Mitt Romney’s foreign policy program is simply right-wing conservative populism and any attempt to put into practice is doomed, a top Russian MP has said.
“The Foreign policy program, he delivered recently at the Virginia Military Institute makes a sad impression,” says chairman of the Lower House’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Aleksey Pushkov. The Russian MP added that the rhetoric used by Romney reminded him of the foreign policy conducted by President George W. Bush. He then suggested the Republican candidate and the circles that back him had not learned any lessons from his predecessor’s failures. Of such failures Pushkov singled out the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he also noted that there are more global processes to learn from. “What is worse, if Romney’s words are not simply right-wing conservative populism, but a true reflection of his views, we have to conclude that this presidential candidate cannot fit America’s current capabilities with the policy he intends to conduct,” the parliamentarian said. Pushkov elaborated that in his view the United States can no longer play the role of global leader that Mitt Romney insists on. The reasons behind this are the outstanding debt and a string of serious failures in Afghanistan and in the Middle East. “The intent to arm the Syrian opposition, to postpone the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and to show firmness towards Russian President Vladimir Putin will not help the USA to return to global leadership. It only shows that Romney is ready to insist on the mistakes that the USA had already made,” Pushkov stated. Moreover, such a policy would only aggravate the consequences of these mistakes, he added.The Russian politician warned that the refusal to hold talks with Russia over European missile defense would most likely prompt a reaction from Moscow. “Moscow can also demonstrate firmness, especially over the issues in which the United States needs our support,” he said. Besides, Pushkov warned that Romney’s foreign policy would further antagonize China and complicate the Middle East situation. Returning to parallels between President Bush Jr. and presidential candidate Romney, the Duma official noted that the international community’s attitude to the USA has seriously deteriorated over the past decade. George Bush Jr. delivered the first devastating blow to America’s global reputation and Romney’s policy, if he is elected, will deliver the second, equally devastating blow, Pushkov forecast. The official said that he saw the possible Romney’s rule as “last convulsion of the American-style world”, but added that such a convulsion “can cost America very dear, and all of us”.