Hope Or Glory? the Presidential Election and U.S
Foreign Policy at BROOKINGS POLICY PAPER Number 9, October 2008 Hope or Glory? The Presidential Election and U.S. Foreign Policy Michael Fullilove The Brookings Institution 1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20036 brookings.edu Foreign Policy at BROOKINGS POLICY PAPER Number 9, October 2008 Hope or Glory? The Presidential Election and U.S. Foreign Policy Michael Fullilove Acknowledgments am grateful for the research assistance provided by David Knoll, and the I useful contributions from Joanne Bottcher, Steven Casey, Gail Chalef, Malcolm Cook, Robert Dann, Allan Gyngell, Dhruva Jaishankar, Daniel Levy, Ian Livingston, Rory Medcalf, Derek Mitchell, Michael O’Hanlon, Carlos Pascual, Ted Piccone, Benjamin Piven, David Sandalow, Jeremy Sha- piro and Peter Singer. Thanks also to those officials from the Obama and McCain campaigns who agreed to speak with me. Foreign Policy at Brookings iii Executive Summary he contest between Senators John McCain and the strains of idealism are much stronger in McCa- TBarack Obama for the presidency of the United in’s makeup, although Obama would hardly govern States is being followed intently around the world. But as a classic realist either. Regarding the means they how much exactly, in terms of U.S. foreign policy, is at would employ, McCain would be, on balance, more stake? Experts often get this question wrong. In 2000, unilateral, state-centric and hawkish than his Dem- the received wisdom was that the foreign policy differ- ocratic rival. If Obama offers hope, McCain offers ences between the presidential candidates were small, glory. Temperamentally, Obama is deliberate whereas but in retrospect the gulf between Al Gore and George McCain is unpredictable.
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