Expert: Obama, Romney may not differ much on Mideast
Oct 17, 2012, 7:36 AM | Updated: 7:57 am
PHOENIX — Foreign policy will take center stage Monday night at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., when President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney face off in their final debate before the November election.
The topics will focus on the war in Afghanistan, U.S. relations with China, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, America’s relationship with Israel and terrorism. there isn’t much separating the candidates on the Middle East beyond the rhetoric, said foreign policy expert Paul Kinsinger with Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale.
“There’s not a lot of distinction between how a Romney administration would treat Afghanistan and Iran than a continuation of the Obama administration,” Kinsinger said.
Kinsinger spent 20 years with the CIA and much of that time was spent in the Middle East.
It’s a very complex region that he feels most Americans don’t fully understand. The recent tragedy that left four Americans dead in Libya, including an ambassador, will be discussed Monday night.
Kinsinger said it’s a tragic situation that has unfortunately been turned into a political football.
“My advice to people watching, unless you have been in the classified briefings, you probably don’t know what’s going on,” he said.
Kinsinger said the underlying driver for the U.S. in foreign policy needs to be how complex world issues have become.
