CANDIDATES COME UP LACKING
- Rafael Gilbert
- Nov 13, 2015
- 2 min read
The first debate in the general election cycle is in the books. For those of us wishing for substantive discourse on foreign policy, both candidates demonstrated a clear lack of a vision for the future. Senator Rebecca Sanders in particular failed to convince Americans that she would be a viable commander-in-chief of this country, while Senator Marco Rubio seemed content to see the country cede its position in the globe to China.
In her opening remarks, Sanders reiterated the same trope that we heard during the primary season; that the United States must rely on coalitions to fight the numerous threats abroad. She called military action a last resort and pledged to use diplomacy to solve foreign conflicts, much as President Obama has with Iran. While insisting that we must continue to fight terrorism at every level, Sanders claimed that the country lacks the financial ability to finish what she termed a “never ending war in the Middle East.”
When asked about the Israel/Palestine conflict, Sanders offered little of substance besides her support for a two state solution. She made clear that Israel is one of our biggest allies and if forced to support either Israel or Palestine, Israel would win every time. Sanders was asked whether she had any new ideas on how to come to a solution to the conflict or whether she would simply recycle the old ones. Her response: “You've stumped me.”
Senator Rubio also offered little on foreign policy, yet at least he has a plan. Rather than using invasion forces to control foreign conflicts, Rubio is calling for what he termed “Air Sea Battle.” The explanation, although exceedingly thin in content, seems to use armed forces around the world to “monitor foreign countries” rather than invading to democratize them like in Iraq.
One cause for concern is Rubio's claim that “China will become the next dominant power,” and that the United States must remain in dialogue with the People's Republic, seemingly giving away our power to dictate global development. In agreement with Sanders, Rubio also placed diplomacy as the first line of defense against threats abroad, reiterating that troops are used primarily to monitor rather than fight.
The take-away from the first debate is that whichever candidate wins the White House, we can abandon hopes that the United States will be returned to the glory days of foreign supremacy. Long gone are the days when we could look around the world and see the positive spread of American ideals. The next four years promise to be far more similar to the last eight, where the United States has seen its grip on global issues weaken considerably.
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