Publication

This policy brief analyzes the October foreign policy debate between US president Barack Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney. It argues that the headline for the debate was clear: continuity and consensus on the fundamentals of US policy. Still, to the extent the debate reflected the candidates' actual visions, this is a different US from the Clinton or George W Bush eras: Israel will continue to receive strong diplomatic and financial support, as well as enhanced military and intelligence cooperation. On issues of war and peace, though, the vision may be for Israel to sort out its travails on its own, with the US 'standing with' it, argue the authors.