My 10 questions for the GOP foreign policy debate

Apparently the organizers of tomorrow’s GOP foreign policy debate asked David Frum to submit ten questions to ask.  For the record, no one asked me… sniff…. really I’ll be fine… but that doesn’t mean I can’t offer some of my own.  Here would be my top 10 questions:  1)  In the last debate, all of ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

Apparently the organizers of tomorrow's GOP foreign policy debate asked David Frum to submit ten questions to ask.  For the record, no one asked me... sniff.... really I'll be fine... but that doesn't mean I can't offer some of my own.  Here would be my top 10 questions: 

Apparently the organizers of tomorrow’s GOP foreign policy debate asked David Frum to submit ten questions to ask.  For the record, no one asked me… sniff…. really I’ll be fine… but that doesn’t mean I can’t offer some of my own.  Here would be my top 10 questions: 

1)  In the last debate, all of you declared that the United States should not help out Italy or other eurozone countries plagued by sovereign debt crises. If these economies received rescue funds from China instead, would that undermine U.S. national security?

2)  Many of you on the dias have declared that there should be no daylight between Israel and the United States.  Israeli officials have repeatedly and formally requested that Jonathan Pollard’s sentence be commuted for spying for Israel.  As president, will you accede to this Israeli request? 

3)  In previous debates, many of you have warned about the dangers of a debased dollar.  At the same time, many of you have also complained that China is undervaluing its currency vis-a-vis the dollar to augment its economic growth.  Which issue do you believe is more important to America’s economic strength? 

4)  Why should the United States pay any dues to the United Nations?  Do you all agree with Governor Perry that the U.S. should reconsider those dues payments? 

5)  The Doha round of world trade talks has stalled out, and bilateral free-trade agreements have proliferated in recent years.  As the president of the world’s largest economy, what approach would you favor to promote greater trade liberalization? 

6)  The United States recently dispatched 100 military advisors to Uganda in an attempt to subdue the Lord’s Resistance Army. What criteria would you use, as president, to decide when to use American force for the purpose of humanitarian intervention?

7)  Many of you have complained about illegal immigration flows during the campaign, but the hard data suggests that these flows have slowed dramatically over the past few years.  What is the appropriate amount of effort to devote to this issue? 

8)  What steps would you take, as president, to ensure that elements of the Pakistani government cease supporting violent non-state actors in Afghanistan and India? 

9)  Many of you have criticized the Obama administration for ignoring military advice on troop decisions in Afghanistan and Iraq.  During the pre-war debate with respect to Iraq, however, the Bush administration rejected troop estimates from Army Chief of Staff (and now Secretary for Veterans Affairs) Eric Shinseki.  When would you be prepared to overrule the advice you receive from the military? 

10)  Who, in your opinion, was the greatest foreign policy president in American history besides Ronald Reagan, and why? 

Commenters are heartily encouraged to offer their foreign policy questions in the comments. 

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

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