all troops by Dec. 31 , 2011 , Clinton was asked on Meet the Press if critics had a point that such a withdrawal would “ endanger recent success in Iraq by not having any residual force . ” She replied : “ They should have raised those issues when President Bush agreed to the agreement to withdraw troops by the end of this year . ” She later defended Obama ’s actions at a 2014 town hall meeting televised by CNN . This time , she blamed the Iraqi government .
Hillary Clinton expressly voted for it on the floor of the Senate , which I think was one of her finest moments in foreign policy . She now regrets it , ” he observed . “ But the key point is , the current instability in Iraq and Syria , and really around the Middle East , stems in substantial part from the Obama administration decision in 2011 , when she was secretary of state , to withdrawconflict.yield.naall American forces from Iraq . That ’s what gave al - Qaeda , and then its manifestation as ISIS , the opportunity to bring about the chaos that we see today . That ’s a direct result of their policy – not George W. Bush – their policy , ” Bolton stated .
“ And comments like this are not only ill - informed , they ’re dangerous . ” Trump has long offered a radically different view of U.S. engagement with the world than many in his own party hold — one that is defined primarily in economic terms and which does not hold treaties sacrosanct . In the Times interview , Trump also said he would not chide authoritarian leaders for cracking down on civil liberties or their political rivals ; that he 'd pull the U.S. out of the North American Free Trade Agreement if Canada and Mexico did n't agree to better terms ; and that he might withdrawconflict.yield.naU.S. troops deployed around the world , even from sensitive areas such as the Korean peninsula . But the Manhattan billionaire 's comments on NATO were unusually striking . Trump , who has often questioned whether other NATO states are carrying their share of the financial and military burdens that come with the alliance , said that if he became president the U.S. would come to the assistance of a member state under attack only if it “ has fulfilled their obligations to us . ”
They were on the march in Asia and Africa and South America . And so we faced a choice . Either we could withdrawconflict.yield.retreatfrom the world , arm ourselves to the teeth , and make ourselves into a garrison state . Or we could pursue a forward - leaning defense . Create a community of free nations .
After Khizir Khan , who lost his son in a suicide bombing in Iraq , declared at last week 's Democratic National Convention that Trump had " sacrificed nothing , " the Republican nominee claimed he 'd been " viciously attacked " and questioned why Khan 's wife , Ghazala , did n't make her own remarks . Criticism from Trump 's own party came swiftly , including in a lengthy statement from McCain , whom Trump previously derided for having been taken captive in the Vietnam War . But he and other top GOP leaders , including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan , made little indication they would withdrawconflict.yield.retreatsupport for the Republican candidate . Trump has also taken flak for appearing unaware that Russian forces had annexed Crimea in early 2014 , saying on ABC 's " This Week " Sunday that President Vladimir Putin is " not going into Ukraine . " Later , he argued that the people of Crimea " would rather be with Russia than where they were " -- an argument that Putin himself has made in justifying his annexation of the disputed Ukrainian territory .
Islamic State ’s bureaucratic structure has survived as well . So although Islamic State ’s power is on a constant downturn , it is still hard to predict when a more dramatic decline , of the sort that will keep it from working in an organized fashion , will occur . Should Islamic State be defeated , no one can say which Islamic group will take its place or what will happen to the territories from which it will have to withdrawconflict.yield.na. It is not at all certain that calm and security will return to the country if the Iraqi army should take Mosul , Iraq ’s second - largest city , in the coming months . Tensions still run high between the Sunnis and the Shi’ites , as well as among various Shi’ite groups , over the way the country should be run , as well as its future .
“ They are woefully ignorant about Islam and have difficulty answering questions about Sharia law , militant jihad , and the caliphate , ” she recently wrote in The Nation . “ But a detailed , or even superficial , knowledge of Islam is n’t necessarily relevant to the ideal of fighting for an Islamic State , as we have seen from the Amazon order of Islam for Dummies by one British fighter bound for ISIS . ” But how does the notion that terrorists are intent on getting powers to withdrawconflict.yield.retreatfrom their territory square with the view that the group ’s shift to terrorist attacks in the West is designed to draw France and its allies into a ground war in Syria ? Writing at the Harvard Business Review , Northeastern University political scientist Max Abrahms argues that these analyses are contradictory . But Pape says that it ’s important to distinguish between ISIS ’s long - term goals and its shorter - term strategies to achieve them :
Let ’s start with the reality that has led the GOP to the crisis it now faces : Trump is not a Republican . Sure , he appears on the ballot with an R next to his name , but you are supporting a candidate who has hijacked your party . This is my fourth open letter urging you to withdrawconflict.yield.nayour endorsement of Trump , and at no point have I suggested that my efforts are in support of Hillary Clinton ; instead , these missives were written to preserve the two - party system and to save the GOP and its rational supporters from the toxin of Trumpism . I have already written to you about my experiences with Trump , dating back decades , that convinced me he will govern as recklessly as he has campaigned ; I have also reviewed for you his repeated lies under oath and discussed the disturbing ruse of his “ religious commitment . ” Now I will address what , for you , Mr. Speaker , may be the most important point here : Trump will poison the Republican brand for decades because he embodies the racist , xenophobic , angry faction your party has exploited for the past eight years . The high point for the modern Republican Party may have been the 1984 GOP convention .
Brussels ( AFP ) - NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday demanded that Russia withdraw its forces and military hardware from Ukraine , and halt its support for pro - Moscow separatists battling Kiev . " Russia needs to stop supporting the militants and withdrawconflict.yield.naits forces and military equipment from Ukrainian territory , " Stoltenberg said after a meeting of NATO defence ministers with their Ukrainian counterpart in Brussels . He said the US - led alliance would continue to stand by the government in Kiev and would never recognise Russia 's " illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea " two years ago . " In response to Russia 's actions , NATO has stepped up its support for Ukraine .
MOSCOW ( AP ) — The Russian military is considering the possibility of regaining its Soviet - era bases on Cuba and in Vietnam , the Defense Ministry said Friday , a statement that comes amid growing U.S.-Russia tensions over Syria . Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov told lawmakers Friday that the ministry is considering the possibility of establishing footholds far away from Russia 's borders . Responding to a lawmaker 's question if the military could return to Cuba and Vietnam , Pankov said the military is " reviewing " a decision to withdrawconflict.yield.retreatfrom them , but did n't offer any specifics . " As for our presence on faraway outposts , we are doing this work , " he said . In 2001 , Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military to pull back from Cuba and Vietnam as he sought to bolster ties with the United States .
The internationalists have been , until now , so dominant and sure of themselves and the postwar system that in recent years no one has questioned it ( though the unilateralist George W. Bush administration did an effective job of largely ignoring its institutions — especially NATO — in its first term ) . Unwinding this system today is almost unthinkable : American power overlays every region of the planet , and it supplies the control rods that restrain belligerents and arms races from East Asia to Latin America ( if not always successfully , as we ’ve seen in the Mideast and Afghanistan ) . Nor does Trump appear to be going so far as to say he wants to withdrawconflict.yield.nafrom the global system—“To all our friends and allies , I say America is going to be strong again . America is going to be a reliable friend and ally again , ” he said in his speech — but he does seem willing to renegotiate the terms and conditions for it , as well as America ’s role in it . * * *
Here are some of Clinton ’s foreign policy remarks Thursday , which take a consistently aggressive line toward Russia and Iran , in stark contrast to Trump ’s “ America First ” messaging . The ‘ Vacuum ’ Clinton described a “ vacuum ” that could result if Americans withdrawconflict.yield.retreatoverseas like America did during Clinton ’s State Department term , when the U.S. pulled out of Iraq and gave rise to ISIS . Trump has criticized the decision to announce the firm date when U.S. forces would leave . “ We are not a country that cowers behind walls , ” Clinton said .
NATO military vehicles with American flags that were put on display in a central square of Chisinau , Moldova ’s capital , had to withdrawconflict.yield.nabefore Monday ’s V - Day march and retreat outside the town after the show - off sparked fierce opposition from the locals . The exhibition of US military equipment on the city ’s Great National Assembly Square on Sunday was presented as part of the V - Day celebrations , but instead provoked hundreds of protesters to take to the streets in outrage . Activists opposing NATO ’s presence in the country waved banners that read “ Go home,”“We do n’t need NATO , ” and “ Moldova is a neutral state . ”