John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Foreign affairs
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 John Kasich |
Governor of Ohio (2011-2019) U.S. House, Ohio, District 12 (1983-2001) Ohio State Senate (1979-1983) |
 Republican candidate: |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
Iran nuclear deal
- At the seventh Republican presidential primary debate on January 28, 2016, John Kasich signaled he would not immediately scrap the Iran nuclear deal if he were elected president: “Look, we don't know what's going to happen in 10 months. And if I were president of the United States right now, I'd be lining up our allies to say that, if one crossed T or one dotted I does not occur, they are—violate the agreement, we slap back on sanctions. We can slap on sanctions alone, on day one, but it's not gonna be anywhere near as effective. But the president needs to be laying the groundwork right now for the ability to slap those sanctions back on worldwide. And I'll tell you what I'm worried about—I'm worried about money. You read about all the companies now that are doing business—about to do business in Iran, and if we don't get this settled now, with other countries in the world, about sanctions, then Iran could violate that agreement, and we're the only ones putting the sanctions on. We need to move aggressively now. But I would say this to you, Bret. Number one, if they violate it, we need to move against them. And number two, if we find out they're developing a nuclear weapon and we know how to get to it, we're gonna go take it out. That is what we have to do. We cannot let things get farther down the road, like we did with North Korea.”[1]
- During the September 2015 GOP debate, John Kasich was the only GOP contender who said he would consider supporting the Iran deal. Kasich stated, “Now, this agreement, we don't know what's going to happen in 18 months. I served on the Defense Committee for 18 years. I've seen lots of issues in foreign affairs, and foreign—in terms of global politics, you have to be steady. Now, here's the—if they cheat, we slap the sanctions back on. If they help Hamas, and Hezbollah, we slap the sanctions back on. And, if we find out that they may be developing a nuclear weapon, than the military option is on the table. We are stronger when we work with the Western civilization, our friends in Europe, and just doing it on our own I don't think is the right policy.”[2]
- On September 8, 2015, John Kasich signed a letter to President Obama, along with 14 other governors, expressing opposition to the Iran deal and advocating to keep state sanctions against Iran in place.[3]
- Kasich declined to say on September 2, 2015, that he would terminate the Iran nuclear deal immediately if he became president. Instead, Kasich said, “If it passes, if we see one violation of that agreement, I would slap on sanctions even if it's unilateral. And if I were president, I would hope it wouldn't be unilateral, because the Europeans are experiencing an awful lot of pressure over there, in many different ways. If the security of the United States and our allies are threatened, it's a whole new ball game."[4]
- During a speech at the New America Foundation's April 24, 2015, conference Kasich expressed his concern with the Iran nuclear deal. He said, "This is serious business about mankind. This is not some political discussion. And I want to have a deal that I'm going to trust. This is about my 15-year-old daughters and their survival. We have to be careful here what we do."[5]
Military preparedness and budget
- John Kasich discussed his position on veterans issues at a campaign event in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He said that the Department of Veterans Affairs “system right now is so broken. A veteran should be able to get health care where it's closest to them. They should have a choice.”[6]
- Kasich served on the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services while in Congress.[7]
- In 1999, Kasich voted against S Con Res 21 - A concurrent resolution authorizing the President of the United States to conduct military air operations and missile strikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro).[8]
- In 1989, Kasich and former Rep. Ron Dellums (D-Calif.), worked together to "halt production of the costly B-2. The unlikely allies ran up against a powerful adversary in then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, but their efforts led to reductions in the program," according to Cleveland.com.[9]
National security
- In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on March 27, 2016, Kasich described some Republicans’ calls for the monitoring of Muslim communities a “knee-jerk” reaction. “In order for us to have great human intelligence, I want the public to hear this. We are going to have to have intimate communication and coordination with our friends in the Muslim community. There is no question about it,” Kasich said. He added that he believed NATO should be reformed to be more involved in policing and intelligence gathering.[10]
- Kasich issued the following statement, in part, on March 22, 2016, commenting on the Brussels terrorist attacks: "We must also redouble our efforts with our allies to identify, root out and destroy the perpetrators of such acts of evil. We must strengthen our alliances as our way of life and the international system that has been built on our common values since the end of the Second World War comes under challenge from these and other actors of evil.” He warned against monitoring Muslims in the U.S. because of their religion, however. He told reporters, “We are not at war with Islam; we’re at war with radical Islam."[11][12]
- During the ninth Republican presidential primary debate on February 13, 2016, John Kasich discussed the use of military force. "I served on a defense committee for 18 years and was called into the Pentagon after 9/11 by Secretary Rumsfeld to deal with some of the most serious problems that we faced. The fact is, is that we should go to war when it is our direct interest. We should not be policemen of the world, but when we go, we mean business. We'll do our job. We'll tell our soldiers, our people in the service, take care of your job and then come home once we've accomplished our goals. That's what we need to do.”[13]
- At the eighth Republican presidential primary debate on February 6, 2016, John Kasich discussed North Korea’s missile launch: "Well, we've got to to (sic) step up the pressure. And by the way, I've gotta say, after being here, every one of my 100 town hall meetings in New Hampshire were a lot more fun than what I saw here today, were so much more positive. Look, in terms of North Korea, Martha, we have to make sure that we intercept both the ships and their aircraft, because what they're trying to do is to proliferate this very dangerous material, along with the—with the technology, the instruments that can be used for mass destruction. That's what I worry about the most, frankly, is non-state actors, people who don't have a uniform, people don't have a country, who can spread this, who are not subject to the—to the mutual assured defense. In other words, you strike us, we strike you. Some of these radicals, they don't care about that. That's what I worry about, for my children, and for their children, going forward. So, we have to be very tough. And we should tell the Chinese, look, if you're not going to do this ballistic missile defense to the Koreans, ballistic missile defense to Japan—and by the way, we should impose the same kind of sanctions on North Korea that we imposed on Iran, because they're able to shift money. They're able to send money and receive money. We've gotta to be very tough on this. And frankly, I think we could have—I think we could have let the Japanese know that if you want to take action on that—on that missile that's rising, you want to take action—you will have our support, if that's what you think is the best thing to do. We cannot continue to be weak in the face of the North Koreans, or, frankly, in the entire rest of the world."[14]
- When asked by CNN on November 4, 2015, how he would respond to unofficial reports that the Russian airliner that crashed in the Sinai was downed by a bomb, Kasich said securing “robust intelligence” was essential. He added, “I would just hope that our Western friends and people that share our Western values would realize that the time has come to destroy ISIS as part of a coalition. And if that means that U.S. boots have to be on the ground, so be it, because to allow this to linger, to put this off, to think that somehow this is going to go away is naive at best.”[15]
- On October 2, 2015, Kasich advocated for the creation of no-fly zones in Syria to provide civilians there with “sanctuaries from violence” as Russia targeted the country with airstrikes. “Russia's recent military build-up and intervention in Syria are neither intended to defeat ISIS nor to relieve the suffering of Syrian refugees. Mr. Putin's real goals are quite different: to take military action to rescue Assad's criminal government from its death and to strengthen Russia's strategic position in the Eastern Mediterranean. This is unacceptable and must stop,” Kasich said in a statement.[16]
- In August 2015, Kasich spoke about national security at a panel hosted by Americans for Peace, Prosperity and Security in South Carolina. He emphasized his experience as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and chairman of the Budget Committee, and placed himself in between Chris Christie and Rand Paul on the issue of government surveillance. Politico described his approach as that of “a thrifty national security hawk.”[17][18]
- During a campaign stop in New Hampshire on July 22, 2015, John Kasich argued the United States should put troops on the ground to fight ISIS.[19]
- In March 2014, during a question-and-answer session at a Republican Jewish Coalition meeting, Kasich said "the United States should maintain a military presence in Afghanistan and that both Russia and Iran should face more sanctions. His assertion that the U.S. should not pressure Israel into a peace process was the biggest applause line of his speech," according to Politico.[20]
International relations
- While campaigning at Great Neck Synagogue in New York over the April 16, 2016, weekend, John Kasich said that he was “not a neutral broker when it comes to Israel.” He continued, “The one thing I said was that the Israelites have entered the promised land, and they will always be in the promised land, forever – until the end of human history; they will be there. I am not neutral when it comes to Israel. I consider them to be one of the greatest allies. The only democracy in the Middle East under constant attack – both above the ground and beneath the ground. With people walking in and trying to kill Jews just because they happen to live in Israel. We would all love to see a two-state solution, but that’s up to the parties. I am not going to tell the Israelis how to run their security and how to run all their foreign policy.”[21]
- During an interview with CNN on March 21, 2016, John Kasich discussed the importance of NATO. He said, "We clearly have to make sure we strengthen NATO, we have to make sure that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin understands we will arm the Ukrainians so they fight for freedom. We need NATO. NATO is important, we all wish they would do more."[22]
- Kasich said he would not seek to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during an interview on February 14, 2016. “I would only go to Syria to destroy ISIS. I would not use U.S. troops to depose Assad. But I would support the rebels there. It's okay to support those people who share your view. But for the United States to be embroiled in a civil war in Syria against Assad I think is a big mistake,” Kasich said.[23]
- During the ninth Republican presidential primary debate on February 13, 2016, Kasich discussed how he would handle Russia: “First of all, look, we have to make it clear to Russia what we expect. We don't have to declare an enemy, rattle a sword or threaten, but we need to make it clear what we expect. Number one is we will arm the folks in Ukraine who are fighting for their freedom. They deserve it. There will be no ifs, ands or buts about it. Secondly, an attack on NATO, trumped up on any excuse of Russian- speaking people, either in the NATO countries or in Finland or Sweden is going to be an attack on us. And look, I think we have an opportunity as America to put something really great together again. The Egyptians, the Saudis, the Jordanians, the Gulf states, they all know they're at risk. We need to look into Europe, we look at France, we look at Germany and the migrants. We look at Belgium, we look at Britain. Everybody now is being threaten by radical Islam. We have an opportunity to lead. You know, the fact of the matter is the world is desperate for our leadership. Sometimes they may -- they may make a remark here or there that we don't like, but frankly, the world needs us. And we have an opportunity now to assemble a coalition of the civilized people, those who respect civilization, the rights of women, the rights to protest, to be able to reassert our leadership all across this globe again and make sure this century is going to be the best we've ever seen.”[24]
- During a campaign event in New Hampshire on February 3, 2016, John Kasich expressed his support for Israel in their attempts to create peace with Palestinians. Kasich said, “Israel has given a lot of stuff back. They gave Gaza back. How is that working out? They have everything launching into Israel. I don’t know how you get a two-state solution when people are walking into your country and stabbing people. I will say this: Recognize the State of Israel, guarantee their permanent security, stop launching Katyusha rockets into Israel, stop sending in people with knives to kill people in Israel—they went from rocks to knives now—and knock it off. And then, I think you can get to a two-state solution. … Every day that you go by without there being major problems there, that is a win. And I can tell you, we are not going to bully Israel; it’s their survival. It’s just very serious stuff. It’s like – man, we want to survive.” Kasich was also critical of the Obama administration and its handling of the relationship with Israel.[25].
- Kasich accused the Chinese government of manipulating the stock market on January 7, 2016, and of creating the drop in markets seen across the globe. He said, “This has got to settle down if the Chinese are participating in being part of the market basket … They have to come clean … They can’t keep manipulating things because it just doesn’t work."[26]
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Kasich said of Bashar Al-Assad: “I don't understand this thing about Assad. He has to go. Assad is aligned with Iran and Russia. The one thing we want to prevent is we want to prevent Iran being able to extend a Shia crescent all across the Middle East. Assad has got to go.”[27]
- According to Newsmax in September 2015, Kasich supported accepting more Syrian refugees “but only after carefully screening out any potential terrorists.”[28]
- At a campaign stop in Michigan on August 31, 2015, Kasich said he did not believe in nation-building. “I don't think it ought to be a priority of the United States to get everybody on the globe to operate exactly the way we do. I mean there are people that we look at and they may do things that we don't like, but we have similar goals. We don't need to spend our resources trying to get them to become like us,” Kasich said.[29]
- In 2000, Kasich voted against an amendment which proposed prohibiting funds from "being used to enforce the economic embargo of Cuba."[30]
ISIS and terrorism
- During the seventh Republican presidential primary debate on January 28, 2016, John Kasich talked about defeating ISIS: “See, I was there when Reagan rebuilt the military. I was there in '89 when the wall came tumbling down because we were strong. And I was there when we went into the Gulf War. We didn't win that war just from the air, we won that war by assembling a group of Arab leaders who stood in the Rose Garden and stood with America. We want to destroy ISIS, it has to be in the air and on the ground. It has to be with our friends in the Arab world and our friends in Europe, the coalition that we had when we went to the first Gulf War. And then when we win that, and we will win that against ISIS as it settles down, and we should leave. Because we shouldn't be policemen of the world. But what we need to do is turn it over to the regional powers to be able to handle that. But we have a unique time in America to connect with people all around the world that understand that there's an existential threat against all of them, the Arabs, the Jordanians, the Saudis, the Egyptians, our friends in Europe, including the Turks. So we have a unique opportunity to bring everybody together. I saw Reagan do it, I've seen other presidents do it. And frankly, if you want to be commander in chief, you have to have the experience. At the same time we're doing all that, the Pentagon must be reformed so we get what we need for our men and women in uniform. All of that together, we're going to be just fine and America is going to continue to lead the world.”[31]
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Kasich discussed how he would protect the nation against terrorist attacks and defeat ISIS: “Well, first of all...I said last February that we needed to have people on the ground, troops on the ground in a coalition similar to what we had in the first Gulf War. I remember when the Egyptian ambassador to the United States stood in the Rose Garden and pledged Arab commitment to removing Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. Before we came out here tonight, I am told that the Saudis have organized 34 countries who want to join in the battle against terrorism. First and foremost, we need to go and destroy ISIS. And we need to do this with our Arab friends and our friends in Europe. And when I see they have a climate conference over in Paris, they should have been talking about destroying ISIS because they are involved in virtually every country, you know, across this world. Now, you destroy ISIS in a coalition. You get joint intelligence with our European friends. And then here at home, there are things called the Joint Terrorism Task Force, headed by the FBI, and made up of local law enforcement, including state police. They need the tools. And the tools involve encryption where we cannot hear what they're even planning. And when we see red flags, a father, a mother, a neighbor who says we have got a problem here, then we have to give law enforcement the ability to listen so they can disrupt these terrorist attacks before they occur. We can do this, but we've got to get moving. Pay me now or pay me a lot more later. This is the direction we need to go.”[32]
- Kasich spoke before the Republican Jewish Coalition on December 3, 2015. He said that U.S. troops should be sent to the Middle East to combat the Islamic State “where they live.” He warned, “The longer we wait, the higher the price we'll pay.”[33][34]
- On November 19, 2015, Kasich defended his proposal to create a federal agency to promote Judeo-Christian values. He said, “We used to have the Voice of America, and look, I believe in the Western ethic. What is the Western ethic? Equality for women, respecting science and education, the importance of recognizing that every single life matters. … But this is not designed to be exclusive. It's not designed to tell people you gotta go to church. It's basically to do what the Voice of America did, which is to communicate very effectively what our values are as a civilization. Because our very civilization is under attack.”[35]
- On November 18, 2015, Kasich wrote an op-ed for TIME outlining his plan to combat ISIS. “In addition to destroying ISIS with a coalition of boots on the ground, we must arm moderates, we must arm the Kurdis [sic] in both Syria and Iraq in order to help them defend their homelands and take the fight to ISIS as we prepare our collective response. With a coalition we must create and enforce no-fly zones in Syria where refugees can find shelter. Our allies in the region must provide sanctuary for those displaced by war,” Kasich wrote.[36]
- On November 17, 2015, Kasich proposed creating a government agency that would promote Judeo-Christian values around the world, as part of a larger plan to defeat ISIS. "We need to beam messages around the world" about the freedoms Americans enjoy, Kasich said in an interview with NBC. "It means freedom, it means opportunity, it means respect for women, it means freedom to gather, it means so many things."[37] [38]
- On November 14, 2015, Kasich said that "NATO should invoke Article 5 of our NATO agreement, which basically says an attack on an ally is an attack on us and an attack on all of the Western world. We as Americans must assert leadership and we need to stand shoulder to shoulder with France and the French people. This is a moment to bring us together." After his speech, Kasich said Article 5 would be a "good organizing tool and a good method to get joint action" to combat ISIS.[39]
Syrian refugees
- During the sixth Republican presidential primary debate, on January 14, 2016, Kasich discussed his position on Syrian refugees: “I've been for pausing on admitting the Syrian refugees. And the reasons why I've done is I don't believe we have a good process of being able to vet them. But you know, we don't want to put everybody in the same category. And I'll go back to something that had been mentioned just a few minutes ago. If we're going to have a coalition, we're going to have to have a coalition not just of people in the western part of the world, our European allies, but we need the Saudis, we need the Egyptians, we need the Jordanians, we need the Gulf states. We need Jordan. We need all of them to be part of exactly what the first George Bush put together in the first Gulf War. It was a coalition made up of Arabs and Americans and westerners and we're going to need it again. And if we try to put everybody in the same—call everybody the same thing, we can't do it. And that's just not acceptable. But I think a pause on Syrian refugees has been exactly right for all the governors that have called for it, and also, of course, for me as the governor of Ohio.”[40]
- Shortly after the terrorist attacks in Paris, Jim Lynch, a spokesman for John Kasich, issued the following statement explaining that Ohio would seek ways to keep Syrian refugees out of the state: "The governor doesn't believe the U.S. should accept additional Syrian refugees because security and safety issues cannot be adequately addressed. The governor is writing to the President to ask him to stop, and to ask him to stop resettling them in Ohio. We are also looking at what additional steps Ohio can take to stop resettlement of these refugees."[41]
Recent news
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ The Washington Post, "7th Republican debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," January 28, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "CNN REAGAN LIBRARY DEBATE: Later Debate Full Transcript," September 16, 2015
- ↑ Bloomberg Politics, "Walker, Christie, Kasich, Jindal to Keep State Sanctions on Iran," September 8, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "John Kasich stakes out room in the center on Iran deal, Kentucky clerk protest," September 2, 2015
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "John Kasich on Ohio's status-quo problem, trade, tenure and the veepstakes: 8 takeaways (video)," accessed May 13, 2015
- ↑ ABC WJCL 22, "Republican presidential candidate Governor John Kasich addresses public in Lowcountry," November 11, 2015
- ↑ Westerville Library, "Biography," accessed December 3, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Con.Res.21," accessed May 16, 2015
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "After some lean and mean years, a maverick goes mainstream in Congress: John Kasich 5.0," accessed December 23, 2014
- ↑ NBC News, "Meet the Press - March 27, 2016," March 27, 2016
- ↑ John Kasich for President, "Gov. John Kasich Statement on Terrorist Attacks in Brussels," March 22, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "John Kasich Warns Against Singling Out Muslims for Monitoring," March 22, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The CBS News Republican debate transcript, annotated," February 13, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript of the New Hampshire GOP debate, annotated," February 6, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Gov. John Kasich on suspected ISIS bomb: "We need to make sure we have robust intelligence," November 4, 2015
- ↑ Yahoo, "Republican candidate Kasich to call for no-fly zones in Syria," October 1, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "John Kasich positions himself as a frugal hawk," August 18, 2015
- ↑ MSNBC, "Kasich outlines iron fist, velvet glove foreign policy doctrine in South Carolina," August 17, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "U.S. Should Send Troops to Fight ISIS, John Kasich Tells New Hampshire," July 22, 2015
- ↑ Politico, “John Kasich bonds with Sheldon Adelson in Vegas," March 29, 2014
- ↑ The Jewish Journal, "Kasich talks faith, Israel at Great Neck Synagogue," April 18, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "5 candidates make closing arguments on CNN ahead of Western Tuesday," March 22, 2016
- ↑ Real Clear Politics, "Kasich: US Needs to Stay Out of Mideast Civil Wars; Only Go to Syria to Destroy ISIS, Not to Depose Assad," February 14, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The CBS News Republican debate transcript, annotated," February 13, 2016
- ↑ Jewish Telegraphic Agency, "GOP candidate John Kasich defends Israel’s stance on peace with Palestinians, settlements," February 4, 2016
- ↑ FOX Business, "Kasich: Chinese Gov’t Never Let Markets Work and the World is Paying the Price," January 7, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Rush Transcript second debate: CNN Facebook Republican Presidential Debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ Newsmax, "John Kasich: Allow Refugees in, Screen for Terrorists," September 10, 2015
- ↑ MLive.com, "John Kasich talks boots on ground in Syria, opposition to 'nation building' in Michigan visit," August 31, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.Amdt.1023 to H.R.4871," accessed May 16, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "7th Republican debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," January 28, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Rush Transcript second debate: CNN Facebook Republican Presidential Debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Low-key John Kasich seeks support from Jewish Republican group," December 3, 2015
- ↑ [http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2015/12/03/kasich-u-s-needs-to-lead-coalition-against-islamic-state/ USA Today, "Kasich: U.S. needs to lead coalition against Islamic State," December 3, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Kasich defends his call for a Judeo-Christian agency," November 19, 2015
- ↑ TIME, "John Kasich: We Need Boots on the Ground to Defeat ISIS," November 18, 2015
- ↑ NBC News, "Kasich Proposes New Government Agency To Promote Judeo-Christian Values," November 17, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Kasich calls for new federal agency to promote Judeo-Christian values," November 17, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "John Kasich calls for NATO action following Paris attack," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "6th Republican debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," January 14, 2016
- ↑ http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/16/world/paris-attacks-syrian-refugees-backlash/index.html CNN, "More than half the nation's governors say Syrian refugees not welcome," accessed November 17, 2015]
