ANALYSIS | Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is one of eight presidential candidates vying to be the Republican nominee for the 2012 election. Santorum was relatively unknown to national voters until several debates brought his opinions to light.
Santorum's thoughts on foreign policy may set him apart from other candidates. Here's a look a few key issues:
China
Santorum spoke to Secure Freedom Radio on June 30 on the campaign trail. His take on China's communist regime is that it is part of a "gathering storm" of problems facing the United States. Instead of standing up to China's regime, Santorum says he believes America keeps placating the country because of an uneasy economic balancing act with Chinese goods exported to America.
Santorum lumped China in with Iran and Venezuela as threats to national security of the United States. He says he would take a stronger stand on the world stage and make America the "exceptional" country it once was as a strong player in international politics.
European Union
Santorum's views about Europe are in line with other candidates, except that he takes a more religious view of people on the continent. In a statement posted to PolitiFact, the presidential candidate said attendance at church in Europe is in the single digits. Santorum says the reason for this is because of high taxes and European socialism.
His religious faith and anti-tax stances have clearly meant Santorum does not want his perceived weaknesses of Europe to pervade the United States. His lamentation of on the religious state of Europe is also not entirely accurate. The same article that quoted him asked some experts on church in Europe and they painted an entirely different picture.
Iraq
Santorum's stance on Iraq is clear. The Weekly Standard reported on Sept. 22 that he wanted victory in Iraq. He believes troops shouldn't be withdrawn until the country is entirely stabilized. The presidential candidate wants to keep troop levels high enough to ward off any outside interference in the affairs of the occupied country.
A week later, the Los Angeles Times reported Santorum wanted a strong foreign policy that didn't necessarily mean sending troops to the Middle East. He also told a voter in South Carolina that national defense was a priority for him over financial concerns of a defense budget.
Afghanistan
Supporting the troops is seen as one of the most patriotic acts of presidential candidates. About the war in Afghanistan, Think Progress reported Santorum says he believes U.S. generals should be given the resources they need to accomplish their mission. His own website says America needs to achieve victory in Afghanistan so the troops who have already given their lives did not die in vain.
The Huffington Post reported in late April that Santorum didn't mention Afghanistan at all when he criticized President Barack Obama's handling of foreign policy. Other places, such as Iran and Libya, were listed as places Obama should be concentrating on instead of Afghanistan.
Middle East
Santorum is most adamant about America's policy in the Middle East and how Obama handled Iran and Libya. The Los Angeles Times reported the former Senator believes the United States needs to be strong against Iran. He believes Obama placated the regime when the June 2009 election protests happened and nothing was done.
Contrary to Obama's handling of Iran, Santorum supports a military presence in Libya to help rebels there. He says he wished Obama would have done the same thing for Iran at the time of its upheaval. The Los Angeles Times states the United States and allies should have taken out Moammar Gadhafi in Libya sooner rather than later.
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