"For a New America"

Foreign policy is an immensely complicated issue, and the way that we as a country have approached it in the past year has not worked. Our administration has antagonized allies on the global stage, removed us from crucial international cooperation agreements, and worst of all, severely damaged our global credibility. The status quo of hardline America-first policies do not work. In terms of overall foreign policy, I believe that America should still put its interests first, but not at the expense of our global standing and beneficial relationships. Global cooperation is not just beneficial for the world; it is beneficial for the US. As a result, a goal of my presidency will be to rebuild our credibility with the rest of the world and repair relations with core allies. There are two major foreign policy areas that I believe must be addressed: The Middle East and the rising global hegemons of Russia and China.

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In regards to the Middle East and the War on Terror, I believe that the US should still maintain important strategic positions in the region. However, the presence of physical force is not the only effective strategy. In conjunction with a reduced military, emphasizing strategies like offensive and defensive cyber operations are a way of updating the US’s strategy in the region. In addition, the US can use these capabilities to support allies like the Kurds without significant troop deployment while still damaging the capabilities of groups like ISIS.

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In addition, the rise of Russia and China is a serious issue. In regards to Russia, it is essential that we change the dynamic of our relationship. It is absolutely a positive to maintain positive relations with a global superpower like Russia, but it is unacceptable to allow that same nation to interfere with our democracy and not respond in any way. I believe it is essential to show Russia that the US is willing to respond to Russia on the international stage. With China, their rise necessitates a different response. China has been using their Belt and Road Initiative to aggressively expand their influence by dominating development in the Third World. As such, I believe that the US should cooperate with other nations to develop infrastructure projects in the developing world to offset growing Chinese influence. In addition, while the trade war was an extreme measure, the US should seek new markets to acquire goods to remove dependence on China.