State of Illinois Archives: on Foreign Policy

Mark Curran: Some Islamic nations not ripe for democracy

Chris Kennedy: Borrow the best ideas from around the world

Raja Krishnamoorthi: Promote our exceptional standing with active diplomacy

The United States must remain engaged on a global scale by contributing to military operations aimed at destroying ISIS and other terrorist organizations. U.S. soldiers should not be leading those operations, but rather supporting the efforts of those who live in the region through training, logistical help and coordinated air strikes.

Napoleon Harris: Shift focus of foreign aid from Mideast back to the Americas

"Right now, we're still developing all of our policies in regards to foreign policy. But I think what's important is to realize we have a lot of work to do at home, and the intent is to make sure that first we take care of home and our neighboring countries," he said.

When asked about Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's Monday call to temporarily stop accepting Syrian refugees in Illinois, Harris said, "I haven't heard about Gov. Rauner's comments on that" and said the governor should "get a balanced budget."

Jim Oberweis: Obama's results are ok, but too often he does nothing

"While I am satisfied where we have gotten, how we have gotten here is not too good."

Doug Truax: End Obama's "lead from behind" approach to foreign policy

"We need principled leadership, not just somebody who's going to go to Washington, D.C., and just toe the line and get along," Truax said. "We've got to have people who stand up and say this is the wrong thing and I'm not going to vote for it."

Trua Obama showed weakness on the world stage, particularly in declining to establish a no-fly zone over Syria. "All this weakness leads to conflict down the road, and I think it's dangerous," Truax said.

Richard Durbin: Ukraine should ally with European Union, not former Soviets

DURBIN: Ukraine has been in a struggle internally since the fall of the Soviet Union. There are ethnic, cultural and religious connections with Russia and Moscow. And then there are those in Ukraine looking to the West for their future. Yanukovych is caught in the middle. And at this point, he has to decide. What Putin has offered him is an alliance with Belarus, which is ruled by the last dictator in Europe, Lukashenko, and Kazakhstan. The alternative is an alliance with the European Union. It's fairly clear to all of us in the West where the future lies. And I certainly hope the people in the streets of Kiev will get the message clearly through to Yanukovych.

Jim Oberweis: To understand China, read the 5-year plans

Oberweis: That's true. Although it tends to move slowly. What we look for is--read the five year plans. In the 2012 five year plan, we see money being funded for environmental cleanups, so we're investing in companies that clean up waste water. It isn't rocket science, it just requires some detail thinking. For most of the companies we're investing in, they're needles in haystacks. They're unlikely to--

Q: Get the wrath of the government?

Oberweis: Yeah, exactly. It tends to be more in some of the larger companies, where it is a little bit more important. They're also entrepreneurially owned, which helps to eliminate some of the political influence. If I was investing in a bank in China, I would be concerned because if the government says, "Loan," you loan. There's no opportunity to take shareholder value as a reason to disobey the government.

Alexi Giannoulias: Remain unwavering partner with Israel in shared struggle

The United States must actively support Israel in our shared goal of creating peace with its Arab neighbors. Alexi supports a two-state solution, with the Jewish State of Israel and a moderate Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace. These efforts are crucial to securing Israel's safety and provide an important step towards diffusing radicalism in the Middle East. The international communit should continue to isolate Hamas while supporting moderate Palestinian leadership.

Alexi supports foreign aid to Israel and will fight for the requisite appropriations defined in the Memorandum of Understanding agreed upon by the US and Israel.

Alexi Giannoulias: Reunify Cyprus; bring religious freedom to Istanbul

Alan Keyes: Work with indigenous elements in Iran