COMMENTARY | Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a candidate for president, delivered a foreign policy address at the Citadel in South Carolina. The speech provided a look at current foreign policy challenges and how a President Romney would deal with them.
Romney touched upon Israel, Iran, the "Arab Spring" in the Middle East, Afghanistan with neighboring Pakistan, China, Russia, Hugo Chavez's Venezuela, and the border with Mexico. These are the major foreign policy challenges of our time, according to the former governor, which are being met with "feckless policies" by the current administration, reports National Review.
Romney presented a foreign policy theme for his campaign. The 21st century, in his view, must be an "American Century," much as the 20th was. That means that overwhelming American economic and military dominance helped to ensure peace and advance freedom around the world during the century now 10 years gone.
This approach puts Romney at odds with the one being followed by the current president. Obama regards the United States as, at best, first among equals. The current president had emphasized multilateral approaches to foreign policy problems. In Libya, for example, most of the heavy lifting has been accomplished by NATO allies Britain and France, with the United States "leading from behind" -- to use an unfortunate phrase from the current administration.
Romney listed some concrete things he would undertake should he become president.
He would increase Navy ship building from nine to 15 ships a year to buttress the fleet's ability to project power around the world. He would also build an effective missile defense system. Romney did not mention the Army or Air Force in his speech.
Romney would approach Iran and its nuclear ambitions more aggressively. He would station an aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean and another in the Persian Gulf on a permanent basis. He would increase our military alliance with Israel.
He would increase "soft power" efforts to make certain the "Arab Spring" uprisings move in a more positive direction. These efforts would be directed by a senior American diplomat.
He would review our efforts to do battle with the Taliban and its allies in Afghanistan and ask the advice of the military for the best course forward.
He would increase efforts to expand economic opportunity in Latin America.
Romney's survey of the world and its problems was not all-encompassing. He did not mention Sub-Saharan Africa, for example. Nor was the list of his proposed policies comprehensive. We do not know what Romney proposes to do about the rise of China, for example.
Nevertheless, the "Romney Doctrine," if one can already coin that phrase, would be more muscular and more assertive than that of the current administration. It would return to the approach of "peace through strength" followed by Reagan and both Bushes. In short, Romney proposes to lead from the front.
Source:Romney's Foreign Policy Speech, Katrina Trinko, National Review, Oct 7, 2011.
Arab spring: an interactive timeline of Middle East protests, Garry Bright and Shelia Pulham, UK Guardian, Sept. 2, 2011
The American Century, Harold Evans, Knopf, 2000
The Obama doctrine: Leading from behind, Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post, Apr 28, 2011
Soft Power, Absolute Astronomy
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