GOP Candidates Debate Foreign Policy and Security

Last night the 2012 GOP candidates debated foreign policy, which revealed “clear differences on the pace of withdrawal from Afghanistan, aid to Pakistan, the Iranian threat, immigration, and the balance between protecting the homeland and preserving civil liberties,” and President Barack Obama came under some scrutiny over his foreign policy. The debate comes as former House speaker Newt Gingrich emerged as the leader in various polls, and “despite the differences that emerged, the majority of the candidates offered a generally more hawkish view of the world than that enunciated by the Obama administration.”

While most of the attention focused on issues other than the Arab Spring, several of the candidates commented on a proposed no-fly zone over Syria. When asked about whether or not they would impose a no-fly zone, Herman Cain stated “No, I would not. I would work with our allies in the region to put pressure to be able to try and get our allies and other nations to stop buying oil from Syria. ” However, governor Rick Perry said he would be supportive of a no-fly zone, stating “but when you put the no-fly zone above Syria, it obviously gives those dissidents and gives the military the opportunity to maybe disband, that want to get out of the situation that they’re in in Syria, as well,” with Mitt Romney stating “a no-fly zone wouldn’t be the right military action — maybe a no-drive zone.”