Foreign policy doesn’t always make headlines in presidential campaigns, but with the U.S. involved in two foreign wars — and facing a rising adversary in China, voters are paying more attention.
There’s a common belief that foreign policy does not win presidential elections, but 2024 may be the exception.
It’s a tense time on the world stage. The U.S. is playing a supporting role in two foreign wars, Ukraine and Gaza, while simultaneously trying to shift its national security focus to the challenges posed by China.
If there were any questions about the role of foreign policy in the Republican primaries, the answers came following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel. At the last debate in Miami, Republicans clashed over their support for Israel.
In a November Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll, 57% of likely Iowa GOP caucus-goers said the Israel-Hamas war is “extremely important” to them as they evaluate candidates.
On the campaign trail, former President Donald Trump has been tapping into these fears about foreign conflicts, boasting that he’s the “only one that will prevent World War III.”
The increased attention on global affairs has coincided with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s rise in the polls. She’s been able to lean on her experience as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Foreign policy is one of the few areas where there are real differences in strategy among the candidates, particularly between those with more traditional hawkish roots and the rise of more conservative populist candidates. Should the U.S. support Israel unwaveringly?
The Republican field has largely lined up behind Israel, as is the typical conservative ideology, and rejected calls for a ceasefire – though there have been some differences.
Trump initially criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and referred to the Iran-backed Hezbollah, another militant group in the region, as “very smart.”
Those comments were widely criticized by both Republicans and Democrats. Trump later vowed to “fully support” Israel following the outcry.
Haley attacked Vivek Ramaswamy for suggesting initially that the U.
