By
Jeffrey Young
One
of the discussion areas between the two major party U.S.
presidential candidates has been North Africa and the Middle
East .
While
President Barack Obama, the Democratic Party’s White House candidate, and his
Republican Party challenger Mitt Romney may have strong differences on a number
of domestic policy issues, their views on the Middle East
don’t have many sharp contrasts.
Arab
Spring
Both
presidential candidates voice support for the Arab Spring, the popular uprising
in Arab nations that has toppled autocratic governments in Tunisia , Libya ,
and Egypt .
President
Obama demonstrated his support in his U.N. address on September 25. “The world
has been captivated by the transformation that’s taken place. And the United - the
United States
has supported the forces of change,” he said.
Former
Governor Romney, in a speech on October 8, pledged his effort to continue U.S. support for
democracy advocates in Arab nations should he be elected.
“I
will begin organizing all of our diplomatic and assistance efforts in the
greater Middle East under one official, with
the authority and accountability necessary to train all of our soft power
resources on ensuring that the Arab Spring does not fade into a long winter,”
he said.
On September 11, 2012, an attack on the U.S. Consulate in
Benghazi , Libya killed U.S. Ambassador
Christopher Stevens and three others.
Mitt
Romney harshly criticized the president in their second debate for what he says
is a lack of candor about the origins of the Benghazi attack.
"There
were many days that passed before we knew whether this was a spontaneous
demonstration, or, actually, whether it was a terrorist attack," he said.
President
Obama gave a strong response to Romney regarding Benghazi .
“The
day after the attack, Governor, I stood in the Rose Garden and I told the
American people and the world that we are going to find out exactly what
happened, that this was an act of terror," he said.
Both candidates say they support those
trying to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
and agree that the U.S.
military should not get directly involved.
But
President Obama says his support for the opposition does not extend to
providing weapons.
"We
have to do so making absolutely certain that we know who we are helping, that
we’re not putting arms in the hands of folks who eventually could turn them against
us or our allies in the region,” he said.
Former
Governor Romney took a very different stance on weapons in the final debate.
“I
want to make sure they get armed, and they have the arms necessary to defend
themselves, but also, to remove Assad. But I do not want to see a military
involvement on the part of our troops,” he said.
Both
President Obama and former Governor Romney are emphatic in their support for Israel , especially
in the face of Iranian threats against the Jewish State, as they both stated
during the final debate.
“Israel is a
true friend. It is our greatest ally in the region. And, if Israel is attacked, America
will stand with Israel .
I’ve made that clear throughout my presidency,” said the president.
"If
I’m President of the United States
- when I’m President of the United States
- we will stand with Israel .
And, if Israel
is attacked, we have their back, not just diplomatically, not just culturally, but
militarily," said the Republican challenger.
What
hasn’t been discussed much by either candidate is U.S. efforts for resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
One
Middle East Analyst, Khaled Elgindy at Brookings Institution, says the ethnic
and sectarian conflict seen in Iraq
after the 2003 war should caution both presidential candidates that Washington ultimately
cannot control the Arab Spring.
"The
United States
- cannot determine outcomes. Of elections, of uprisings, of a political process.
We cannot pick ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ on the ground and expect to come out
victorious," said Elgindy.
Elgindy
says that in these countries, their disparate elements need to find ways of
reconciling their political and other differences in order to develop inclusive,
representative governments. ---VOA News
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