The World in Our Hands: The Election’s Key Foreign Policy Issues
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The World in Our Hands - Although Mitt Romney and President Obama seemed to agree on many points of foreign policy in their final debate, BET.com looks at the fine line between Obama and Romney’s foreign policy playbooks. —Naeesa Aziz (Photos from left: Win McNamee/Getty Images, Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images)
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Israel – Maintaining an Alliance - While both candidates have vowed support for Israel, Obama’s relationship with the country has suffered over the past four years while Mitt Romney’s hardline stance on Iran, a regional threat to Israel, is making him more of a favorite among Israelis.(Photo: Gali Tibbon - Pool/Getty Images)
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Libya – Reigning in Militias - The attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi has highlighted a critical issue facing Libya after the fall of Moammar Gadhafi — militias are out of control. Mitt Romney has yet to outline a specific vision for how he will handle the country, but he has criticized President Obama’s decisions. (Photo: Xinhua/Hamza Turkia/LANDOV)
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China – Currency Controllers - Romney has taken a bold position against China, calling the nation a currency manipulator and vowing to take a hardline approach in dealing with the nation. President Obama hasn’t backed down either, noting that his administration has put “unprecedented” trade pressure on China. (Photo: Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images)
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Mali – Poised for Action - Western nations have had an eye on turmoil in Mali for some time now. While Obama hasn’t spoken on the issue directly, it is likely that both he and Romney will side with their fellow U.N. allies who may intervene in the country’s militant-led violence as early as next year. (Photo: AP Photo, File)
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Sub-Saharan Africa - As it stands, the U.S. has no allies in sub-Saharan Africa, but with the spread of militant groups, increases in oil wealth and dramatically increased U.S. military presence, that is bound to change soon. Obama has enjoyed amicable relationships with many African leaders while Romney’s stance on the continent’s specific issues is unclear. (Photo: REUTERS/B Mathur)
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Syria – Facing Blame - Pressure is mounting to take action in Syria where violence has left thousands dead. President Obama says that the U.S. will continue to assist Syrians looking to overthrow the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, but will not intervene. Romney agrees that the U.S. military should stay out of the conflict but favors increased American diplomacy. (Photo: AP Photo/ Sana)
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Russia – Old School Threat? - Despite Obama’s slam on Romney for his mention of Russia as a serious geopolitical threat to the U.S., there is some truth to the fact that there is bad blood between our nations. However, while Obama is still trying to mend fences with Russia, Romney has vowed to take a more confrontational approach to relations. (Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images)
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Iran – Stop the Nuke - Romney stated that, if elected, he plans to prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons by tightening sanctions on the nation to cripple its economy. Obama says that his sanctions are already doing the trick and U.S. allies in the region are strong enough to effectively isolate Iran.(Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)