Foreign Policy Initiative
Executive Director of the Foreign Policy Initiative, a newly formed conservative think-tank in Washington, DC; former staffer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (2005-2008) and on the US National Security Council (2008-2009)
Foreign Affairs and the Race to the White House On Monday, the last presidential debate of the 2012 campaign will center on foreign policy. A list of topics has been agreed upon, but with surprises cropping up in the world every day, we know that the rules for presidential debates are made to be broken. The latest point of contention is the deadly attack on the consulate in Benghazi. Republicans call President Obama a "weak leader." Democrats say Mitt Romney 's view of America's role in the world is "delusional." But, over all, are they really so different? Does Obama look more like George W. Bush than he might concede? Would Romney look a lot like Obama?
Obama Reverses Policy on Missile Shield NATO, the US and Russia should abandon "mistrust" and coordinate their efforts against international ballistic missiles. That's from NATO's new secretary general, just one day after President Obama pulled the plug on George Bush's plan for missile defense in Eastern Europe. Based on the latest intelligence about Iran's ballistic missile technology, the US will rely on missiles already deployed by the Navy on ships at sea. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are unanimously in support. Russia's Vladimir Putin called that "a right and brave decision," but it's produced heated controversy in the Czech Republic and Poland, not to mention Washington, DC. We hear about technology, national security and international politics.
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.