Chuck Hagel and President Obama at the White House
Nearly nine years ago, Senator Hagel charted out “A Republican Foreign Policy” in the July/August 2004 issue of Foreign Affairs. Hagel summarized this foreign policy with seven principles:
1) Leadership in the Global Economy: “The rule of law, property rights, advances in science and technology, and large increases in worker productivity all have contributed to the United States’ leading edge in global markets.”
2) Do Not Ignore Global Energy Security: “Discussions of U.S. energy policy are often detached from economic and foreign policy. The United States has an interest in assuring stable and secure supplies of oil and natural gas.”
3) Security Interests are Connected to Alliances, Coalitions, and International Institutions: “A Republican foreign policy must view alliances and international institutions as extensions of our influence, not as constraints on our power.”
4) Support Democratic and Economic Reform, Especially in the Greater Middle East: “We cannot lose the war of ideas. In many developing countries and throughout the Muslim world, we are witnessing an intracivilizational struggle, driven in part by the generational challenges of demography and development.”
5) Focus on the Western Hemisphere: “The process of economic integration that began with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) must evolve into a comprehensive program for the entire western hemisphere. Energy, trade, transportation, and immigration, as well as terrorism and illegal narcotics, are all critical to our national security interests.”
6) Work with Allies to Combat Poverty and the Spread of Disease Worldwide: “This is one of the core challenges of governance in the developing world. Avian flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other possible pandemics can begin as acute crises in Africa and Asia but quickly acquire global reach and implications.”
7) Strong and Imaginative Public Diplomacy: “The coin of the realm for leadership is trust and confidence, and popular discontent and questioning of U.S. foreign policy intentions will undercut our efforts in the war on terrorism and initiatives in the greater Middle East.”
You can read the piece in its entirety here: “A Republican Foreign Policy.”
