Foreign Policy In Focus, a progressive think tank based in Washington DC, published a useful article synthesizing the three US Presidential candidates positions on key foreign policy issues.
The author is himself an advocate for a Presidential candidate that is engaged in foreign relations. Howard Salter is the Director of External Relations at Citizens for Global Solutions, a non-partisan think tank based in Washington with a corresponding Political Action Committee (PAC) that lobbies the government for greater international cooperation. The PAC specifically works to elect federal candidates who support “building effective democratic global institutions that will apply the rule of law while respecting the diversity and autonomy of national and local communities.”
So these days, I would imagine they are quite busy.
A handy resource the PAC publishes is the results of a Congressional Candidate Questionnaire they circulate around Capitol Hill each election year. The questionnaire asks those running for office to state their position on a variety of international issues: global health, climate change, peacekeeping, etc.
In the 2008 the PAC sent the survey to the three presidential candidates. Two have responded, Senator Clinton and Senator Obama; Senator McCain has yet to complete the survey.
I highly recommend reading Salter's analysis. It covers the three candidates’ positions on an array of key foreign polcy issues: diplomacy vs. unilateralism, the conflict in Darfur, torture and Guantanamo Bay, US-UN relations, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and nuclear proliferation.
In his conclusion, Salter surprisingly doesn't endorse any specific candidate, rather he appears hopeful about each of the candidates’ potential impact on the US’ role in the world:
“Obama and Clinton would seem to embrace a more cooperative U.S. foreign policy that McCain. Obama's view of diplomacy stands out as holding the greatest potential for what he calls "change." It would be unique , and refreshing , for the president of the United States to speak directly with not only our "friends," but also our "enemies." This open door-type of diplomacy, with our nation's commander-in-chief leading the way, would be a bold new model in today's interconnected world.
While McCain appears to propose a less "cooperative" foreign policy than Obama or Clinton, it's certainly much more multilateral than the Bush administration's track record. McCain recognizes that our nation's image has been tarnished, and has proposed various ways for the United States to not only be viewed as a "super power" but to been seen as a "super partner," especially in regards to increasing funds for the IAEA and support for the ICC's investigation into the genocidal acts in Darfur.
Bush will leave his successor many daunting foreign policy challenges due to his eight years unilateralist foreign policy. Thankfully, the three contenders left standing recognize what is in front of them and are all proposing an array of more cooperative foreign policy solutions.”
