On the Campaign Trail:
The “National Security” vertical of Klobuchar’s web site shows that the senior senator from Minnesota does not stray far from the Washington orthodoxy.
While her public statement on issues of war, peace and the secret agencies are not detailed, they indicate Klobuchar is a candidate of continuity, not change.
President Klobuchar would most likely pursue a foreign policy in the Obama tradition: global military intervention, preferably not with U.S. troops.
(Fun fact: Amy Klobuchar’s father Jim, whom she describes “as a newspaper man,” was the best-known sports columnist in the state of Minnesota for decades. She entered politics with name recognition.)
[Do you like Amy Klobuchar? Tell us why in the comments section. Or DM us @jeffersonmorley. We will publish your comments with minimal editing.]
On Venezuela: Supports Trump/Bolton
“I support the people of Venezuela standing up against Maduro, installing a new leader, and restoring democracy in Venezuela,” Klobuchar said in an email.
Where Democratic Presidential Contenders Stand On The Venezuelan Crisis — Huffington Post
This statement doesn’t explicitly address the crucial issue of sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. Sanctions are an interventionist strategy that seeks to bring down the Maduro government by making life increasingly difficult for the people of Venezuela. The anti-interventionist strategy is to pursue diplomatic solution without seeking to do further harm to the people of Venezuela.
On Hong Kong:
On Russia: Influenced by McCain and Graham
Klobuchar is hawkish on Russia.
… the United States must hold Russia accountable for its attack on the 2016 elections and its continued interference in our democracy.
Ahead of Today’s Election Security Meeting, Klobuchar leads letter Urging National Security Council to hold Russia Accountable, Improve Federal Coordination, and Support States
There is a lot to look at when you have, as I learned on my trip to the Baltics and Ukraine and Georgia with Senator McCain and Graham, Russia’s been doing this for a long, long time. And there is no question, 17 U.S. intelligence agencies have told us they attempted to influence our election.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar On Investigating Trump And Russia
Klobuchar’s reliance on two Republican hawks for guidance on Russia is another measure of how conventional her geopolitical views are.
On Israel: AIPAC Speaker
Klobuchar has addressed the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in the past, according to AIPAC.
On Iran: Get Tougher
Preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is one of the most important objectives of our national security policy and I strongly advocated for and supported the economic sanctions that brought Iran to the negotiating table. While the agreement is by no means perfect, I have concluded that it is our best available option to put the brakes on Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon and that is why I will support it.
Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Statement On Iran Nuclear Agreement
Klobuchar’s opinion of the Trump’s termination of the Iran nuclear deal: the United States should stay in the deal but get tougher with the Islamic Republic.
I also believe we should be negotiating a more comprehensive agreement moving forward that includes Iran’s ballistic missile tests and destabilizing activity that pose a direct threat to Israel, which we can do without withdrawing from the agreement.
Source: Twitter
This is the interventionist view, widely (but not universally) shared in the policymaking Blob: the United States need to coerce Iran.
The anti-interventionist view is: Iran’s military is tiny and weak, vastly inferior to Israel’s. Comprehensive arms control agreements in the Middle East are a good idea but is an illusion to think Iran will be bullied into them.
This is another indication that President Klobuchar would position herself to the right of President Obama, who pursued the nuclear deal and rejected the idea of including other issues as impractical.
On Bush: A Dishonest Administration
Whether it was their categorical (but false) assertions about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, or their repeated (but unsupported) claims of Iraq’s ties to Al Qaeda, or their frequent (but untrue) assurances that America would go to war only with broad international support, or their constant (but divisive) attempts to “spin” the war by going after those who disagreed with them, the Bush-Cheney administration did not give honest information to the American people. This conduct has not only damaged America’s credibility throughout the world, but also undermined the American people’s confidence in our own government.
Source: 2006 Senate campaign website, www.amyklobuchar.com, “Issues”
On North Korea: the ‘Dictator Next Door’
On Election Security:
In the Eyes of ‘the Blob’ and the Secret Intelligence Agencies:
President Klobuchar would probably be acceptable to policymaking elites, intelligence chiefs, and military leaders disenchanted with Trump. At least she is a politician who works within the system.
Research: Daniel Ortiz
Return to Insider’s Guide to the 2020 Democrats on War and Peace
