The Next U.S. President
How results of the upcoming election will affect foreign policy and study abroad
By Jed Willard
Overseas experiences have dramatically affected both Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. McCain comes from a long line of U.S. Naval commanders, who for generations have explored and policed the world. Obama, whose father first came to the United States as an exchange student, owes his very existence to grant-supported study abroad.
It is not surprising, then, that both senators propose relatively internationalist foreign policies. Their prescriptions for the next administration’s global involvement are quite similar.
From an international educator’s point of view, however, there are key differences in the campaigns’ foreign policy proposals. These stem mainly from McCain’s emphasis on ideology and alliances versus Obama’s focus on institution-building and aid.
McCain stresses the restoration of America’s standing in the world. His foreign policy platform is rooted in the concept of America as the world’s leading proponent and example of liberal democratic governance. Moral credibility with allies and ideological consistency in dealing with adversaries are his watchwords, and the promotion of democratic ideals his clearly stated goals.
McCain recognizes that international exchange is an essential tool for engaging with the world. His policy platform highlights the strategic necessity of increasing Americans’ understanding of foreign cultures, going so far as to require study abroad for all students at U.S. service academies. At the same time, however, McCain’s policies on international exchange are framed by the language of the Global War on Terror, and as such focus on military readiness and strategic (i.e. Middle Eastern) regions. His underscoring of the importance of regional expertise and anthropological study is explicitly linked to psychological warfare and covert military operations rather than the broader public diplomacy and ideological faithfulness he otherwise promotes.
Obama, on the other hand, focuses less on intervention and more on development—foreign and domestic. His foreign policy calls for increased trade, aid, and civil development, as well as the promotion of liberal democracy. Political reform, he proposes, will come from empowering our ideological allies through local education, health care, and economic reform, rather than through new alliances of democratic nations or increased numbers of Americans on the ground. As such, Obama does not stress the importance of studying abroad to the same extent as McCain does. Instead he focuses on the need to empower citizens in the developing world to follow their own paths relatively independently of U.S. actors—although he assumes this approach will lead to the same liberal democratic ends that McCain endorses.
Obama’s platform also stresses putting the United States’ house in order as part of our effort to guide the world toward a freer and more prosperous future. In a world of instantaneous global communication, domestic decadence (New Orleans after Katrina) can have as much or more impact on our standing in the world as overseas blundering (Abu Ghraib).
The candidates’ positions on international engagement should be weighed carefully by every voter in November, especially those who personally understand the importance of exchange. We can be confident, though, in both senators’ dedication to listening, multilateral cooperation, and ideological consistency—essential facets of statecraft that will improve America’s image in the world.
Jed Willard coordinates the Public Diplomacy Collaborative at Harvard, a new initiative seeking to unite diverse sectors to address the U.S. image abroad and to foster ideological exchange between the West and the developing world. Jed is a founding partner and board member of LanguageCorps, a work-abroad program facilitating the development of culturally responsive citizen diplomats. He also serves on Abroad View’s Editorial Board.