Mitt Romney

last updated: February 17, 2012

• Former Massachusetts Governor

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Mitt Romney, governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007, is a leading candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Although generally viewed as a moderate, business-oriented candidate, Romney has frequently espoused hawkish foreign policy views in line with those pursued by President George W. Bush. He has also stacked his foreign policy team with a passel of neoconservative advisers.
Among his main foreign policy agenda items has been what he terms President Barack Obama's “extraordinary record of failure” in curtailing Iran's nuclear ambitions. Responding to a November 2011 IAEA report alleging progress in Tehran's efforts to build a bomb, Romney penned an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal in which he argued that after Iran's rebuff of diplomatic efforts by the Obama administration, "a serious U.S. strategy to block Iran's nuclear ambitions became an urgent necessity. But that is precisely what the administration never provided. Instead, we've been offered a case study in botched diplomacy and its potentially horrific costs." As president, Romney wrote, he would "back up American diplomacy with a very real and very credible military option. I will restore the regular presence of aircraft carrier groups in the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf region simultaneously. I will increase military assistance to Israel and coordination with all of our allies in the region. These actions will send an unequivocal signal to Iran that the United States, acting in concert with allies, will never permit Iran to obtain nuclear weapons."[1]
During a November 2011 Republican presidential debate on foreign policy issues, Romney doubled down on his war-with-Iran rhetoric, stating: "If we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon. And if you elect Mitt Romney, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon." Backing up this claim, Romney said that if "crippling sanctions" and other non-military measures do not work, he would pursue military options.[2]
Romney's fellow GOP candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have offered similar sentiments. Gingrich, for example, has said that there would be no other choice but to attack Iran if strategies like "maximum covert operations" failed. The only candidate to directly challenge the attack-Iran arguments has been Ron Paul, who has warned: "I'm afraid what's going on right now is similar to the war propaganda that went on against Iraq."
In February 2012, Romney again turned to the op-ed pages of the Wall Street Journal in an effort to challenge Obama from the hawkish right, this time on China. Channelling the rhetoric of other Republican candidates, Romney charged that the Obama administration was “a near supplicant to Beijing” and argued that unless China changes its currency policies “on day one of my presidency I will designate it a currency manipulator and take appropriate counteraction. A trade war with China is the last thing I want, but I cannot tolerate our current trade surrender.”[3]
Calling Romney’s op-ed “pretty silly,” Daniel Drezner of Foreign Policy magazine wrote: “It's ludicrous for Romney to claim he doesn't want a trade war in the same breath that he promises ‘day one’ action against China. No wonder conservatives are labeling [sic] Romney's China policy as ‘blaringly anti-trade.’ To be blunt, this China policy reads like it was composed by the Hulk. Maybe this will work in the GOP primary, but Romney and his China advisors should know better.”[4]
Romney also incorrectly claimed in the op-ed that Obama was weakening the “U.S. military position in Asia.”[5] As one commentator stated, “In fact, the Obama administration is increasing the U.S. troop presence in the region and helping to upgrade Taiwan’s F-16 fleet. Moreover, Romney’s claim that Obama ‘plans to cut back on naval shipbuilding’ is false. ‘The great irony,’ [the Center for American Progress’s] Lawrence Korb noted back in October, ‘is that the level of nine [ships], which Obama has proposed, is higher than at any time during the [George W.] Bush administration.’”[6]
Citadel Speech
Romney made clear his hawkish foreign policy proclivities in a major policy speech at the Citadel military academy in South Carolina in early October 2011. Promising to increase defense spending in order to ensure U.S. military dominance during the 21st century, Romney characterized his views using concepts that first gained prominence in the publications of groups like the Project for the New American Century in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. He argued that “If America is the undisputed leader of the world, it reduces our need to police a more chaotic world." Comparing himself to President Barack Obama, whose foreign policies the former governor dismissed as “feckless,” Romney declared: “If you do not want America to be the strongest nation on Earth, I am not your president. You have that president today.”
Romney echoed many of the same views espoused by President George W. Bush, including the idea that the United States could go it alone in international affairs: "While America should work with other nations, we always reserve the right to act alone to prevent our vital national interests."
Among his key focal points were the greater Middle East and Israel, whose existence as a "Jewish state" Romney claimed was a "vital national interest." He argued for a more militarist stance vis-à-vis Iran, stating that “Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon is unacceptable." He added: “In the hands of the ayatollahs, a nuclear Iran is nothing less than an existential threat to Israel. Iran's suicidal fanatics could blackmail the world." Specifically, he called for the placement of a U.S. naval carrier group in the Persian Gulf to deter Iran's ambitions.
Among the greatest threats facing the United States, Romney declared, were "Islamic fundamentalism"; the "ripple effects of failed and failing states” where “terrorists may find safe haven”; the "anti-American visions of regimes in Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, [and] Cuba”; and "rising nations with hidden and emerging aspirations like China, determined to be a world superpower, and a resurgent Russia."
In its coverage of the speech, the Inter Press Service (IPS) noted that while Romney “gave lip service to the importance of ‘soft power,’ particularly in regard to dealing with the so-called ‘Arab Spring,’ his most specific proposal was to increase shipbuilding from nine to 15 ships a year and to keep at least 11 aircraft carrier groups deployed year round, as well as increase spending on a ‘multi-layered national ballistic missile defence system.’ In other speeches, Romney has proposed devoting at least four percent of U.S. GDP to the Pentagon's base budget, a proposal that would, according to some estimates, increase defense spending by about 14 percent.”[7]
Commenting on the speech, Steve Clemons of the New American Foundation told IPS that it was "depressingly conventional in the sense that [Romney] looks at the Pentagon as the source of the country's strength and talks about the economy almost as an afterthought." He added: “Thirty years ago, the U.S. had a third of the world's GDP and a third of what the world spent on defense. Now we have just over 20 percent of the world's GDP and we account for about half of global military expenditures. This kind of approach not only fails to secure America's long-term security interest, but also undermines our economic solvency."[8]
Neoconservative Advisers
Shortly before the speech, Romney released a list of foreign policy advisers that was chock-a-block with neoconservatives and other like-minded foreign policy hardliners, including Eliot Cohen, Robert Kagan, Michael Chertoff, Eric Edelman, John Lehman, Dan Senor, Vin Weber, Walid Phares, and Paula Dobriansky.[9] Other neoconservatives have also claimed to have served as Romney advisers, including Max Boot, a historian based at the Council on Foreign Relations who has been a leading advocate of attacking Iran, even if—as Boot claims—bombing the country would fail to stop its nuclear program.[10] Romney has also been able to count on the support of several high-profile neoconservative media pundits like Jennifer Rubin, who has repeatedly plugged the former governor’s candidacy on her blog at washingtonpost.com.
The Inter Press Service has noted that most of Romney’s advisers “are known for their neoconservative and strongly pro-Israel views. Remarkably, three of the top advisers … serve on the four-man board of directors of the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI), the ideological successor to the Project for the New American Century (PNAC).”[11]
“A Mish-Mash of the Unremarkable and the Terrible”
Prior to his Citadal address, Romney’s 2012 campaign made only brief mention of foreign policy. The campaign website’s three sections under foreign policy were headed “A Strong Military,” “Dynamic Diplomacy,” and “Steadfast Alliances.” The website stated that as president Romney would “oppose efforts to cut our military budget,” “fast-track NATO admission for our allies,” and “bolster support for Israel,” which the site claims, “has always been and will continue to be our strongest ally in the Middle East.”[12] The fast-tracking of NATO admission would seem to be directed at Georgia, which has been a cause-célèbre among neoconservatives since that country’s 2008 war with Russia.
Conservative blogger Daniel Larison called the Romney campaign website’s foreign policy section “a mish-mash of the unremarkable and the terrible,” particularly lambasting the call for a single presidential envoy to oversee all diplomatic activity in certain regions.[13] Commenting on the website’s call to “bolster support for Israel,” Larison noted: “[H]ow is it possible to bolster it more than it already is? Presumably, this is related to the fourth point concerning criticism of allies, which means that a Romney administration would be even more reflexively supportive of Israel and publicly uncritical of all allies no matter what. It appears that Romney is taking hawkish support for allies to a new extreme.”[14]
Given high U.S. unemployment and anemic economic growth, the Republican primary campaign has focused heavily on domestic issues. Neoconservative Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen wrote in a September 2011 op-ed for the Washington Post that Romney and his one-time top rival—Texas Governor Rick Perry—should commit to a one-on-one foreign policy debate,[15] presumably to see which candidate can more effectively tout neoconservative positions.
In 2010 Romney released his book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, in order to “bolster the former Massachusetts governor’s nonexistent national-security and foreign policy portfolio ahead of a possible 2012 presidential run,” according to Spencer Ackerman.[16] The title of the book plays on a common Republican criticism of President Barack Obama: that his administration’s renewed diplomatic efforts are instead an “apology tour.”
In his review of No Apology, Ackerman critiqued Romney’s diplomacy-by-envoy policy: “The concept of diplomacy is completely foreign to Romney. He dismisses the State Department as ‘assistant secretaries and … bureaucrats’ and proposes designating regional relations to ‘one individual’ who would become a ‘presidential envoy or the ambassador from CENTCOM or any of the other regional military commands.’ Such an individual would ‘encourage people and politicians to adopt and abide by the principles of liberal democracy,’ something that ‘would be ideal if other allied nations created similar regional positions, and if we coordinated our efforts with theirs.’ That’s it for diplomacy, and he doesn’t have an agenda for global development. Why the world will simply do what America says simply because America says it is something Romney never bothers to consider. High school students at model U.N. conferences have proposed less ludicrous ideas.”[17]
When President Obama suggested the 1967 borders as the basis of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal—longstanding U.S. policy—Romney balked, claiming Obama had “thrown Israel under the bus” and “disrespected Israel and undermined its ability to negotiate peace.”[18]
During a 2011 Republican debate in New Hampshire, Romney seemingly bucked neoconservative foreign policy thinking on Afghanistan, stating, “It’s time for us to bring our troops home as soon as we possibly can.”[19] But Romney’s campaign website and past foreign policy statements have appeared to show that this was merely a political answer, not necessarily his planned policies.
Romney infamously stated during his 2008 primary run for the presidency that rather than reverse Bush-era detention policies, he believed the United States should double down on holding alleged terrorists indefinitely. He justified this rhetoric by claiming that alleged terrorists should not have access to legal counsel:  “I want them in Guantanamo, where they don’t get the access to lawyers they get when they’re on our soil. I don’t want them in our prisons, I want them there. Some people have said we ought to close Guantanamo. My view is we ought to double Guantanamo.”[20]
Romney’s political career is marked by a long history of opportunism. During his unsuccessful1994 race to defeat Sen. Ted Kennedy, Romney often seemed to attack Kennedy from the left, especially on social issues. Romney notably wrote a letter to the Massachusetts branch of the Log Cabin Republicans, claiming, "For some voters, it might be enough to simply match my opponent's record in this area. But I believe we can and must do better. If we are to achieve the goals we share, we must make equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern. My opponent cannot do this. I can and will."[21] But during his 2008 presidential run Romney expressed frequent opposition to same-sex marriage.
During his term as governor Romney pushed and eventually signed a universal health care bill for Massachusetts, which has caused him consistent problems with conservatives. Indeed elements of his program formed part of the basis of the Affordable Care Act, leading Romney’s opponents to blast his legislative achievement as “Romneycare,”[22] a play on the typical right-wing attack on “Obamacare” that has spurred Romney to try to repeatedly downplay his health policy track record.

Please note: IPS Right Web neither represents nor endorses any of the individuals or groups profiled on this site.

Sources

[1] Mitt Romney, “I Won’t Let Iran Get Nukes,” Wall Street Journal, November 10, 2011.
[ii] Brian Montopoli, “Romney, Gingrich at GOP Debate,” CBS News, Novebmer 12, 2011, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57323686-503544/romney-gingrich-at-gop-debate-wed-go-to-war-to-keep-iran-from-getting-nuclear-weapons/.
[3] Mitt Romney, “How I Will Respond to China’s Rising Power,” Wall Street Journal, February 16, 2012.
[4] Daniel Drezner, “Romney SMASH Chian!” Foreign Policy blog, February 16, 2012.
[5] Mitt Romney, “How I Will Respond to China’s Rising Power,” Wall Street Journal, February 16, 2012.
[6] Ben Armbruster, “Romney’s China Policy Attack Op-Ed Misrepresents Obama’s ‘Strategic Pivot’ To The Asia-Pacific,” Think Progress, February 16, 2012,http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/02/16/426855/romney-obama-china/.
[7] Jim Lobe, "Republican Frontrunner Touts Neo-Conservative Foreign Policy,” Inter Press Service, October 7, 2011.
[8] Jim Lobe, "Republican Frontrunner Touts Neo-Conservative Foreign Policy,” Inter Press Service, October 7, 2011.
[9] Philip Rucker, “Mitt Romney taps foreign policy, national security advisers,” Washington Post, October 6, 2011.
[10] Max Boot, “The Iran Threat,” Los Angeles Times, December 1, 2011.
[11] Jim Lobe, "Republican Frontrunner Touts Neo-Conservative Foreign Policy,” Inter Press Service, October 7, 2011.
[xii]MittRomney.com, “Foreign Policy,” http://www.mittromney.com/issues/foreign-policy.

[13] Daniel Larison, “Romney and Foreign Policy,” The American Conservative, June 2, 2011, http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/2011/06/02/romney-and-foreign-policy/.
[14] Daniel Larison, “Romney and Foreign Policy,” The American Conservative, June 2, 2011, http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/2011/06/02/romney-and-foreign-policy/.
[15] Marc Thiessen, “A Romney-Perry foreign policy debate?” Washington Post, September 19, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-romney-perry-foreign-policy-debate/2011/09/19/gIQAGTWPfK_story.html.
[16] Spencer Ackerman, “Romney’s ‘No Apology’ Outlines Foreign Policy for Fantasy World,” The Washington Independent, March 2, 2010, http://washingtonindependent.com/78105/romneys-no-apology-outlines-foreign-policy-for-fantasy-world.
[17] Spencer Ackerman, “Romney’s ‘No Apology’ Outlines Foreign Policy for Fantasy World,” The Washington Independent, March 2, 2010, http://washingtonindependent.com/78105/romneys-no-apology-outlines-foreign-policy-for-fantasy-world.
[18] Lucy Madison, “Mitt Romney accuses Obama of throwing Israel ‘under the bus,’” CBSNews.com, May 19, 2011, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20064466-503544.html.
[19] Marc Thiessen, “A pathetic discussion on national security,” The Washington Post, September 13, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/a-pathetic-discussion-on-national-security/2011/09/13/gIQAFUtHPK_blog.html.
[20] ThinkProgress, “Romney: ‘We Ought to Double Guantanamo,’” ThinkProgress.com, May 16, 2007, http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2007/05/16/12919/romney-guantanamo/.
[21] Associated Press, “Romney Pledged in ’94 to Seek Gay Rights,” December 10, 2006, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/09/AR2006120900837.html.
[22] Michael Finnegan, “Rick Perry tells Iowans that Romneycare cost them,” Los Angeles Times, September 15, 2011, http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/15/news/la-pn-perry-iowa-20110915.

March 07 2012