These wars are minor factors in another billion-dollar war: the battle between President Barack Obama and presidential hopeful Mitt Romney for the White House. Americans are tired of the war in Afghanistan. The majority do not support it. But their fatigue has not translated into meaningful political action to bring it to an end.
America’s wars are being fought by professional soldiers in lands far away. Meanwhile, American civilians are fixated on their depleting bank accounts, not the battles abroad. Financial security has taken precedence over physical security as the US economy slowly recovers from the great recession of 2007-2009. America is in the midst of one of its cyclical phases of looking within.
Nonetheless, foreign policy is a key wedge issue in the US presidential election. President Obama uses the unilateral Osama bin Laden raid to testify to the strengths of his leadership. But Romney presents the president as weak on the world stage, seeking to “lead from behind”, guilty of abandoning historic allies, and non-believing in American exceptionalism and founding values.
As Romney left for Britain, an adviser said that President Obama lacks appreciation for America’s “Anglo-Saxon heritage”. Romney then visited Israel and Poland in a large part to reach out to Jewish and Catholic swing voters in battleground states such as Florida and Pennsylvania.
Romney’s audiences abroad were as white as the crowds he speaks to back at home. But the world and, more importantly, the G-20 is rather colourful. If he becomes president, Romney will most certainly have to engage the leaders of Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and Turkey — US allies whose economies far exceed in size those of Israel and Poland.
What is being said on the campaign trail offers little insight into US foreign policy from January onward. At heart, Romney is not an ideologue. He is a pragmatic, northeastern Republican. But for the time being, he must cater to a Republican party that has taken a mad turn to the right, at odds with the material needs of the average American and the trajectory of a world in flux. It is a mob that has chosen to direct its anger at the wrong people and on the wrong issues.
A Romney administration would likely continue many of the Obama Administration’s current policies. Romney, like President Obama, has said that he will leave all options on the table when it comes to stopping Iran’s nuclear programme. He has also proposed an Afghanistan policy that is largely consistent with President Obama’s, save for his distancing from the 2014 withdrawal date.
There is also a high probability of continuity when it comes to Pakistan. Indeed, there is a bipartisan consensus in Washington on South Asia: Afghanistan is seen as a waste of American lives and money, Pakistan is a danger in the short and long terms, and India is a strategic counterweight to China, a democracy whose economic and military rise should be encouraged.
A Romney administration would probably include the likes of Ashley Tellis, an Indian-American, who helped shape the US-India civil nuclear agreement. Tellis, who could get a senior South Asia position at the State Department or on the National Security Council, has taken a hard line against the Pakistani military, though he has been an advocate of supporting civilian democrats. But Tellis’s voice would only be one of many and it could be drowned out by pragmatists in the administration, including Romney himself. A bottom line that they all might agree on is that Pakistan’s civilian democrats are still worth supporting.
What is far more uncertain is whether a Romney administration would continue talks with the Afghan Taliban. My guess is that it would attempt to engage a more moderate potential splinter group until it is mugged by reality and has to deal with the Taliban prime. But one wonders whether by then it would be too late.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 2nd, 2012.
COMMENTS (7)
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"There is also a high probability of continuity when it comes to Pakistan."
Obama was the only presidential candidate, Democrat or Republican, who publicly vowed to send U.S. forces into Pakistan without consulting the Pakistani government. As far as I know Mr. Romney has not made such a commitment.
Actually, Romney presidency may be good for Pakistan.
Yet another new president who could be hoodwinked by Pakistan with the renewed talk of 'anti-terror cooperation' and suck a few more billions, while continuing to fund the same terror elements. US presidents have been suckers for past 60 years, and romney would think he's more intelligent than all of them and will try even harder, give even more money to Pakistan with a hope that Pakistan will indeed do what it says it will do!!
@ayesha_khan:
I think you are being a little hard on him. I have read the Author's previous entries and there is surprising freshness about them.
Even though he talks about an Indian American, he does make decent points.
Cheers :)
Obama is much better for pakistan- than romney.
Not a bad Op Ed. However, there is no need to go crazy and analyze what the new administration would do. The election is Obama's to lose and he is not going to make political blunders like his opponent has made in his recent trip to three countries. The US is no more a white dominated country. In fact in several largest states like California, Florida, Texas, and others whites are a minority. Mitt is not going to offer anything by being extreme rightwing Republican to the increasing Spanish and Asian voters. Mitt has suggested during the primary debates to deport all illegal immigrants and it is not going to help him with the fastest growing segment of the population in the battleground states. Obama has the best team for his re-election that would be supported by no other than one of the most popular ex-president Clinton and Mrs. Clinton.
Senator McCain who ususally is very sympathetic to Pakistan's civilian governemnet as well as on a practical note the military would play some role much like Senator Kerry does in the Democratic party administration in terms of Senate Support for the Administratins overall goals.
SO this whole article can be summed up in 3 lines: 1. Romney is a pragmatist who will continue most of Obama's policies when it comes to Pakistan. 2. Beware of Ashley Tellis who is an American of Indian origin. 3. Ashley Tellis is BAD because he will be touch on Pakistan army and also helped India get the nuclear deal.
By giving undue emphasis to Ashley Tellis, the author minimizes both the BJP government and Manmohan Singh's person effort in getting the deal and also Romney's judgment skills