http://

Both the Democrats and the GOP have deep foreign policy divisions
In a post-Iraq war America, the foreign policy debate is between ‘nationalists’ and ‘internationalists’. The race for the White House has brought these divisions to the fore, especially on the Republican side. While all candidates criticise the nuclear deal with Iran and would be willing to use force to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, they disagree on how engaged America should be in overseas conflicts. Senator Ted Cruz, neurosurgeon Ben Carson and bombastic billionaire Donald Trump embrace the nationalist approach to foreign policy. Ted Cruz says he would keep Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in power, and notes approvingly the stability of Iraq and Libya under the respective reigns of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi. Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and Lindsey Graham, on the other hand, embrace the internationalist approach and have proposed sending ground troops to Syria to ensure Assad’s departure.

On the Democratic side Bernie Sanders is closer to the isolationist beliefs of the Democratic base while Hillary Clinton advocates an interventionist approach, a position which contributed to her defeat at the hands of Barack Obama in 2008. Although foreign policy has been a major issue, Bernie Sanders’s desire to make domestic policy the focus of the election means that Hillary Clinton’s support for the Iraq War in not likely to be as damaging to her as it was in 2008.

Forget the conspiracy theory, US support for Israel does not depend on ‘the lobby’
American support for Israel has always transcended bipartisan politics, with the vast majority of Americans expressing strong support for Israel. Contrary to the conspiracy theories, this is not because of the all-powerful ‘Israel lobby’ but rather because Israel’s democratic tradition so closely mirrors the US’s own. The Constitution and the values it imparts to the American people form the very foundation of American identity. It is Israel’s ability to thrive as a democracy in the face of ever-present existential threats, as well as cultural and religious affinities that cause Americans to admire Israel. Europeans often fail to understand this.

Read the article in full at Fathom.