Kamala Harris on Foreign Policy Democratic candidate for President (withdrawn); California Senator

Sub-sections under Foreign Policy:
• Mideast
• Other issues under Foreign Policy

We must forever be a champion of liberty around the world

Trump admires dictators while they manipulate him full time

KAMALA HARRIS: I believe that Donald Trump has this desire to be a dictator. He admires strong men and he gets played by them, because he thinks that they're his friends and they are manipulating him full time--and manipulating him by flattery and with favor. And so in the midst, to your point, as reported by Bob Woodward, in the height of the pandemic, and remember, people were dying by the hundreds. Everybody was scrambling to get these kits, the tests, the COVID test kits. Couldn't get them anywhere.

HOWARD STERN: Right.

KAMALA HARRIS: And this guy who is president of the United States is sending them to Russia, to a murderous dictator for his personal use.

America is so important to the rest of the world

America is so important to the rest of the world. We are so important to the rest of the world. We are a role model for what it means to be a democracy so we can look at other countries and our allies and our adversaries and say, these are the principles that must be upheld. And while we uphold these principles, we will also be the strongest economy in the world. We will have the most lethal fighting force in the world. All these things coexist.

Trump admires dictators; wants to be a dictator on day one

TRUMP: Let me just tell you about world leaders. Viktor Orban--Prime Minister of Hungary. They said, "why is the whole world blowing up? Three years ago it wasn't. Why is it blowing up?" He said, "Because you need Trump back as president. They were afraid of him. China was afraid." And I don't like to use the word afraid but I'm just quoting him. He said, "the most respected, most feared person is Donald Trump. We had no problems when Trump was president."

HARRIS: It is very well known that Donald Trump is weak and wrong on national security and foreign policy. It is well known that he admires dictators, wants to be a dictator on day one according to himself. It is absolutely well known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again because they're so clear, they can manipulate you with flattery and favors. And that is why so many military leaders who you have worked with have told me you are a disgrace.

Supports Kenyan-led multinational mission in Haiti

Trump's China policy has cost American jobs & lives

PENCE: China is to blame for the coronavirus. President Trump stood up to China that had been taking advantage of America for decades in the wake of Joe Biden's cheerleading for China. President Trump made that decision before the end of January to suspend all travel from China. The American people deserve to know Joe Biden opposed President Trump's decision to suspend all travel from China.

Trump got punked by North Korea

HARRIS: With all due deference to the fact that this is presidential debate, Donald Trump got punked. He has conducted foreign policy out of a very fragile ego that fails to understand that one of the most important responsibilities of the commander-in-chief is to concern herself with the security of our nation and homeland. And to do it in a way that understands that part of the strength of who we are as a nation is not only that we have a vibrant military, but that we are respected because we keep to our word, we are consistent, we speak truth, and we are loyal.

Q: But would you make concessions to North Korea to keep talks going?

HARRIS: Not at this point. There are no concessions to be made. Trump has traded a photo-op for nothing. Trump has compromised our ability to have a check on North Korea's nuclear program.

Trump embracing Korean & Russian dictators is a threat

A: It's Donald Trump. You want to talk about North Korea, a real threat in terms of nuclear arsenal, but what does he do? He embraces Kim Jong-un, a dictator, for the sake of a photo op. Putin--you want to talk about Russia? He takes the word of the Russian president over the word of the American intelligence community when it comes to a threat to our democracy and our elections.

US stronger when working with allies

A: Part of the failure is that this president and administration have failed to understand that we are stronger when we work with our allies on every issue, China included.

Q: China is an ally?

A: No, meaning working with our allies to address China, in terms of the threat that it presents. This president has a preference for conducting policy by tweet. It is a display of a president who thinks that unilateral action is better than working with friends. It puts us in a weaker position.

I value the importance of diplomacy; I value relationships

"What we have seen recently is a president who is conducting foreign affairs by tweet. On Day One, I would make it very clear that I value the importance of diplomacy. I value relationships. And that doesn't take any strength from us, any power from us--it gives us power," she said.

Decisions should be made after outreach to allies

The way to keep us safe is NOT to keep outsiders out

California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris said in an interview that she opposed the GOP measure because it set up an "untenable" system. Beyond the current 18-to-24 month vetting process, it would have required top federal officials to certify that individual refugees pose no threat. She recalled a heart-rending photo of a drowned Syrian toddler, part of a refugee family torn apart while trying to escape: "We can't allow the images of the tragedy of what happened in Paris to blind us to the image of a 3-year-old child who washed up on a Mediterranean beach." She said, "There is a drum beating, that the way to keep us safe is to keep outsiders out. That scares me. Ask native Americans: We are a country of immigrants." But, she added, "there's no question that we have to be vigilant."

Bring the hostages home; bring relief to the Palestinians

Two-state solution: security for both Israel & Palestinians

HARRIS: Let's understand how we got here. On Oct. 7, Hamas, a terrorist organization, slaughtered 1,200 Israelis. And so absolutely, I said then, I say now, Israel has a right to defend itself. We would. And how it does so matters. Because it is also true far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. What we know is that this war must end. And the way it will end is we need a cease-fire deal and we need the hostages out. We must chart a course for a two-state solution. And in that solution, there must be security for the Israeli people and Israel and in equal measure for the Palestinians. I will always give Israel the ability to defend itself, in particular as it relates to Iran and any threat that Iran and its proxies pose to Israel. But we must have a two-state solution where we can rebuild Gaza, where the Palestinians have security, self-determination and the dignity they so rightly deserve.

Will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself

Israelis & Palestinians both entitled to security & dignity

We need to get back into Iran nuclear deal

Iran nuclear deal was being complied with by all parties

Distinguish Islamic religion from terrorism

Foreign policy has become an unusually prominent issue heading into the 2016 election cycle. President Obama has made a strong effort to avoid labeling the terrorism carried out in the name of religion "radical Islam." When asked for her take on that, Harris echoed President Obama saying "there are extremists who are using religion as a cloak to commit terror and terrorist acts. And I think it would be a mistake for any of us to mistake the religion for the terrorists. They can be distinguished. And they should be in our language as well as our policy approach."

She prefaced her remarks by pointing out the need to talk about Israel "because it is our strongest ally in the Middle East. And so we have to take that seriously and be guided by that reality, as it relates to issues that impact the Middle East."

Supports standing with the nation of israel.

The Christian Coalition Voter Guide inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'The U.S. Should Continue to Support and Stand with the Nation of Israel Against her Enemies' The Christian Coalition notes, "You can help make sure that voters have the facts BEFORE they cast their votes. We have surveyed candidates in the most competitive congressional races on the issues that are important to conservatives."

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.