Obama and McCain on Foreign Policy

Although issues with the economy are increasingly important, especially today, both McCain and Obama acknowledged that America cannot have a weak economy while also maintaining a strong military. As Obama and McCain began their discussion in foreign policy, they both called America a force of good in the world, although McCain went a little further saying “America is the greatest force for good in the history of the world.” However, I don’t think other countries would agree with that statement, and even some Americans wouldn’t either.

America needs to repair and rebuild its image to other countries before it could yet again be seen as a peacekeeper or a peacemaker because that status has been long gone and damaged. America is a unilateral country, and other foreign nations are aware of this. The American government does not have the reputation of working multilaterally with other countries, but rather works by itself to fix and democratize those nations as they see fit. Obama also announced that he did not understand how America invaded Iraq, when they had nothing to do with 9-11 and while their job in Afghanistan was still not finished, which was finding Osama bin Laden and taking down Al Qaeda.

Now, if America has the proper resources and determination, it is possible that bin Laden could be captured, but Al Qaeda is another thing. Al Qaeda is a very large network of terrorists with a myriad of actors and destroying it would be a lengthy commitment. Obama, can increase troops in Afghanistan if he became president, but at what point would he bring them back? After capturing bin Laden, or after destroying Al Qaeda? As Obama and McCain argued back and forth about what wrong and right decisions have been made, McCain brought up the fact that Obama has said he would meet with foreign leaders, specifically Ahmadinejad, without preconditions, which he was widely criticized for. However, he did make an excellent point that it didn’t seem to work when you don’t negotiate with your enemies.

“I believe that we should have direct talks not only with our friends but also with our enemies,” Sen. Obama said referring to Iran’s hostility towards Israel. This is a significant and key difference between Obama’s and McCain’s beliefs in foreign policy and also brings in the whole unilateral v. multilateral concept. McCain would take the unilateral approach in negotiating, or rather lack of negotiating, with hostile and enemy countries, while Obama would take the multilateral approach and speak with those nations without preconditions. Working multilaterally with other countries seems to be the appropriate, but less popular, way to deal with foreign policy issues.

Perhaps it is with these negotiations with hostile countries that America can help prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons as McCain fears. McCain quoted that he would “talk softly but carry a big stick,” but his approach seems more to be not to talk at all and ready to crack that big stick over his enemies as soon as he gets the chance. He does say that America needs to gain the support of the people in the Middle East, which is actually a positive approach, but his refusal to speak with Iranian and Pakistani governments does not help the situation either. Perhaps speaking with those other countries without preconditions is exactly the approach America needs to take in order to repair its image and build a better and stronger foreign policy.