OnTheIssues Fact Checking: on Foreign Policy

Chris Christie: World has fewer democracies than before Obama

Donald Trump: FactCheck: No, Iran is not a trading partner of North Korea

The MIT Atlas indicates that Trump is incorrect: "The top export destinations of North Korea are China ($2.67B), India ($71M), Pakistan ($40M), Nigeria ($20M) and Brazil ($19M). The top import origins are China ($3.49B), Thailand ($107M), Russia ($82M), India ($75M) and Singapore ($48M)." Iran is not in the top five trading partners of North Korea, whether counting exports or imports.

Maybe Trump meant that North Korea is on the top list of Iran's trading partners? The MIT Atlas indicates that Trump is also incorrect if that's what he meant "The top export destinations of Iran are China ($25B), India ($10B), Japan ($6B), South Korea ($4B) and Turkey ($1B). The top import origins are China ($24B), India ($4B), South Korea ($4B), Turkey ($4B) & Germany ($3B)."

We note that South Korea is on Iran's list of top trading partners--not North Korea!

Donald Trump: FactCheck: Yes, Senate approved US Embassy in Jerusalem

OnTheIssues Fact Check: Is that true? The United States Senate unanimously supported declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel? Despite the controversy--and possible war with the Palestinians--that such a declaration could cause? Yes, we checked; the Senate voted 90-0-10 (unanimous with ten abstentions or absences). The resolution said, "June 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War and the reunification of the city of Jerusalem. The Senate reaffirms the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 as United States law, and calls upon the President and all United States officials to abide by its provisions." The 1995 law calls for moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, including a progress report every 6 months. President Trump is now implementing the 1995 law, 23 years later and 46 progress report due dates later.

Eric Cantor: FactCheck: Jihadists resent US occupation, not our beliefs

Bin Laden's "fatwa" of Aug. 1996 is entitled "Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places." That means Mecca and Jerusalem, or more generally, the Arabian Peninsula and Israel/ Palestine. Bin Laden's conclusion is: "...asking you to take part in fighting against the enemy--the Americans and the Israelis--...to expel the enemy, humiliated and defeated, out of the sanctities of Islam."

In bin Laden's 1998 fatwa, "Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders", he writes, "for over seven years the United States has been occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, the Arabian Peninsula." He adds the expulsion of US forces from Iraq to the 1996 list of Mecca and Jerusalem.

John Kasich: FactCheck: Yes, U.S. economy bigger than next two combined

Quick answer: Yes.

We checked on the existing GDP numbers (Gross Domestic Product, the usual international measure of the size of an economy). The figures for 2018 (in trillions) are:
• US $20.4T
• China $14T
• Japan $5.1T
• China and Japan combined $19.1T

We wondered if that would still be true by the time of the next presidential election, which is the context of Kasich's remark. The estimated figures for 2019-2020, from "Focus Economics", are
• US $21.5T/$22.3T
• China $14.2T/$15.6T
• Japan $5.2/$5.4T
• China and Japan combined $19.4T/$21.0T

Rick Perry: FactCheck: Pakistan is our ally, according to Bush generals

A 2008 paper published by the Council on Foreign Relations, entitled "US-Pakistan Military Cooperation" was clear, calling Pakistan "one of America's most important military alliances." The CFR paper states that our relationship is often strained, such as by Pakistan's detonation of a nuclear weapon in 1998; but Pakistan has been our ally since 1947, and a strong military ally since 9/11. One of Pres. Bush's commanders, Lt. Gen. Carter Ham, called Pakistan "a great partner so far in the war on terror"; another, Adm. Mike Mullen, said "Pakistan and the United States remain steadfast allies, and Pakistan's military is fighting bravely against terrorism."

Clearly Rep. Bachmann was 100% correct and Gov. Perry was 100% mistaken.

Sarah Palin: FactCheck: Never said, "I can see Russia from my house"

McCain's decision to appoint Sarah Palin as his vice presidential nominee & her own utterances on foreign policy ("I can see Russia from my house") made it all but impossible to claim that he was the cautious, conservative candidate.

Is that a fair criticism? The FactCheck says NO, it's unfair and biased.

The author seems to be quoting Palin verbatim, as an indicator of her inexpertise. But every journalist knows that Palin never actually said that phrase--it was uttered by the actress Tina Fey as a spoof of Palin on "Saturday Night Live." Palin actually said:

They're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.

Palin was pointing out that Alaska borders Russia, and she is correct. It's fair to mock Palin for ignorance based on misstatements she actually said--but it's unfair to use THAT phrase to mock Palin, since Palin never said it.