Tonight, Republican candidates will take the stage for the second GOP Presidential debate. We’ve heard a lot about jobs, immigration and the economy – but where do the candidates stand on the world’s most pressing global security issues?
1. Most GOP presidential hopefuls condemn the Iran nuclear deal. The candidates are concerned about access to suspect Iranian nuclear sites, Iran providing money and weapons to terrorist groups and the eventual removal of restrictions on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush remarked that the agreement is “dangerous, deeply flawed, and short sighted.” Florida Senator Marco Rubio called the deal “irreparably flawed” and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker promised to strike the deal on “day one” of his presidency. Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Donald Trump held a joint rally decrying the deal. Only Ohio Governor John Kasich has expressed a different view, arguing that the deal should be given a chance to succeed while maintaining immediate penalties for failure.
2. All think the U.S. needs a stronger response to ISIS. Despite unanimous support for airstrikes against the terrorist group, all GOP candidates have criticized the Obama Administration’s response. However, the group offers few specifics on what they would do differently. Business mogul Donald Trump has been vocal on cutting ISIS’s oil supply stating, “once you take that oil, they have nothing left.” Walker feels confident that he can stand up to ISIS, saying “if I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world.” Several candidates have also started to advocate for sending American ground troops to Iraq and Syria. Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham have all commented on the need for a greater presence of U.S. ground forces in the region in order for ISIS to be defeated.
3. Most say that the U.S. should stand up to Putin. Rubio, Cruz and Walker want to send weapons to the Ukrainian military. Rubio has even supported the inclusion of Ukraine in NATO. Bush, Trump, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul all believe that the U.S. must respond resolutely to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but have yet to elaborate on their positions. Donald Trump is the only candidate to put forward a different proposition – specifically, he believes that he could win Putin over and establish a strong working relationship with him.
4. There’s some daylight between the candidates on China. While Bush wants to improve economic ties between the two countries, the other candidates focus on how the U.S. should push back on the People’s Republic. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee supports a forceful U.S. reply to China’s cyber espionage, stating that the U.S. “must retaliate proportionately and hack China back.” Walker has endorsed a “stronger” U.S. response to China in the South China Sea; Christie has taken it one step further, urging U.S. military action. Cruz has pushed for the U.S. to “immediately approve the sale of F-16s to Taiwan that the administration canceled in order appease China.” Many of these candidates have also used China as an economic scapegoat following severe market fluctuations in late August.
5. Most candidates oppose extending a hand to Castro. Bush, Walker, Rubio, and Cruz oppose the normalization of relations with Cuba - largely due to the Cuban government’s human rights record. Donald Trump and Rand Paul are both in favor of normalizing relations with Cuba. Paul specifically has said that the embargo “just hasn't worked” and that it is “probably a good idea” to improve diplomatic ties with America’s neighbor.
Bennett Seftel and Luke Penn-Hall are analysts at The Cipher Brief.
