies together in a serious effort to apply sanctions to Iran and encourage them to change their behavior.” Obama also said the U.S. occupation of Iraq “is part of what has strengthened Iran’s hand.”
In an MSNBC interview Wednesday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said the testing “cries out for collective action to cut off now the lines of credit that the Iranians are getting, to cut off now the trade and diplomatic and other activities that go on between the Iranians and the world.”
In a written statement, McCain also said Iran’s missile tests demonstrate “the need for effective missile defense now and in the future,” including in the Czech Republic and Poland. He said the United States should work with European and regional allies to “meet the threat posed by Iran,” and should avoid “unilateral concessions that undermine multilateral diplomacy.”
For more on the candidates’ stances on U.S. policy toward Iran, see this CFR.org Issue Tracker.
“I announce my readiness to meet with all the presidential candidates of the United States and have a live debate with them.”
–Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at a press conference (PRESS TV) at the D8 summit of developing nations Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Anthony Lake, foreign policy adviser to Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), said Obama will likely pressure European allies to implement tougher sanctions on Iran. Lake also discussed Obama’s plan to withdraw troops from Iraq, the U.S.-India nuclear deal, and U.S. policy toward Pakistan.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) released his “crime fighting strategy” on Tuesday. That strategy includes the expansion of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency’s Criminal Alien Program, so that state and local officials will have access to identifying information regarding “criminal aliens.” McCain “believes that state and local governments should not be saddled with the cost of fixing a problem created by the federal government’s failure to secure the border,” a campaign press release said.
Speaking from Colombia Tuesday, McCain said pressed President Alvaro Uribe on human rights in that country. He also praised Uribe’s “significant progress” (WashPost) fighting the FARC.
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) ended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination late las
t week, saying he will now channel the energy of his presidential campaign into “long-term efforts to take back our country.” Paul has said he will not endorse presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. Paul, whose campaign enjoyed massive grassroots political support, advocated a series of libertarian political and economic reforms. He called for a decidedly non-interventionist approach to international affairs.
Here is a review of his main views on foreign policy matters:
• Paul adamantly opposed the war in Iraq, and was one of only six House Republicans to vote against its authorization in 2002. “The sooner we withdraw the better,” he wrote on the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the war.
• He also opposed U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan.
• Paul criticizes neoconservatives pushing for the use of force against Iran. He is skeptical of reasons given to justify war with that country, saying Iran is not going to attack Israel and is “nowhere close” to getting a nuclear weapon.
• He also opposes the distribution of U.S. foreign aid, particularly to Israel and other Middle Eastern countries.
• Throughout the campaign, Paul said the problem of illegal immigration cannot be solved “until we have a healthy, thriving economy.” He advocated a physical tightening of the U.S. borders and opposed amnesty and welfare for immigrants.
• Paul voted against the USA Patriot Act and has been critical of other infringements on Americans’ civil liberties.
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) suspended her candidacy for the Democratic nomination
June 7 . Clinton, who had advanced farther than any woman presidential candidate in U.S. history, sought throughout the campaign season to distinguish her foreign policy agenda from that of her main opponent, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL).
In a concession speech Saturday, Clinton endorsed Obama and urged her supporters to work for his election.
Here is a review of Clinton’s key foreign policy positions:
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) both spoke before the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference Wednesday. Obama vowed to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapons capability and promised to ensure “Israel’s qualitative military advantage” by implementing what he called a “Memorandum of Understanding” that would grant Israel $30 billion over the next decade.
In her speech, Clinton said she opposes negotiating with the Palestinian group in control of Gaza, Hamas, until it renounces terror and recognizes Israel. She also said the United States should develop an “international consensus against Iran’s nuclear program with a set of tougher sanctions if Iran continues to defy the international community.”
Arab leaders responded unfavorably to Obama’s assertions about Jerusalem, al-Jazeera reports. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Obama’s comments on Israel proves “there will be no change in the U.S. administration’s foreign policy on the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) called for a global divestment campaign against Iran similar to the effort launched against South Africa before it abandoned apartheid. Speaking at the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual policy conference on Monday, McCain also warned against “conferring approval” upon Hamas and said the international community should “more fully empower” allies against Hezbollah in Lebanon. McCain also praised “America’s progress” in Iraq and linked U.S. success there to Israeli security.
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) are scheduled to speak at the AIPAC conference Wednesday.
A Gallup poll released Monday found 59 percent of Americans surveyed said they thought the president of the United States should meet with the president of Iran. Two-thirds of those surveyed said they thought the U.S. president should meet with rogue leaders in general.
“We should privatize the sanctions against Iran by launching a worldwide divestment campaign. As more people, businesses, pension funds and financial institutions across the world divest from companies doing business with Iran, the radical elite who run that country will become even more unpopular than they are already.”
–Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), in a speech Monday before the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference.
Copyright 2007 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.
