24 March 2008
All three candidates claim to be the best person to handle foreign relations so let’s take a look at what that part of our government encompasses. Here is a quote from Wikipedia:
“The foreign relations of the United States are highly influential on the world stage. America’s global reach is backed by a 13 trillion dollar economy.[1] Military intervention and deployments have been persistent components of U.S. foreign policy, as have covert actions for regime change. The officially stated goals of the foreign policy of the United States, as mentioned in the Foreign Policy Agenda of the U.S. Department of State, are “to create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community.”[2] In addition, the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs states as some of its jurisdictional goals: “export controls, including nonproliferation of nuclear technology and nuclear hardware; measures to foster commercial intercourse with foreign nations and to safeguard American business abroad; International commodity agreements; international education; and protection of American citizens abroad and expatriation.”[3] American foreign policy has been the subject of much debate, criticism and praise both domestically and abroad. Subject to the advice and consent role of the U.S. Senate, the President negotiates treaties with foreign nations, but treaties enter into force only if ratified by two-thirds of the Senate.[4] The President is also Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces, and as such has broad authority over the armed forces once they are deployed, however Congress has the sole authority to declare war,[5] and the civilian and military budget is written by the Congress.[6] The Secretary of State is the foreign minister of the United States and is the primary conductor of state-to-state diplomacy.”
Now that’s a mouthful. If you read carefully you will see the part where the Congress has the sole authority to declare war and did so in 2003 after being hoodwinked by false intelligence information. Also is the question of the military budget which has grown and grown. The first thing that comes to my mind is foreign policy decisions and diplomatic activity. I’m looking for experience. Right away I draw a blank. Off the top of my head I can’t come up with any decisions that any of them made relating to policy. As for diplomatic activity, Clinton made many trips abroad meeting with foreign dignitaries but I see her visits as good will visits as wife of a president and she seems to have fudged about just what her capacity was during her visits. McCain, in addition to years of world travel and having made several trips to Iraq over the past few years now is overseas with an official Congressional delegation but I see that as making himself more visible as a presidential candidate. We’ll have to see if following in Bush’s footsteps in regard to the war will win him many points. And please Senator McCain it’s time to reconsider your claim that the “surge” is successful. Looking realistically it seems to have been a temporary measure, as the U.S. military killed-in-action death toll reached four thousand yesterday, Easter Sunday. Civilian deaths by suicide bombing are also rising again.
While McCain has many of the qualities needed as president, his stance on the war is the main reason that I cannot vote for him. As for Obama, aside from living overseas as a child, I’m not quite sure what kind of diplomatic activity he has had abroad. They won’t be going cold turkey to set policies as there are any number of “think tank” groups made up of distinguished scholars from outside the U.S. Government that can be called upon if needed for advice. Who among the candidates will actually study, in depth, the cultures and past behaviors of those with whom they plan to interact in the foreign community? It seems to me that we were sadly lacking in that area when we marched boldly into Iraq, expecting them to fall at our feet.
First, a lot of repair work will have to be done to try to restore the U.S. as a world leader. Right now we seem to be low man on the totem pole. Second, our weakening economy is having a world wide effect and at this point in time I think that the economy is a bigger issue than the Iraq war but our huge military expenditures certainly are a big drain on the economy. Only time will tell how all this will play out. Remember foreign relations are only one point that the candidates will have to have a firm grasp of as the next president.
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