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Foreign policy has come roaring back into a presidential campaign that pundits said would be devoted almost exclusively to economic issues. Since the Foreign Policy Association is a non-partisan group I will shy away from partisan spin, but there’s no denying the appeal of the renewed focus on foreign policy, and I’m certain that FPA blog readers welcome the return of our favorite subject. I’m happy to see that several major news organizations are also keeping things relatively non-partisan in their coverage. Take, for example, this recent CNN piece that avoids partisan pitfalls by noting historical examples of how foreign policy intruded into past presidential campaigns. And if one is partisan, one can easily find news coverage on each candidate, for example, on how Mitt Romney questions the peaceful intentions of the Palestinians or how President Obama has dealt with the Muslim world. Or, in a more even-handed report, how the issue of U.S.-China relations has been confronted (spin, spun and simplified) by both campaigns. Still, one can only take so much of the mainstream media. If you are looking for a more thoughtful analysis of both parties I recommend this resource page from the Council on Foreign Relations offering nonpartisan analysis on the foreign policy angles of the U.S. presidential election. The site also offers video issue briefs, an archive of speeches and candidate statements, and especially interesting for our focus, a blog on “the candidates and the world.” So while I’m increasingly tired of “gotcha” journalism and campaign commercials paid for by Super PACs, I welcome the return of foreign policy to the presidential campaign.
