Friday, October 7, 2011

The Romney Doctrine (Mitt Romney's Foreign Policy)

Today Mitt Romney delivered what was to me an excellent, emotional, passionate speech dealing with his approach to foreign policy, and the direction the US will take under his direction. I have not yet been able to find a video of the speech to post here, but I'm confident that when it is available, Bosman will publish it here. In the meantime, here is a link to the transcript of his speech.
 

Here is the "white paper" detailing his foreign policy. It is 44 pages long. Click the image to the left, to read the document in PDF format


I will include in its entirety the appendix at the end, which details the actions Romney will take over the course of his first one hundred days in office.

APPENDIX: SETTING A NEW TONE
Eight Actions for the First Hundred Days1.

1. Restore America’s Naval Credibility
Announce an initiative to increase the naval shipbuilding rate from nine per year to approximately fifteen per year and sustain the carrier fleet at eleven. This will restore America’s presence and credibility on the high seas with a view toward deterring aggressive behavior and maintaining the peace.
2. Strengthen and Repair Relationships with Steadfast Allies
Take swift measures to restore and enhance relationships with our most steadfast allies. Actions include reaffirming as a vital national interest Israel’s existence as Jewish state, declaring the U.S.-U.K. special relationship to be a foundation for peace and liberty, and beginning talks to strengthen cooperation with Mexico on the shared problems of drugs and security.
3. Enhance Our Deterrent Against Iran
Reaffirm that Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon is unacceptable. Order the regular presence of carrier task forces in both the Eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf region. Begin discussions with Israel to increase levels of military and intelligence coordination and assistance.
4. Commit to a Robust National Missile Defense System
Begin process of reversing Obama-era budget cuts to national missile defense and raise to a top priority the full deployment of a multi-layered national ballistic-missile defense system.
5. Establish Single Point of Responsibility for All Soft Power Resources in the Middle East
Work with Congress and relevant Executive branch agencies to organize all diplomatic and assistance efforts in the greater Middle East under one regional director with unified budgetary and directive authority. One official with responsibility and accountability will set regional priorities and direct our soft power toward ensuring the Arab Spring realizes its promise.
6. Launch Campaign for Economic Opportunity in Latin America
Capitalize on the benefits arising from the ratification of the Colombian and Panamanian free trade agreements to launch a robust public-diplomacy and trade promotion campaign in Latin America that contrasts the benefits of democracy, free trade, and economic opportunity with the ills caused by the authoritarian model of Venezuela and Cuba.
7. Conduct a Full Review of Our Transition in Afghanistan
Conduct a full inter-agency review of our military and assistance presence in Afghanistan to determine the presence necessary to secure our gains and successfully complete our mission. The review will involve discussions with generals on the ground and the delivery of the best recommendations of our military commanders.
8. Order Inter-agency Initiative on Cybersecurity
Order a full inter-agency initiative to formulate a unified national strategy to deter and defend against the growing threats of militarized cyber-attacks, cyber-terrorism, cyber-espionage, and private-sector intellectual property theft. U.S. defense and intelligence resources must be fully engaged in this critical aspect of national defense.
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5 comments:

Ohio JOE said...

Very impressive Noelle with regards to FP. However, I am probably going to vote on the economy this time.

Noelle said...

Ohio Joe, I'm going to vote on the economy too. Fortunately, it means I'm still voting for the same guy.

Ohio JOE said...

Well, I am glad for you that you have somebody who you feel is an overall good candidate and all the major issue.

Machtyn said...

The weakened economy is a weak spot in our national defense. The more we have to borrow to pay our bills (all of them) means at some point, those footing our loans, if they disagree with us on some point of offense/defense, will cut the spigot of cash.

Anonymous said...

The trade deficit between China and the US is certainly a weak point in our nat'l defense. Although, being China's most important trading partner should give us some leverage, as well. It's a tricky balancing act, but we really need to stop the Chinese from exploiting us using currency manipulation and counterfeiting. I know that Mitt has plans to work on this because it's important for our businesses not to be exploited. I believe that Obama and his people have not done anything about this at all, which has only made the USA weaker on all fronts.

AZ