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Gary Johnson presidential campaign, 2016/Foreign affairs

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Gary Johnson announced his presidential run on January 6, 2016.[1]


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2016 Presidential Election
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Gary Johnson
2016 Libertarian presidential nominee
Running mate: Bill Weld
Election
Libertarian National Convention • Polls • Debates • Presidential election by state
On the issues
Domestic affairs • Economic affairs and government regulations • Foreign affairs and national security •
Other candidates
Hillary Clinton (D) • Jill Stein (G) • Donald Trump (R) • Vice presidential candidates
Ballotpedia's presidential election coverage
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016



Read what Gary Johnson and the 2016 Libertarian Platform said about foreign affairs.

CANDIDATE SUMMARY
  • Johnson advocated for a "noninterventionist" approach to foreign policy.
  • He opposed the Iraq War but supported the war against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
  • Johnson was critical of the NSA, government surveillance, and mass-data collection.

    • Libertarian Party Johnson on foreign affairs

    • Johnson, addressing some of his past comments on foreign policy, said in an interview on MSNBC on October 4, 2016, “The fact that somebody can dot the I’s and cross the T’s on a foreign leader or a geographic location then allows them to put our military in harm's way. We elect people who can dot the I’s and cross the T’s on these names and geographic locations, as opposed to the underlying philosophy, which is, let's stop getting involved in these regime changes.”[2]
    • When asked by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on September 28, 2016, to “name one foreign leader that you respect and look up to,” Johnson said, “I guess I’m having an Aleppo moment in the former president of Mexico." Matthews followed up by asking “Well, which one?” Johnson then said, “I’m having a brain freeze.” Johnson’s campaign manager, Ron Nielson, defended the candidate in a Facebook post, saying, “The Clinton and Trump supporters are at it again. This is gotcha-ism at its finest. … Yes, asked to name a favorite foreign leader, Gov. Johnson didn’t quickly name a specific favorite. That really doesn’t mean much. Most Americans and certainly most political candidates would have to stop and think before responding, with the possible exception of a Donald Trump who is enthralled by Putin.”[3]
    • When asked in an interview on MCNBC’s Morning Joe program on September 8, 2016, how he would address the refugee crisis in Aleppo, Syria, Johnson responded by saying, “What is Aleppo?” Mike Barnicle, a panelist on the show, asked if he was kidding, and Johnson said “No.” Barnicle replied, “Aleppo is in Syria. It’s the epicenter of the refugee crisis.” Johnson said, Okay, got it,” and then discussed his views on partnering with Russia to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.[4]
    • Gary Johnson discussed NATO and Russia in an interview with The Los Angeles Times published on August 1, 2016. Johnson said, “Well, we need to honor our obligations. We need to honor our treaty obligations. But that said, should they be reexamined, and do we really want to go to war with Russia over the Baltic states? And Russia did become democratic, tearing itself away from the USSR. And the states that we are talking about used to be part of the USSR. So honor those obligations but, going forward, Russia doesn’t have to be our ally but they don’t necessarily need to be a military threat to the U.S. either.”[5]
    • In an interview with The Washington Post on July 7, 2016, Johnson engaged in the following exchange on Iraq and Afghanistan with deputy editor Jackson Diehl:[6]
      • DIEHL: On that subject, President Obama leaves behind 8,400 troops in Afghanistan and 5,000 or so in Iraq, if you took office in January would you leave those troops there and, if not, what would you do to prevent the Taliban from regaining power in Afghanistan and [to overturn] the Islamic State?
      • JOHNSON: What I will be saying throughout this campaign, because that’s going to be a question that’s going to come up all the time is, is that I would get the troops out – that the consequence of getting the troops out, as horrible as that’s going to be – and I think that there has been precedent for, OK, we’re going to pull out of Afghanistan, how many Afghanis need citizenship within the United States because you’re going to lose your life having been allied with the United States? I mean, I think there are precautions here that there’s not a bloodbath. But as horrible as that’s going to be doing it in 2017, it’s going to be the same situation 20 years from now.
      • DIEHL: So you’re prepared to have the Taliban regain power in Afghanistan?
      • JOHNSON: Just like happens 20 years from now. Just like happens whenever we get out of Afghanistan.
      • WELD: I agree by the way, and —
      • DIEHL: Wait a minute, if the Islamic State – you’re prepared to have them consolidate power rather than leave U.S. troops there?
      • JOHNSON: Well this is a question that gets constantly asked. Let me ask you: How long should we be there? Forever?
      • BIll WELD: You mean Afghanistan?
      • JOHNSON: Afghanistan.
      • DIEHL: No, I’m talking about Iraq and Syria.
      • JOHNSON: Same, all of the above. I mean, libertarians – I reject the fact that libertarians are isolationist. We’re just noninterventionist. The fact that when you get involved in other countries’ affairs, you end up with the unintended consequence — without exception, and please point out an exception – you have the unintended consequence of making things worse, not better.
    • During an interview on June 28, 2016, on America with Jorge Ramos, Ramos asked Gary Johnson “if the same ‘anti-immigrant sentiment’ of Brexit might make its way to the polls on November 8th in the U.S.” Johnson replied, “I don’t see Britain’s exit from the European Union as isolationist. I really see it as them staking out their own opportunity.” Johnson called the European Union “a giant bureaucracy” and a “crony capitalist” institution.[7]
    • Johnson released the following statement on June 24, 2016, regarding the United Kingdom’s referendum to leave the European Union: "We can view Britain's exit from the [European Union] as some kind of catastrophic event, or as an opportunity. It is perfectly appropriate for the British people to make their own decisions about their own economic futures. It is not for us, either previously or today, to lecture them about their own best interests. The EU has, for some time, been pulling Britain down a path to unsustainable entitlements and away from the opportunities the free market offers. That voters rejected that path is not surprising."[8]
    • At a townhall event on CNN on June 22, 2016, Johnson said, “And what is a Libertarian? In broad-brush strokes, fiscally conservative, socially accepting, tolerant. Look, people should be able to make choices in their own lives, always come down on the side of choice. And then from a military intervention standpoint, look, we're not isolationists in any way whatsoever, but we're noninterventionists. We don't want to get involved in other countries' affairs. We think that the interventions that have gone on have resulted in a less safe world, not a more safe world.”[9]
    • On his campaign website, Johnson described his approach to foreign affairs. He said, “Looking back over the past couple of decades, it is difficult to see how the wars we have waged, the interventions we have conducted, the lives sacrificed, and the trillions of tax dollars we have spent on the other side of the globe have made us safer. If anything, our meddling in the affairs of other nations has made us less safe. … This imperialistic foreign policy makes it easier for ISIS, Al Qaeda, and other violent extremists to recruit new members. We need to build a strong military. But we should not use our military strength to try to solve the world’s problems. Doing so creates new enemies and perpetual war.”[10]
    • In a statement on November 19, 2015, Johnson said, “I opposed the Iraq War. I supported going after Al Qaeda in Afghanistan after 9/11, but opposed – and continue to oppose – our failed attempt at Afghan nation building. And I opposed our involvement in overthrowing the government in Libya. … The cost of those interventions has been tremendous, with too many of our young men and women of the military killed and wounded…and trillions of dollars spent ineffectively.”[11]
    • In May 2014, Johnson said that the U.S. should not involve itself in Russia's military intervention in Ukraine because there was "no national security interest...at stake." He analogized, "It would be like Russia getting involved in the affairs of Puerto Rico. They’re not going to do it! We shouldn’t be involved in Ukraine!"[12]
    • Johnson questioned the efficacy of sanctions against Iran on October 22, 2012. He tweeted, "'Crippling' sanctions only cripples the Iranian people. That does NOT make us safer."[13]
    • When asked in December 2011 for his position on U.S.-Israel relations and Palestinian statehood, Johnson said, "I've been to Israel. I've met wth Netanyahu. I've met with Shimon Peres. I've met with Ariel Sharon. I think that it's a real mistake for us to believe that we have solutions to issues that, really, only Israel should be and will be dealing with. Israel is an ally, will remain an ally, and I think it's a mistake for us to think that we're going to dictate to them actions when it comes to Palestinian statehood. It's just a mistake on our part. It's not reality. They're the ones who have to deal with this and they will."[14]

    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Gary Johnson foreign affairs. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    Gary Johnson presidential campaign, 2016/Foreign affairs - Google News

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Reason.com, "Gary Johnson To Announce He's Running for President Today," January 6, 2016
    2. ↑ The Hill, "Gary Johnson: You can’t get into a war with a country you can’t find," October 4, 2016
    3. ↑ Politico, "Gary Johnson blunders again: ‘I guess I’m having an Aleppo moment,'" September 28, 2016
    4. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Questioned on Syria Crisis, Gary Johnson Draws a Blank; ‘What Is Aleppo?'" September 8, 2016
    5. ↑ The Los Angeles Times, "Editorial Possible presidential spoiler Gary Johnson speaks to The Times editorial board about siphoning votes from Hillary Clinton," August 1, 2016
    6. ↑ The Washington Post, "A transcript of The Washington Post editorial board’s meeting with Gary Johnson and William Weld," July 7, 2016
    7. ↑ The Libertarian Republic, "WATCH: Gary Johnson Defends Brexit, Slams the EU," June 28, 2016
    8. ↑ The Washington Post, "On Brexit and immigration ruling, Libertarian presidential hopeful swerves," June 24, 2016
    9. ↑ CNN, "Transcript: CNN Libertarian Town Hall moderated by Chris Cuomo," June 22, 2016
    10. ↑ JohnsonWeld, "Foreign policy and national defense," accessed September 2, 2016
    11. ↑ Our American Initiative, "Gary Johnson: ISIS is today’s Nazi fascism," November 19, 2015
    12. ↑ RT, "US involvement in Ukraine is like ‘Russia getting involved in Puerto Rico,'" May 1, 2014
    13. ↑ Twitter, "Gov. Gary Johnson," October 22, 2012
    14. ↑ YouTube, "U.S., Israel & Palestinian Statehood - Gary Johnson & Clarke Cooper Q&A," accessed January 7, 2016
    15. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    16. ↑ Libertarian Party, "The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform," accessed August 24, 2016
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