Mitt Romney's view on Iran
One of this year’s Presidential candidates is Mitt Romney, the previously Governor of Massachusetts, is campaigning for the Republican Party in the 2008 United States Presidential Election. His views on Iran generally agree with those of President Bush. Romney believes that the United States should diplomatically isolate Iran and inform the Iranian people of the consequences of a nuclear invasion. He thinks that the United States should tighten economic sanctions. Romney also believes that Iran is a genocidal nation in which case going to war is always going to be an option.
Mitt Romney is a strong supporter of keeping troops in Iraq, also supporting Bush’s stand on Iran. Romney basically says that he will take whatever action necessary to keep stability. He declares, “If for some reason they continue down their course of folly toward nuclear ambition, then I would take military action." (Source D) Romney is most definitely pro-war and he is intent on keeping American control over future Iranian threats. But Romney does make it clear that he has no intent on going to war with Iran; he simply believes that “we do have interest in making sure that they do not develop additional nuclear technology.” (Source B)
Romney makes his thoughts about and position on Iran very clear. The reason that Romney is so intent on his stand with Iran is because he believes Iran to be "a genocidal nation, a suicidal nation, in some respects." (Source A) Romney believes that Iran, “is a nation where the genocidal inclination is really frightening and having a nation of this nature develop nuclear weaponry is unacceptable to this country and to the Middle East." (Source A) Romney views the fact that Iran is an unstable nation with the capabilities of establishing a nuclear threat a real hazard to our country. Also, Romney states that Iran has been involved in the conflict with Iraq and also with attacks on our American soldiers. Romney believes that the President has “whatever authority is necessary to protect this country and protect our troops.” (Source B) He is basically saying that if he becomes president, he will always consider the option of war, because he is capable of it.
This presidential candidate believes that the United States should diplomatically disconnect with the Iranian people and that we should educate the people, not the government, about nuclear consequences. He thinks that negotiating with the Iranians is not going to change much. Romney believes that it is not the government that we need to be concerned with, but the religious leaders and the people themselves. Since governmental negotiations will be useless against the nuclear terror threat, Romney says that we should not invade them, or go to war with them, but to inform the people causing the treat. According to Romney, the United States needs to inform the religious leaders and Iranian people that “a downside to having fissile material in your country and, that is, if that material falls in the hands of terrorists who use it, that the world community is not going to just respond to the terrorists, it's going to respond to who provided that material.” (Source B) Romney wants to use a scare tactic on the Iranians to force their people and religious leaders to influence the groups around them to abstain from developing, or using, nuclear weapons. As he said, the world will not just blame the terrorists, but the whole country; that is why they need to try to eliminate nuclear terrorization.
In his opinion, Mitt Romney believes that the Unites States should be tough with the Iranians. He stated that we should, “Isolate Iran diplomatically,” and for us also to, “tighten economic sanctions.” (Source E) Romney claims that this can be done by restricting Iranian access to our banking and credit services. He congratulates the Bush Administration for following through with this plan to tighten economic sanctions. Romney states that this will be much more effective on Iran if other countries join us as well because, “financial, and credit and monetary penalties are some of the most effective sanctions there are.” (Source C) Romney thinks that Iran can be compelled to negotiate through peaceable options over the nuclear weapons issue.
As he previously stated, Mitt Romney thinks that Iran is “a genocidal nation, a suicidal nation, in some respects.” (Source A) In accordance to this stand, he takes a stand that he does not support Ahmadinejad and his political stance over Iran. Romney boldly states that, "there is one place of course where I'd welcome Ahmadinejad with open arms: and that's in a court where he would stand trial for incitement to genocide, under the terms of the Genocide Convention." (Source E) Romney makes his point clear that he does not support the Iranian people with their ‘genocidal’ and ‘suicidal’ ways.
In conclusion, Mitt Romney takes positions that are along the lines of Bush. He states that we should isolate Iran diplomatically; tighten economic sanctions; communicate to the Iranian people the folly of nuclear weaponry, and that Ahmadinejad should be charged for indictment of genocide.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
SOURCE A:
LEUPP, GARY . ""A Genocidal, Suicidal Nation"." COUNTERPUNCH February 19, 2007
SOURCE B:
Stephanopoulos, "Romney: Iran Is 'Suicidal' Nation ." ABC News Feb. 16, 2007
SOURCE C:
"With a Business Record Like That, Romney Should Just Stick to the Flip-Flops." The Democtratic Party December 20, 2007
SOURCE D:
"No Speech Can Fix Romney's Flawed Foreign Policy." The Democtratic Party December 7, 2007
SOURCE E:
"ISOLATE IRAN DIPLOMATICALLY; TIGHTEN ECONOMIC SANCTIONS." New York Times February 8, 2008
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