GOP: Who Are They?

I'm trying to pull together some info on Republican foreign policy so I can contrast it to Kerry's, but I have yet to find a definitive document. Foreign Affairs magazine commissioned a couple essays, one from Samuel "Sandy" Berger on Democratic foreign policy and another by Chuck Hagel on Republican foreign policy (free copy). I was thinking I'd use the two essays as a place to start, since Berger is/was Kerry's foreign policy advisor and Hagel's on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Here's the problem: Other than restarting the draft (you read that right) and securing oil production in the Middle East (rather than eliminating US dependence on Middle Eastern oil), it's the same as Berger's plan! There's no talk of favoring ad-hoc coalitions over permanent alliances. There's no talk of Iraq as the first domino in democratizing the Middle East. There's no talk of "you're either with us, or with the terrorists." In fact, the article is a laundry list of seven mostly liberal internationalist policies:

1. Free trade with the world and fiscal responsibility at home, "Deficits and entitlement programs, if unchecked, will undermine confidence in our economy, impede economic growth and investment, make the United States less competitive, and erode our position as a world economic leader." [Is he joking? Who gave us the current record-breaking deficits?]


2. Secure Middle Eastern oil production, "the United States imports nearly 60 percent of its crude oil. U.S. national security therefore depends on political stability in the Middle East and other potentially volatile oil- and gas-producing regions." [Ok, that's a mostly Republican policy in the current national debate.]


3. Share authority with the UN and NATO in the war on terror and recommit to a strong alliance with France and Germany, "At times the United States can and must lead, but it would be wise to share the authority for -- as well as the burdens, costs, and risks of -- such operations with others." [Huh?! I thought the UN was irrelevent.]


4. Peacefully nurture and strengthen democracy around the world, "States are not built from the outside in; they are built from the inside out. We should support democratic change through partnerships with friendly governments and democrats abroad, developed through consultation, diplomacy, economic incentives, human rights standards, and performance-driven measures for success. A model of foreign policy success in this area is Georgia..." [GEORGIA!!! Not Iraq?! Is Hagel really saying the regime change and democratization of Iraq is not Republican foreign policy? Are they going to blame it on Clinton?]


5. Strengthen and expand integration within Western Hemisphere, "The process of economic integration that began with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) must evolve into a comprehensive program for the entire western hemisphere." [Not a completely Republican policy, but they want it more - so ok.]


6. "The United States must work with its allies to combat poverty and the spread of disease worldwide." [This wasn't a serious Republican foreign policy goal for the last four years. Has something changed?]


7. A strong and imaginative public policy, "The coin of the realm for leadership is trust and confidence... The United States' purpose in world affairs must always be anchored by its interests and values but balanced by the understanding that U.S. interests are not mutually exclusive from the interests of friends and allies." [ie - better propaganda. Sorry, that was a glib comment, but this is really a "duh" issue. Any kind of US foreign policy action needs to be, and needs to be perceived as, beneficial to our allies and friends, as well as to the US.]

I have no idea where Chuck Hagel sits in the Republican pantheon, but he's obviously not directing foreign policy. This essay is nothing more than a foreign policy wish list for dispossessed moderate Republicans. It has nothing to do with the foreign policy being practiced by President Bush - and that's too bad. But if Hagel's foreign policy really is a Republican foreign policy, what does that make George W. Bush?