Trevor Rubenzer - Todays Foreign Policy Issues: Democrats and Republicans (Across the Aisle)

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Copyright 2017 by ABC-CLIO, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Rubenzer, Trevor, author.

Title: Todays foreign policy issues : Democrats and Republicans / Trevor Rubenzer.

Description: Santa Barbara, California : ABC-CLIO, 2017. | Series: Across the aisle | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016058357 (print) | LCCN 2017000075 (ebook) | ISBN 9781440843662 (hardcopy : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781440843679 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: United StatesForeign relations21st century. | Democratic Party (U.S.) | Republican Party (U.S. : 1854-)

Classification: LCC JZ1480 .R83 2017 (print) | LCC JZ1480 (ebook) | DDC 327.73dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016058357

ISBN: 978-1-4408-4366-2

EISBN: 978-1-4408-4367-9

212019181712345

This book is also available as an eBook.

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At the dawn of the Cold War in 1947, Republican senator Arthur Vandenberg, who also served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered a famous speech in which he argued that Americans needed to leave partisan politics at the waters edge. In other words, whatever political tensions might be at work in the United States, America should speak with a united voice to the rest of the world. From the beginning of the Cold War until the escalation of the Vietnam War in the mid-1960s, U.S. foreign policy did enjoy a certain amount of bipartisan consensus, especially on issues related to preventing the spread of Communism and the Soviet Union. The postCold War period, however, has been marked by partisan rancor on some issues, though the two parties have continued to find common ground on others.

Generally speaking, Republicans have favored a more muscular approach to foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. From defending higher defense budgets, and protecting those budgets from cuts to other programs, to criticizing the president for not taking a more proactive role in responding to terrorist threats and cybersecurity vulnerabilities, Republicans have made it clear that they desire the continued assertion of hard power. Democrats, by contrast, are more willing to make at least limited defense cuts, were more prepared to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and are more likely to favor multilateral approaches to defusing conflict. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) designed to limit Irans nuclear ambitions, is an example of the type of multilateralism supported by Democrats.

At the same time, differences in rhetoric are not always matched by differences in policy. Republican and Democrats, for example, describe the threat of terrorist organizations like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in different terms, with Republicans favoring the idea of a global war on terror to defeat radical Islam and Democrats focusing either on individual organizations like ISIS or Al Qaeda or speaking of the struggle against terrorism in general. Republicans and Democrats also criticize each other for the relative strength and coherence of their response to the threat of terrorism. It is unclear, however, that Democratic strategies for defeating ISIS, including air strikes, Special Forces troops, coalition-building, training and equipping the Iraqi military, and training and equipping anti-ISIS forces in Iraq, Libya, and Syria, is significantly different from the Republican variant. Again on the issue of military spending, Democrats and Republicans have both proposed budgets that would maintain spending levels in excess of $550 billion per year.

Some of the greatest partisan gaps occur on intermestic issues. Intermestic issues are those that relate to both foreign and domestic policy in a significant way. Climate change, for example, is intermestic in that it requires both coordinated international action and domestic political action to address. Issues related to immigration, refugees, and free trade are very similar in this regard. There has historically been some partisan convergence on trade. On the issues of immigration, refugee policy, and climate change, however, the parties have taken almost polar positions.

Overall, both the Democratic and Republican Parties claim that they have the best interests of the nation and its people at heart, and they are equally adamant that they have the best policy solutions to address Americas problems and challenges. This volume in ABC-CLIOs Across the Aisle series examines the proposals and positions of the two partiesfrom profound disagreements to areas of common groundin the realm of foreign policy.

Todays Foreign Policy Issues: Democrats and Republicans sorts through the rhetorical clutter and partisan distortions that typify so many disputes between Republicans and Democrats in the 21st century in order to provide an accurate, balanced, and evenhanded overview of the parties respective policy positions and attitudes on the most important and divisive social issues in the United States. Coverage also details instances in which the rhetorical positions staked out by Democrats and Republicans are inconsistent with their voting records and policy priorities.

Finally, in addition to explaining the differences between the two parties on todays hot-button foreign policy issues, this volume also documents significant differences of opinion within the parties where present. After all, neither Republicans nor Democrats march in complete lockstep on a wide range of issues, from free trade to terrorism to nuclear proliferation to challenges related to specific regions or countries. Nor do the policy positions of Republican and Democratic politicians always reflect the views of Republican and Democratic voters. For that reason, each entry examines the nature of partisan public opinion.

Throughout this volume, the text features actual quotes from Democratic and Republican Party leaders, party platforms, public opinion poll results, and other valuable, authoritative information to enhance its coverage. This information serves as the foundation for the volumes summaries of the philosophies and records of the two parties in such diverse realms as arms control, climate change, foreign aid, and drug interdiction policy.

Each essay in Todays Foreign Policy Issues: Democrats and Republicans begins with an At a Glance summary of the prevailing sentiments and policies of the two parties on the issue being discussed. This section also includes reader-friendly bullet points listing the most important views of each party.

Each essay then provides an Overview of historical trends, events, and attitudes displayed by both Republicans and Democrats regarding the issue in question. This section explores party attitudes toward key pieces of legislation, details their political alliances, and tracks evolutions in party thought over time.