On the Campaign Trail: In a July 11 speech devoted to foreign policy, the former Vice President savaged President Trump. What’s Biden’s Record? The former Vice President was among the more dovish of President Obama’s aides. He argued against Obama’s build-up of Afghan forces in 2009. Unlike Hillary Clinton, he did not favor arming the...
Category: Key Players
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2020 Democrats on North Korea: Hawks, Doves, and Ducks
On July 8 the Council on Foreign Relations, the embodiment of the U.S. foreign policy establishment, put a simple question to all the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates? Would you sign an agreement with North Korea that entailed partial sanctions relief in exchange for some dismantling of its nuclear weapons program but not full denuclearization? Fourteen...
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Most 2020 Democrats Favor Trump’s Sanctions on Venezuela
The Council on Foreign Relations, the embodiment of the U.S. foreign policy establishment, asked the Democratic presidential candidates what they would do about Venezuela. The question was leading: What, if any, additional steps should the United States take to remove Nicolas Maduro from power in Venezuela? The formulation is leading because it implies that the...
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On War and Peace, Democrats Don’t Say Much
Issues of war and peace were barely mentioned in last night’s Democratic debates. Maybe it was the moderators’ fault, but the candidates didn’t seem too eager to talk either. The ongoing U.S.-sponsored wars (“interventions”) in Syria, Yemen, and Somalia went unmentioned. Only two candidates spoke about Afghan war, now in its 19th year. Cory Booker...
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Will the Democrats Take On ‘Endless War’ in the Second Debate?
While Democratic presidential candidates are growing more vocal about foreign policy issues, especially Russia, they don’t talk much about war and peace in their televised debates. Foreign issues matter less to most voters than so-called “kitchen table” issues of jobs and health care. But no small part of the next president’s job will be to...