Amy Klobuchar on Foreign Policy DFL Sr Senator (MN); Democratic presidential contender

Trump impeachment about foreign power influencing elections

Klobuchar: As James Madison said at the constitutional convention, he said the reason that we have these impeachment articles in the constitution, is because he feared that a president would betray the trust of the American people for a foreign power. That is what happened here. This is a global Watergate. In the case of [Richard Nixon's] Watergate, a paranoid president facing election looked for dirt on a political opponent. He did it by getting people to break in. This president did it by calling a foreign leader to look for dirt on a political opponent. And I would make this case: as we face his trial in the Senate, if the president claims that he is so innocent, then why doesn't he have all the president's men testify? Richard Nixon had his top people testify. We should be hearing from [Chief of Staff Mick] Mulvaney, from [National Security Advisor John] Bolton.

Transition Heartland from isolationism to Internationalism

And I actually have given speeches at home about my own state's transition from isolationism. When Ignatius interviewed me for that column, I told him that as a senator from the Midwest that I believed that we needed to embrace rather than tolerate internationalism. He summarized my comments by saying that after a difficult decade the United States needs a refreshed internationalism that recognizes its stake in the world, even as it avoids costly military commitments where possible. He called this approach internationalism of the heartland. And I think it is more important now more than ever.

Five Rs: restore, repair, rejoin, respond, and reassert

So we'll start with restoring American leadership. We have to send a clear message that America is once again a global power of good. Trust from our allies that we will stand with them is key, and trust from our adversaries that we will oppose them and defeat them.

In my first one hundred days as president, I will launch an effort to rebuild and restore our diplomatic corps. That begins with immediately depoliticizing foreign policymaking and ensuring that the State Department and international agencies receive sufficient funding. We will recruit a new generation of Foreign Service officers.

Beware China's Uighur internment camps & Hong Kong crackdown

If you're China and looking at us right now, you see a president that doesn't keep his decisions seven minutes from now. He has used a meat cleaver--or, should I say, a tweet cleaver--and is creating chaos with his erratic approach.

New foreign policy: align with allies and call out misdeeds

KLOBUCHAR: We need a new foreign policy in this country, and that means renewing our relationships with our allies. It means rejoining international agreements. When the president did not stand up the way he should have to that killing and that dismemberment of a journalist with an American newspaper, that sent a signal to all dictators across the country that was OK, and that's wrong.

V.P. Joe BIDEN: Khashoggi was murdered on the order of the crown prince. I would make it clear we were not going to sell more weapons to them, we were going to make them the pariah that they are.

Q: And what about Russia and China?

KLOBUCHAR: We must start negotiating with Russia, which has been a horrible player on the international scene. We must start the negotiations for the New START Treaty. When it comes to China, we need someone that sees the long term, like I do, like the Chinese do, because we have a president that makes decisions based on his next tweet.

Need consistency in our foreign policy

Mayor Pete BUTTIGIEG: Soldiers in the field are reporting that they feel ashamed of what their country has done.

Rep. Tulsi GABBARD: What you're saying is that you would continue to support having U.S. troops in Syria for an indefinite period of time to continue this regime change war?

BUTTIGIEG: What we were doing in Syria was keeping our word.

I think we need to talk about this a not only in terms of the horror of what happened here with Turkey. Think about our other allies, Israel. How do they feel right now? Donald Trump is not true to his word. Think about our allies in Europe when he pulls out of the Iranian agreement, and leaves them holding the bag, and gives the power to China and Russia. Think about the nuclear agreement with Russia that he precipitously pulled out of. This is part of a pattern. It's not an isolate

Talking to North Korea good, working with allies better

Diplomacy with North Korea not easy; we need clear focus

Iran nuclear deal was imperfect but made us more safe

A: It was imperfect, but it was a good deal for that moment. I would have worked to get longer sunset periods, and that's something we could negotiate, to get back in the deal. But Trump told us when he got out of it that he was going to give us a better deal. Now we are a month away from the Iranians, who claim now that they're going blow the caps on enriching uranium. And the Iranians have told us this.

Military an option in Venezuela, but focus on diplomacy

Stand with our allies, invest in diplomacy

So working with our allies, investing in diplomacy, modernizing our military, and then taking on those big challenges that are in front of us. I would list them as the Mideast, the challenge we have with climate change. And, of course, dealing with the nuclear threat that we have with North Korea as well as with Russia's continuing pushing at our country.

Fight ISIS Internet recruiting, but don't indict Islam

KLOBUCHAR: Having been the local prosecutor during 9/11 when they caught Moussaoui, in our state [Minnesota], I know that you want to make sure that you have the evidence clear before you make statements about a solution. But we know some of the things that have to happen here. The continual work to root out this evil at its roots at the enclave of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, to stop the flow of the international money, to go after the recruiting that we've seen in the US over the Internet.

Q: In Minnesota, there have been numerous cases about people being recruited to part of the ISIS campaign?

KLOBUCHAR: Yes; dozens of indictments & recent jury verdicts. And what we've found is that individual people are recruited over the Internet. No mom wants their kid recruited to go fight for ISIS. You don't want to indict an entire religion, you don't want to indict an entire community over a lone wolf.

Tackle terrorist groups, and stand up for Israel

Internationalism should include humanitarian policies

When North Korea crosses line, there have to be consequences

KLOBUCHAR: As a prosecutor, I know that when people cross a line, there’s got to be consequences. And in foreign affairs, it’s the same thing. I believe these sanctions are incredibly important; we can’t have North Korea begin to be some kind of weapons factory.

Q: If the North Koreans ignore the sanctions, what do we do?

KLOBUCHAR: We have to keep ratcheting things up. We have to keep working with our partners. But one of the things that went wrong here is that these multilateral discussions broke down, North Korea walked away from the table, and I believe we have to keep talking. It’s good that China’s part of this, but if it’s moving in the right direction and if we believe it’s in our national security interests, we should be talking to them directly. I mean, even during the Cold War we kept talking to Russia. And so the discussions are important, and we need to keep the diplomatic pressure on.

Voted YES on cooperating with India as a nuclear power.

• Approves the US-India Agreement for Cooperation on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.
• Declares that it is US policy to prevent the transfer to India of nuclear equipment, materials, or technology from other participating governments in the Nuclear Suppliers Group or from any other source; and
• any nuclear power reactor fuel reserve provided to India for use in safeguarded civilian nuclear facilities should be commensurate with reasonable reactor operating requirements.

Proponent's argument to vote Yes:Rep. HOWARD BERMAN (D, CA-28): Integrating India into a global nonproliferation regime is a positive step. Before anyone gets too sanctimonious about India's nuclear weapons program, we should acknowledge that the five recognized nuclear weapons states have not done nearly enough to fulfill their commitments under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, including making serious reductions in their own arsenals, nor in the case of the US in ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Opponent's argument to vote No:Rep. BARBARA LEE (D, CA-9): In withholding my approval, I seek not to penalize the people of India but, rather, to affirm the principle of nuclear nonproliferation. Jettisoning adherence to the international nuclear nonproliferation framework that has served the world so well for more than 30 years, as approval of the agreement before us would do, is just simply unwise. It is also reckless.

Approval of this agreement undermines our efforts to dissuade countries like Iran and North Korea from developing nuclear weapons. By approving this agreement, all we are doing is creating incentives for other countries to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Implement Darfur Peace Agreement with UN peacekeeping force.

A resolution calling for peace in Darfur.
• Calls upon the government of Sudan and other signatories and non-signatories to the May 5, 2006, Darfur Peace Agreement to cease hostilities.
• Calls upon the government of Sudan to facilitate the deployment of the United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force, including any non-African peacekeepers.
• Urges all invited individuals and movements to attend the next round of peace negotiations without preconditions.
• Condemns: (1) intimidation or threats against camp or civil society leaders to discourage them from attending the peace talks; and (2) actions by any party that undermines the Darfur peace process.
• Calls upon all parties to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to support all terms of the agreement.
• Legislative Outcome: Resolution agreed to in Senate, by Unanimous Consent.

Rated +4 by AAI, indicating pro-Arab pro-Palestine voting record.

The Arab American Institute has compiled a Scorecard to catalogue the voting record of the 112th Congress on issues of importance to the Arab American community. Though not comprehensive, we have attempted to provide a snapshot of legislation concerning many of the primary issues concerning Arab Americans. For the Senate, we have included 10 items: two bills on the Arab Spring, three on Palestine, one on Lebanon, one regarding civil liberties, and two for immigration reform.

1. S. Res. 44: (+) calls on former President Hosni Mubarak to immediately begin a peaceful transition to a democratic political system
2. S. Res. 109: (+) honoring and supporting women in North Africa and the Middle East
3. S. Res. 138: (-) calling on the United Nations to rescind the Goldstone report, formally known as the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, which accused the Israeli government of targeting Palestinian civilians.
4. S. Res. 185: (-) reaffirming the commitment of the US to a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and calling for a US veto of any UN resolution on Palestinian statehood without a settlement.
5. S. Con. Res. 23: (-) supporting Israel in maintaining defensible borders, and against Israel returning to the armistice lines that existed on June 4, 1967
6. S. 558: (+) the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act, to limit the use of cluster munitions in areas normally inhabited by civilians.
7. S. 1125: (+) greater judicial review of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and greater protections to individuals being monitored or gag-ordered by the FBI.
8. S.1038, the PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act, in opposition of PATRIOT Act extension.
9. S. 723: (-) The Birthright Citizenship Act, limiting citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants born in the US.
10. S. 952: (+) the DREAM Act, allowing undocumented minors to become US citizens, provided they meet certain conditions, including good moral character

Integrate gender into diplomatic and foreign aid processes.

Expresses the sense of Congress that:

• implementation of the US National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAP) is paramount in improving the lives of women around the world and increasing global stability and prosperity;
• It is US policy to implement NAP;
• The US Agency for International Development (USAID) should integrate gender into diplomatic and strategic and planning processes;
• federal agencies shall ensure that the tenets of NAP are incorporated into programs for conflict prevention, humanitarian and disaster response, peacekeeping, and democracy promotion;
• Federal agencies facilitate partner government efforts to improve women's inclusion in peace and security processes, conflict prevention, peace-building and decision-making institutions in conflict-affected environments.

White House Summary of NAP, December 2011:The goal of this National Action Plan is as simple as it is profound: to empower half the world's population as equal partners in preventing conflict and building peace in countries threatened and affected by war, violence, and insecurity. Deadly conflicts can be more effectively avoided, and peace can be best forged and sustained, when women become equal partners. The National Action Plan is guided by the following five principles:

1. the engagement and protection of women as agents of peace and stability
2. building on goals for gender integration, gender equality, and women's empowerment
3. guided by the principle of inclusion, seeking out the views and participation of a wide variety of stakeholders--women and girls, men and boys, and members of marginalized groups
4. coordinate among all relevant departments and agencies of the US government, integrated into relevant United States foreign policy initiatives, and enhanced by engagement with international partners
5. be accountable for the implementation of the policies and initiatives endorsed in this Plan.

Vigorous support for State of Israel against Hamas in Gaza.

RESOLUTION expressing vigorous support and unwavering commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders:

• Whereas Hamas was founded with the stated goal of destroying the State of Israel;
• Whereas Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence, and accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians;
• Whereas terrorists in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip have fired approximately 900 rockets and missile shells into Israel this year, an increase from roughly 675 attacks in 2011 and 350 in 2010;
• Whereas Israel, a fellow democracy, has an inherent right to self defense in the face of terrorist attacks:

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Congress:
1. expresses unwavering commitment to the security of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and recognizes and strongly supports its inherent right to act in self-defense to protect its citizens against acts of terrorism;
2. reiterates that Hamas must end Gaza-linked terrorist rocket and missile attacks against Israel, recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians;
3. urges the UN Security Council to condemn the recent spike in Gaza-linked terrorist missile attacks against Israel, which risk causing civilian casualties in both Israel and Gaza; and
4. encourages the President to continue to work diplomatically with the international community to prevent Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist organizations from retaining or rebuilding the capability to launch rockets and missiles against Israel.

Sponsored funding and supplying the Syrian rebels.

Congressional Summary:

• Authorizes assistance for humanitarian activities taking place in and outside Syria, including post-transition efforts.
• Authorizes assistance to the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) and Free Syrian Army (FSA), including non-lethal equipment and training to vetted members of the FSA.
• Urges the US to develop a plan for securing conventional and unconventional weapons in Syria and preventing their illicit sale or transfer out of Syria.

Proponent's argument for bill:(by United Free Syria organization): House of Representatives: Free Syria Act (HR.1327):

• Provides funding & other assistance for a peaceful, stable, and organized political transition to a democratic, inclusive government structure, as well as robust economic aid for rebuilding.
• Permits securing and destroying chemical & biological weapons in Syria.
• Increases humanitarian aid dramatically, and also provides for conditional, limited arming of moderate vetted opposition forces

Senate: Syria Democratic Transition Act (S.617):
• Provides funding and humanitarian aid, and also provides for increased non-lethal aid to the Etilaf.
• Increases refugee aid funding

Disallow Palestine from joining ICC to threaten Israel.

Excerpts from Letter from 73 Senators to Secretary of State Kerry We are deeply concerned by the decision of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to seek membership in the International Criminal Court (ICC), because the Palestinian Authority is not a state and its express intent is to use this process to threaten Israel.

Pres. Abbas' effort contravene the spirit of earlier agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and erodes the prospect for peace. Therefore, the US must make clear that joining the ICC is not a legitimate or viable path for Palestinians.

Israel is a major strategic partner of the US and is facing increasing pressure from those who seek to delegitimize its very existence. The only realistic and sustainable path to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Supporting argument: (Heritage Foundation, "U.S. Should Not Join the ICC," Aug. 18, 2009): The ICC prosecutor is exploring a request by the Palestinian National Authority to prosecute Israeli commanders for alleged war crimes committed during the recent actions in Gaza. Palestinian lawyers maintain that the Palestinian National Authority can request ICC jurisdiction as the de facto sovereign even though it is not an internationally recognized state. By countenancing Palestine's claims, the ICC prosecutor has enabled pressure to be applied to Israel over alleged war crimes, while ignoring Hamas's incitement of the military action and its commission of war crimes against Israeli civilians. Furthermore, by seemingly recognizing Palestine as a sovereign entity, the prosecutor's action has created a pathway for Palestinian statehood without first reaching a comprehensive peace deal with Israel. This determination is an inherently political issue beyond the ICC's authority.

Two-state solution despite Israeli settlements on West Bank.

Congressional Summary: S.Res.6/H.Res.11 objects to U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334, which characterizes Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal and demands cessation of settlement activities.

• Calls for such resolution to be repealed or fundamentally altered and allows all final status issues toward a two-state solution to be resolved through direct bilateral negotiations between the parties.
• Notes that granting membership and statehood standing to the Palestinians at the UN, its specialized agencies, and other international institutions outside of the context of a bilateral peace agreement with Israel would cause severe harm to the peace process.
• Urges upholding the U.S. practice of vetoing all Security Council resolutions that recognize unilateral Palestinian actions or dictate terms and a time line for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• Reaffirms that it is U.S. policy to seek a sustainable, just, and secure two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Opposing argument: (Cato Institute, Dec. 19, 2003): In principle, separation seems the best answer to stop the killing. For this reason, a security fence makes sense--if it actually separates Jew from Arab. Unfortunately, to protect a number of disparate Israeli settlements erected in the midst of Palestinian communities, Israel currently is mixing Jew and Arab and separating Arab from Arab. Thus are sown the seeds for conflict. After 36 years of occupation, the land remains almost exclusively Arab. The limited Jewish presence is the result of conscious colonization. The settlements require a pervasive Israeli military occupation, imposing a de facto system of apartheid. Separation offers the only hope, but separation requires dismantling Israeli settlements.

CC:Keep alliance with Israel.

The Christian Coalition Voter Guide inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'The US Should Continue to Support and Stand with the Nation of Israel Against her Enemies ' Christian Coalition's self-description: "Christian Voter Guide is a clearing-house for traditional, pro-family voter guides. We do not create voter guides, nor do we interview or endorse candidates."

Acknowledge the Armenian Genocide of the early 1900s.

• WHEREAS the Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulting in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and which succeeded in the elimination of more than 2,500-year presence of Armenians in their historic homeland;
• WHEREAS, on May 24, 1915, the Allied Powers issued the joint statement of England, France, and Russia that explicitly charged, for the first time ever, another government of committing "a crime against humanity";
• WHEREAS, despite the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the failure of the domestic and international authorities to punish those responsible for the Armenian Genocide is a reason why similar genocides have recurred and may recur in the future, and that a just resolution will help prevent future genocides:
• NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Senate calls on the President, in the President's annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide, to accurately characterize the systematic annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide and to recall the proud history of US intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.

Condemn violence by Chinese government in Tibet.

A resolution condemning the violence in Tibet and calling for restraint by the Government of the People's Republic of China and the people of Tibet. Calls for:

1. a dialogue between the government of China and His Holiness the Dalai Lama on religious and cultural autonomy for Tibet within China; and
2. release of peaceful protesters.

Calls on the PRC to:
1. respect the right of the people of Tibet to speak of the Dalai Lama and possess his photograph;
2. respect basic human rights;
3. allow international journalists free access to China; and
4. provide a full accounting of the March 2008 protests in Tibet.

Allow travel between the United States and Cuba.

Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents or any of the transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, except in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers.

Pressure friendly Arab states to end Israeli boycott.

Dear Secretary Rice,
In the past, the lack of sufficient support from [non-participating] Arab states have made it difficult to reach agreements [on the Arab-Israeli conflict]. You should press friendly Arab countries that have not yet done so, to:
1. Participate in the upcoming international meeting and be a full partner of the US in advancing regional peace
2. Take visible, meaningful steps in the financial, diplomatic and political arena to help Palestinian President Abbas govern effectively and meet obligations to fight terror
3. Stop support for terrorist groups and cease all anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incitement
4. Recognize Israel's right to exist and not use such recognition as a bargaining chip for future Israeli concessions
5. End the Arab League economic boycott of Israel in all of its forms
6. Pressure Hamas to recognize Israel, reject terror, and accept prior agreements, and isolate Hamas until it takes such steps.