The Current Discussion: In their campaign, should Barack Obama and running mate Joseph Biden advocate a clean break in U.S. foreign policy, or should they rely on continuity and experience?
Obama and Biden need to give foreign affairs a new perspective and a new direction. The greatest gift that an Obama administration can give the world is consistency. America's foreign policy should equate to its domestic policy. Whatever is good for Americans should be good for the rest of the world. Human rights, civil rights and personal freedoms should be advocated both within and without U.S. borders.
It is understandable that national security issues are given priority by the head of the executive branch. National security though also begins at home. Once U.S. values are diminished overseas it doesn't take long before effects are felt at home, for example with the justification of torture. When ideology replaces pragmatism then the rule of law domestically is compromised as was seen with the controversial Justice Department appointments. And when we see a president so preoccupied with following a particular right wing agenda, his administration's incompetence shows, as it did in response to hurricane Katrina.
Global poverty and world hunger issues should be treated in the same way as America treats its poor and hungry. Some might argue that there are gaps both domestically and internationally on wealth sharing, but wouldn't be nice to see a serious attempt at that?
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