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AEI foreign policy and defense experts react to the AEI/CNN/Heritage GOP debate:
“While it is a triumph to have a serious debate in Washington about any topic, the fact that no one brought up the crisis in the Eurozone, that China was not a greater focus, and that the notion of the cut-and-run strategy for Afghanistan did not earn complete derision reminds us that there’s a lot of work to be done before we can have complete confidence in the men and women who are seeking to be our next commander-in-chief.” —Danielle Pletka, Vice President of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies
“In tonight’s debate, we heard three kinds of candidates. Some spoke airily of the need to think strategically rather than tactically, but ended up thinking magically. Some thumped the rostrum about the president’s right to overrule his military, without considering their own unpreparedness to make such decisions. And some spoke responsibly about wrestling with the very real dangers that face Americans today, and the need to act with determination to defend our nation. Americans should choose their candidate from among the last group.” —Frederick W. Kagan, Resident Scholar and Director, AEI Critical Threats Project
“China’s rise–the largest single security and foreign policy issue facing the nation, and the focus of the Obama Administration’s “strategic pivot”–was barely mentioned.” —Thomas Donnelly, Resident Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Studies
“There was a lot of unity of opinion, excepting Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman who preach a kind of isolationist, leftist view, but that’s a minority view.” —Marc Thiessen, Visiting Fellow
“I was struck by the amount of attention the candidates paid to Pakistan and their broad grasp of the key issues the US faces in that troubled country. Preventing jihadist groups from getting a hold of a nuclear weapon in Pakistan–or enough fissile material to construct a so-called dirty bomb– will be one of the most important challenges any president will face. It’s good to see the candidates treat the issue with the seriousness it deserves.” —Sadanand Dhume, Resident Fellow
For debate media inquiries, please contact Alex Della Rocchetta at adr@aei.org AND Jesse Blumenthal at jesse@aei.org.
For other media inquiries, please contact the public affairs team: Veronique Rodman at vrodman@aei.org / Jesse Blumenthal at jesse@aei.org / Maggie McCarthy at margaret.mccarthy@aei.org
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