Romney at The Citadel (Mic Smith/AP)Speaking against a backdrop of young cadets at The Citadel in South Carolina, Mitt Romney offered the first glimpse of his foreign policy agenda, pledging to strengthen the military and insisting the United States must reclaim a leading role in the world to usher in a new "American century."
In his first major foreign policy speech of the campaign, Romney sought to contrast his approach to managing America's role in the world with the diplomatic leadership shown by President Obama. Romney lambasted Obama's foreign-affairs record as a series of "feckless policies" that have diminished the nation's standing around the world.
"This is America's moment. We should embrace the challenge, not shrink from it, not crawl into an isolationist shell, not wave the white flag of surrender, nor give in to those who assert America's time has passed," Romney declared. "That is utter nonsense. An eloquently justified surrender of world leadership is still surrender."
In an another dig at Obama, Romney declared he would "not surrender America's role in the world."
"This is very simple: If you do not want America to be the strongest nation on Earth, I am not your president. You have that president today," Romney announced--a remark that drew wild applause.
Yet Romney offered no specifics on one key foreign policy issue under debate today: Afghanistan. In his speech, Romney said, if elected, he would initiate a review of U.S. policy in the region—a stance that Obama also campaigned on in 2008 and later carried out during his first months in office.
The Afghanistan review was one of eight policy goals Romney vowed to deliver on in his first 100 days in office, if elected.
Among other things, he vowed to strengthen naval power by increasing shipbuilding—a message that was no doubt aimed at voters in South Carolina, which is home to one of the largest navy ship facilities in the country.
Romney also promised to increase efforts to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and said he would "prioritize" funding for a national missile defense system—a program that the Obama administration cut back, in part because of its attempts to retool frayed diplomatic relations with Russia.
Romney also pledged to improve relationships with allies--including Israel, Britain and Mexico—that have been strained in recent years, both under Obama and former President George W. Bush.
In his speech, Romney said he would try to work with institutions like the United Nations, even as he criticized the global diplomatic body for providing "forums for the tantrums of tyrants." Still, while he insisted force is never the first choice, he said that under his watch, the United States would not shy away from acting alone.
"God did not create this country to be a nation of followers. America is not destined to be one of several equally balanced global powers. America must lead the world, or someone else will," Romney declared. "Without American leadership, without clarity of American purpose and resolve, the world becomes a far more dangerous place, and liberty and prosperity would surely be among the first casualties."
Romney's speech seemed to hint back toward policies pushed by the Bush administration. That's not not surprising, given that many of the ex-governor's foreign-policy hands have either worked for or advised the Bush administration. But while the Romney campaign acknowledged some overlap between his positions and those trumpeted by Bush, they argued the ex-governor would have a different approach.
Among the distinctions they pointed to: Romney's pledge to "advance economic opportunity" in Latin America—a region that has loudly complained about perceive slights from both Bush and Obama amid the U.S.'s intense focus on the Middle East and Afghanistan.
The highly choreographed speech—which featured Romney entering and exiting the stage to music from the sountrack of "Top Gun"—marked the ex-governor's first major foray into foreign policy. The event was aimed at solidifying Romney's leadership credentials not just against Obama but also against his GOP rivals, most of whom have been largely silent on foreign policy issues. (Jon Huntsman, who left his job as President Obama's ambassador to China prior to announcing his presidential run, has scheduled his first major foreign policy speech for next week.)
But Romney's speech immediately prompted criticism from foreign policy experts across the political spectrum, who raised questions about what they described as the ex-governor's inconsistent statements on Afghanistan. They criticized his call for a review of U.S. policy in the region as offering little clarity on his ultimate intentions.
"What do you really think about Afghanistan?" Danielle Pletka, vice president of foreign policy studies at the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank, wrote in a list of open questions for Romney Friday. "In June, you said: 'It's time for us to bring our troops home as soon as we possibly can--as soon as our generals think it's okay.' . . . You have since suggested President Obama should slow the troop drawdown."
But retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles F. Wald, the former deputy commander of U.S. forces in Europe, was more positive in his assessment of Romney's call for a well-funded American defense and diplomacy.
"Gov. Romney is obviously in agreement with today's military leaders--in order for America to be safe, we need our civilian tools of development and diplomacy," Wald said in a statement. "I would urge all of the candidates to embrace this view of America's role in the world, which is also shared by General David Petraeus."
The Envoy's Laura Rozen contributed reporting.
Other popular Yahoo! News stories:
• House tables resolution condemning Perry hunting camp
