Part 3 of 4: McCain’s Foreign Policy Stance

Posted by: Disgusted with Republicans on: September 25, 2008

• In: McCain supports Bush | National Security | War, war . . .
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From Stratfor founder and Chief Intelligence Officer George Friedman – September 25

Senator McCain has issued position papers and made statements about his intended foreign policy. Like all Presidents, he would also be getting input from a variety of others, principally from his own party. This second analysis analyzes the foreign policy position of Sen. McCain and the Republican Party.

John McCain is the Republican candidate for president. This means he is embedded in the Republican tradition. That tradition has two roots, which are somewhat at odds with each other: One root is found in Theodore Roosevelt’s variety of internationalism, and the other in Henry Cabot Lodge’s opposition to the League of Nations. Those roots still exist in the Republican Party. But accommodations to the reality the Democrats created after World War II — and that Eisenhower, Nixon and, to some extent, Reagan followed — have overlain them. In many ways, the Republican tradition of foreign policy is therefore more complex than the Democratic tradition.
Roosevelt and the United States as Great Power

More than any other person, Roosevelt introduced the United States to the idea that it had become a great power. During the Spanish-American War, in which he had enthusiastically participated, the United States took control of the remnants of the Spanish empire. During his presidency a few years later, Roosevelt authorized the first global tour by a U.S. fleet, which was designed to announce the arrival of the United States with authority. The fleet was both impressive and surprising to many great powers, which at the time tended to dismiss the United States.
CLICK HERE for the entire article (this segment reprinted with Permission)

Part 4 – George Friedman on the Presidential Debate – September 29
The final installment in this series will be produced after the debate. This is NOT an effort to call a “winner” or “loser.” That’s for pundits, not an intelligence service. This will be an analysis of the candidates’ statements and positions.

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Tags: Eisenhower, George Friedman, Henry Cabot Lodge, Isolationist, League of Nations, McCain's Foreign Policy, Nixon, Panama Canal, Reagan, Stratfor