Rand Paul presidential campaign, 2016/Foreign affairs
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 Rand Paul |
U.S. Senator (Assumed office: 2011) |
 Republican candidate: |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
Iran nuclear deal
- Rand Paul said President Obama was “not in compliance with law” by withholding some documentation related to the Iran nuclear deal. “Corker’s bill is a law. The president signed it, begrudgingly, but he did sign the bill. It is the law of the land that the president is supposed to send all of the paperwork, and any side agreements on the Iran agreement [are] supposed to come to us,” explained Paul.[2]
- On July 21, 2015, Paul said he supported the use of military force against Iran if it were to violate the nuclear deal by building nuclear weapons. Paul explained, “I think military force always has to back up diplomacy. Diplomacy doesn’t work without military force behind it, and I think making that decision is a difficult decision, but ultimately yes you have to have military force that backs up the diplomatic negotiations that you have. We have to say that there has to be force as a backdrop to this.” When acting as a surrogate for his father, Ron Paul, in 2008, Rand Paul expressed incredulity at the idea that Iran posed a threat to American national security.[3]
- On July 14, 2015, Paul spoke out against the final Iran nuclear deal, citing the following concerns: "1) sanctions relief precedes evidence of compliance, 2) Iran is left with significant nuclear capacity, 3) it lifts the ban on selling advanced weapons to Iran.” Paul then said, "While I continue to believe that negotiations are preferable to war, I would prefer to keep the interim agreement in place instead of accepting a bad deal."[4]
- On March 3, 2015, Paul, a co-sponsor of S 615 - Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, said, "I believe it is in everyone's best interest to find a peaceful way to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Contingent fully upon the approval from Congress, any deal reached must be strong, verifiable, and ultimately, have real consequences if Iran does not comply. This act will give the administration an incentive to negotiate from a position of strength."[5][6] On March 9, 2015, Paul signed an open letter to Iran with 46 other Republican senators regarding the separation of powers and the future legitimacy of any agreement between Iran and President Barack Obama. The letter explained, "The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of an agreement at any time."[7]
| Glenn Beck interviews Paul on March 11, 2015 regarding the Iran letter. |
- Prior to the resumption of negotiations with Iran in early 2015, Paul questioned the efficacy of imposing sanctions during negotiations. Paul asked, "Are you ready to send ground troops into Iran? Are you ready to bomb them? Are you ready to send in 100,000 troops? I’m a big fan of trying to exert and trying the diplomatic option as long as we can. If it fails, I will vote to resume sanctions and I would vote to have new sanctions. But if you do it in the middle of negotiations, you’re ruining it.”[8]
- Paul supported sanctions against Iran in 2012, but only with an amendment that prevented the sanctions bill from being "construed as a declaration of war or an authorization of use of force against Iran." Paul explained, "How do you respond or try to prevent them from having nuclear weapons. You could do nothing, you could do a little bit – which I think would be sanctions – or you can have an all out war where you invade. I did finally come down to the conclusion that doing something was better than doing nothing."[9][10]
- In a 2007 radio interview with Alex Jones, Paul expressed skepticism that Iran was a threat since, according to Paul, Iran could not refine its own gasoline and did not possess an air force or navy.[10]
Military preparedness and budget
- During a campaign stop in New Hampshire on December 11, 2015, Rand Paul questioned his Republican opponents’ desire to increase funding for military spending. He said, “How can you be fiscally conservative when you want to add $1 trillion of new military spending? … I’m pretty strong on national defense, but we can’t become stronger from bankruptcy court. How do we project strength, how is it strong as a country to get further and further mired in debt?”[11]
- At the fourth Republican primary debate, November 10, 2015, Paul said that the nation's debt poses a risk the national security. He said "As we go further, and further into debt, we become less, and less safe. This is the most important thing we're going to talk about tonight. Can you be a conservative, and be liberal on military spending? Can you be for unlimited military spending, and say, Oh, I'm going to make the country safe? No, we need a safe country, but, you know, we spend more on our military than the next ten countries combined? I want a strong national defense, but I don't want us to be bankrupt."[12]
- On July 27, 2015, Paul spoke against “Choice Cards,” which allow veterans, under certain conditions, to seek private medical care outside of the VA network. Paul asserted this system was insufficient, saying, “I’m not saying eliminate what we have. I’d say keep some specialty hospitals. But I’d also have the transition, see if we can save some money and help with the convenience of veterans and let them have a choice to go into private care.”[13]
- According to Newsweek, Rand Paul proposed a budget plan in 2011 "that would have reduced military spending and troop size, eliminated many overseas bases and, most importantly, started a long-overdue conversation about what the U.S. military should look like and act like in a post-Cold War world where the major dangers to U.S. security came less from state actors and more from non-state provocateurs and terrorists."[14]
- Paul's 2015 budget proposal included far more robust funding for defense spending by 2016, from $542 billion in his 2011 proposal to $697 billion in his 2015 proposal.[15]
- Rand Paul was a member of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs during the 113th Congress.[16]
- During a 2012 interview with Slate, Paul said, “Conservatives defend military spending. Liberals defend domestic spending. The idea [is] that both sides get together and compromises and we reduce all spending … and right now, and really for the last 50 years, we’ve done the opposite. Our compromise has always been: We raise military spending and we raise domestic welfare spending. So when people say we’re not compromising, they’re missing it completely. We’re compromising all the time to spend more money.”[17]
- After opposing a bill to create a Veterans Job Corps in 2012, Paul wrote an op-ed in The Lexington Herald-Leader explaining his vote was based on fiscal considerations. Paul criticized funding the program by raising corporate income tax payments for two quarters. Paul offered an alternative: eliminate foreign aid to Pakistan, Libya and Egypt, the sum of which could be used to fund not only the Veterans Job Corp, but also increase funding overall to support post-9/11 veterans. Paul wrote, "It is disrespectful to the sacrifice our service members have given to continue sending foreign aid to those countries that we have assisted and defended when people in them attack our embassy, assassinate our ambassador and continue to detain and torture those who have assisted us."[18]
- In an April 2011 interview with CNN, Paul suggested cuts to military spending were necessary to handle the country's debt and deficit challenges. Paul said, "The compromise is for conservatives to admit that the military budget's going to have to be cut. We've doubled military spending. I believe in a strong national defense, but conservatives will have to compromise and we will have to cut military spending."[19]
National security
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Rand Paul discussed Bashar Al-Assad and regime change: “I think regime change in Syria, and this is what - I've been saying this for several years now. In 2013 when we first went in, I said, you are going to give arms to the allies of al Qaida, to radical jihadists? That's crazy. But the other thing I said is the great irony is you will be back fighting against your own weapons. Had Assad been bombed when he used chemical weapons two years ago, ISIS would be in charge of all of Syria now. We have to have a more realistic foreign policy and not a utopian one where we say, oh, we're going to spread freedom and democracy, and everybody in the Middle East is going to love us. They are not going to love us.”[20]
- Paul discussed his non-interventionist foreign policy perspective on October 19, 2015. He said, “I don't think anyone questions that I'm the least likely of all the candidates to take us to war. I also have been the biggest critic of our foreign policy, in the sense that, both under President Obama and under the previous president, we've done things, interventions, that have led to untoward results. For example, why are we bombing anything in Afghanistan? What is the mission and why are we there? The right, the neo-cons, complain, ‘Well, President Obama's not doing enough.’ And my complaint is, ‘Why are we still there at all? Why are we involved with a war in Afghanistan when we've put more money into Afghanistan than the entire Marshall Plan?’”[21]
- In October 2015, Paul dismissed proposals to create a no-fly zone over Syria as “a terrible idea.” He explained, “That's drawing a red line in the sky. Once you draw a red line, and people cross it, what happens? Now we're talking about an incident that could lead to World War III. We went 70 years having open channels of communication with the Russians, trying to avoid having one side shoot down the opposite side's plane. I think the people who call for a no-fly zone are naive.”[22]
| Alisyn Camerota interviews Paul on May 19, 2015. |
- On May 27, 2015, Joe Scarborough of MSNBC asked how Paul would defend himself against critics saying ISIS developed because of the non-interventionist stance Paul had previously taken on Syria. Paul responded, "I would say it’s exactly the opposite. ISIS exists and grew stronger because of the hawks in our party, who gave arms indiscriminately, and most of those arms were snatched up by ISIS. These hawks also wanted to bomb Assad, which would have made ISIS’s job even easier. They created these people. ISIS is all over Libya because these same hawks in my party loved — they loved Hillary Clinton’s war in Libya. They just wanted more of it, but Libya’s a failed state, and it’s a disaster. Iraq really is a failed state, or a vassal state now of Iran. So everything that they’ve talked about in foreign policy, they’ve been wrong about for twenty years, and yet they have somehow the gall to keep saying and pointing fingers otherwise."[23]
- Paul appeared on CNN on May 19, 2015, where he discussed how he would handle a potential ISIS infiltration of Baghdad. Paul called for air support, arming the Kurds and offering financial assistance to the Sunni chieftains. Paul previously said in March 2015 that he would support granting Kurds sovereignty in exchange for their assistance in fighting against ISIS, but recognized the diplomatic difficulty of that idea.[24][25]
- In the May 19, 2015 CNN interview, Paul also noted the current process of collecting information on American citizens did not prevent the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Paul said, "The Tsarnaev boys, we knew that one of them was potentially a plotter. The Russians tipped us off. We interviewed them, but we didn't know he went back to Chechnya. So I don't think we're spending enough time actually looking at and going after and isolating and looking at the records of people who we have suspicion for. I'm all for that. I think we take our eye off the prize when we look at all Americans' records."[24]
- Paul called for a formal declaration of war against ISIS in November 2014. During a Foreign Relations Committee meeting in December 2014, Paul threatened to introduce an amendment to a clean drinking water bill that would force a vote on the issue.[26][27]
- In an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on August 27, 2014, Paul wrote, "A more realistic foreign policy would recognize that there are evil people and tyrannical regimes in this world, but also that America cannot police or solve every problem across the globe. Only after recognizing the practical limits of our foreign policy can we pursue policies that are in the best interest of the U.S. The Islamic State represents a threat that should be taken seriously. But we should also recall how recent foreign-policy decisions have helped these extremists so that we don't make the same mistake of potentially aiding our enemies again."[28]
- In 2014, Paul voted against extending the Patriot Act. Paul said, “In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans were eager to catch and punish the terrorists who attacked us. I, like most Americans, demanded justice. But one common misconception is that the Patriot Act applies only to foreigners—when in reality, the Patriot Act was instituted precisely to widen the surveillance laws to include U.S. citizens. As Benjamin Franklin put it, ‘those who trade their liberty for security may wind up with neither.’ Today’s vote to oppose further consideration of the Patriot Act extension proves that we are one step closer to restoring civil liberties in America.”[29]
- In September 2013, Paul opposed military intervention in Syria.[30] A year later, Paul again opposed arming Syrian rebels or sending troops to Syria. Paul said, "There are already those in both parties who insist that we must have American GIs on the ground. I’m not sending any American soldiers. I’m not sending your son, your daughter or mine over to the middle of that chaos. The people who live there need to stand up and fight"[31]
- In March 2011, Paul opposed U.S. intervention in Libya and was critical of President Barack Obama for not gaining congressional consent for Operation Odyssey Dawn. He said, "the president is going to engage us in a third war without any consultation, without any voting in congress and without any congressional authority. I think this is a very serious breach of our Constitution. I think it is something we should not let happen lightly. I think it is something we should object strenuously to."[32]
- According to a 2010 CBS News article, Paul said "he would have voted against a declaration of war against Iraq." In a 2009 lecture at Western Kentucky University, Paul suggested the September 11 terrorist attacks may have been an excuse to initiate a war that would be profitable for Dick Cheney and Halliburton. Paul said, "Most of the people on these committees have a million dollars in their bank account all from different military-industrial contractors. We don't want our defense to be defined by people who make money off of the weapons. We want our defense to be defined by what is an appropriate defense."[33][34]
International relations
- On January 16, 2016, Rand Paul discussed the Iranian government’s decision to release four Americans and the nuclear deal. He said, "It was done, I think, because even though Iran is a country with very limited freedom, we were willing to negotiate. It goes to temperament. All the other Republicans are telling you -- rip up that agreement. I say, 'Really? Don't we want to see if it works first?’" Paul worked to get Saeed Abedini, an American pastor who Iran was holding in prison, returned to the U.S., and said that he hoped that the nuclear deal would promote better relations between the U.S. and Iran. He said, "I’m hopeful that this means Iran is going to begin behaving in a more civilized fashion. Some will remark that this happens on the eve of money being released to them from the exchange account, but it may mean it’s a new opening and thawing of relations. I’ve always said that negotiations are better than war, and the if Iran adheres to this, it will be a good agreement. The reason I was concerned before was that I worried there wasn’t sufficient leverage."[35]
- On January 14, 2016, Rand Paul discussed Iran’s detainment of American sailors on CNN. Paul said it was important to watch Iran "like a hawk." He added, "I still wonder whether or not they want to be part of the civilized world. But you still wonder about a nation that is using what appears to be video of our soldiers as pawns in a propaganda war."[36]
- At the September 2015 GOP debate, Paul advocated for a careful approach to foreign affairs, in which he promised to consider the Iran deal and continue relations with Russia, Iran and China. “I don’t think we need to be rash, I don’t think we need to be reckless, and I think [sic] need to leave lines of communication open,” Paul commented. He later advised against an interventionist mindset: “Every time we have toppled a secular dictator, we have gotten chaos, the rise of radical Islam, and we’re more at risk. So, I think we need to think before we act, and know most interventions, if not a lot of them in the Middle East, have actually backfired on us.”[37]
- Speaking at a campaign stop in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 25, 2015, Paul said President Reagan was often misinterpreted. “Reagan was actually very judicious in the interventions he got involved with. Reagan was also willing to negotiate with the Soviets. Reagan was a more complex character than some people give him credit for. Reagan did believe in a strong national defense. He did believe in stopping our enemies. But he didn’t always believe in intervention was the answer,” Paul said, before suggesting American interventionist policies were partially responsible for the growth of the Islamic State.[38]
- At the Republican debate on August 6, 2015, Rand Paul stated his support for eliminating foreign aid to other countries. "Each one of my budgets has taken a meat axe to foreign aid, because I think we ought to quit sending it to countries that hate us. I think we ought to quit sending it to countries that burn our flag. Israel is not one of those. But even Benjamin Netanyahu said that ultimately, they will be stronger when they’re independent. My position is exactly the same. We shouldn’t borrow money from China to send it anywhere, but why don’t we start with eliminating aid to our enemies," Paul said.[39]
| Paul denies he wanted to eliminate aid to Israel in August 2014. |
- In March, 2015, Paul reintroduced the bill, S 633 - Stand with Israel Act of 2015. According to a press release from his office on March 4, 2015, the "legislation would halt all U.S. foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) until the P.A. renounces violence, purges terrorists from its ranks, and recognizes the nation of Israel. The Stand with Israel Act of 2014 was introduced last Congress in response to the P.A.'s attempts to form a unity government with the terrorists of Hamas-a unity government that still remains."[40]
- On January 7, 2015, Paul introduced S 34 - Defend Israel by Defunding Palestinian Foreign Aid Act of 2015. The bill would halt aid to the Palestinian Authority as long as it continues to seek admission to the international Criminal Court. Paul said in a press release, "Certainly groups that threaten Israel cannot be allies of the U.S. I will continue to do everything in my power to make sure this President and this Congress stop treating Israel’s enemies as American allies."[41][42]
- Paul suggested eliminating aid to Israel before in his 2012 budget proposal. According to The Washington Post, Rand described the measure as part of a larger effort to eliminate American aid. Paul wrote, "While this budget proposal does eliminate foreign aid to Israel, it is not meant to hurt, negate, or single out one of America’s most important allies. This proposal eliminates all foreign aid to all countries. Israel’s ability to conduct foreign policy, regain economic dominance, and support itself without the heavy hand of U.S. interests and policies, will only strengthen the Israeli community."[43]
- In January 2015, Scott Conroy of RealClearPolitics reported that Paul said at a private event in New Hampshire, "There’s a lot of reasons why I don’t like the U.N., and I think I’d be happy to dissolve it."[44]
- In a December 19, 2014 op-ed in TIME, Paul stated, "I support engagement, diplomacy, and trade with Cuba, China, Vietnam, and many countries with less than stellar human rights records, because I believe that once enslaved people taste freedom and see the products of capitalism they will become hungry for freedom themselves."[45]
- In February 2014, Paul's initial position in reaction to the turmoil between Russia and Ukraine was for the United States to maintain a "respectful relationship with Russia.” According to the Wall Street Journal in March 2014, "[Paul] later changed his tone, criticizing Mr. Putin after his military mobilized in Crimea."
- On March 9, 2014, Paul wrote an op-ed in TIME detailing how he would handle the Russian-Ukrainian conflict if he were president. Paul's measures included economic sanctions, visa bans and the increased export of American natural gas resource to Europe as ways to economically isolate Russia.[46][47][48]
Epidemic control
| Paul comments on White House's response to ebola in October 2014. |
- In January 2015, Rand Paul inspired controversy when he said in a CNBC interview that he had "heard many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines." Paul responded to criticism by explaining, "The point is that I have heard of – I mean who hasn’t ever met a child who has a profound disability and in the parents’ mind they see a connection. But I didn’t allege there is a connection. I said I heard of people who believe there is a connection. I do think that vaccines are a good idea. I’ve been vaccinated. My kids have been vaccinated.” Paul added that he was "not promoting any change to vaccine law."[49]
- In October 2014, Paul criticized government officials for not being honest about how contagious Ebola is. Paul said, "I think from the very beginning they haven’t been completely forthright with us. They’ve so wanted to downplay this that they really I don’t think have been very accurate in their description of the disease."[50]
- When asked in November 2014 whether he supported mandated quarantines for healthcare workers treating patients from the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Paul said, "I think that we have to be very careful of civil liberties," but added, "There is a reasonable public concern that you really shouldn’t be gong to the discotheque."[51]
- Paul also supported restricting commercial flights temporarily from the countries affected by ebola in West Africa in October 2014.[52]
ISIS and terrorism
- In an interview on December 21, 2015, Rand Paul said defeating ISIS without significant local support would require 500,000 American troops and potentially lead to a power vacuum. He said, “If you want to send half-a-million of Americans' sons and daughters back over there, we can militarily defeat ISIS. The problem is, if you militarily defeat ISIS, my fear is, they slither off and another generation arises. I think ultimately the defeat has to come from Sunni Muslims, because they're not going to accept Americans there, even Shiite Muslims there. … That's when you'll get the long-lasting peace,” Paul said.[53]
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Paul discussed the rise of ISIS: “I think that by arming the allies of ISIS, the Islamic rebels against Assad, that we created a safe space or made that space bigger for ISIS to grow. I think those who have wanted regime change have made a mistake. When we toppled Gadhafi in Libya, I think that was a mistake. I think ISIS grew stronger, we had a failed state, and we were more at risk.”[54]
- In an interview with The Daily Caller, published November 19, 2015, Paul opposed the U.S. sending soldiers to Iraq and Syria to fight the Islamic State. “The first Iraq war didn’t make us safer. Didn’t make the region any less chaotic. The first Iraq war destabilized the region and has led to the current chaos. I don’t think another Iraq War is going to make it better. … I do think that to defeat ISIS, there will have to be boots on the ground. But the boots on the ground need to be Arab boots on the ground. And frankly, they will have to be probably Sunni Muslim boots.”[55]
- Paul said on November 18, 2015, that the U.S. should stop participating in arms sales with countries that refuse to accept Syrian refugees. He said, “One of the biggest supporters of Sunni terrorism in the world is Saudi Arabia, Qatar is up there, UAE is up there. Sometimes government, sometimes private donors. What I would say is no more sales of any arms to these countries until they start accepting refugees.”[56]
- In an op-ed on November 17, 2015, Paul argued that the way to defeat ISIS is to cut off their money supply. He wrote, “If we are to eradicate ISIS once and for all, it’s time to take a hard look at what is fueling its growth: money. ...From now on, our message to these governments and their ruling families must be clear: take accountability for your role in murdering our citizens or we will freeze your assets. Locate the citizens who are financing terrorism and lock them up or we won’t sell you a single missile or fighter jet. The U.S. does not do business with terror financiers, period.” Paul also suggested the following strategy for fighting ISIS: “We should consider all our options, including intensifying our covert operations and perhaps considering coordination of air power with Russia, as we determine a winning strategy to eliminate this brutal scourge once and for all. There is no question that we should continue to partner with the Kurds in Iraq and Syria, the only ground force that has a proven track record of taking territory away from ISIS. We must also insist that our Arab ‘allies,’ who face an immediate ISIS threat, focus on the fight.” In addition, he wrote that “defense spending should match our priorities,” U.S. borders should be secured and law enforcement should be supported.[57]
Syrian refugees
- Rand Paul introduced a bill on November 16, 2015, to institute a 30-day waiting period on visas for refugees from Syria and 30 other countries until a strict background check had been performed. "It's about time, and Paris should wake us up that we can't just let anyone come to this country. Forty percent of immigration issues in our country are from visa overstays, and for those visiting us from countries that have large jihadist movements, this will be a bone of contention," Paul said in a press conference.[58]
- On November 13, 2015, after initial reports about the terrorist attacks in Paris were released, Paul questioned whether the U.S. should accept refugees from the Middle East. Paul said, "I don’t think we’ve heard yet everything but obviously our hearts and prayers go out to those that were injured and those who may be kidnapped at this point, but it does show that we’ve really got a big problem. People talk about the large influx of people leaving the Middle East, going to Europe and some of them wanting to go to the United States, that it may not be a benign thing to accept so many tens of thousands of people coming from the Middle East because many of them actually wish us harm."[59]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Rand + Paul + Foreign + Affairs
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul dropping out of White House race," February 3, 2016
- ↑ Daily Signal, "Rand Paul: ‘The President Is in Defiance of the Law’ on Iran Deal," September 23, 2015
- ↑ BuzzFeed, "Rand Paul Says He Supports Using Military Force If Iran Is Building Nukes," July 22, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul comes out against Iran deal," July 14, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.615 - Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015," accessed May 22, 2015
- ↑ Rand Paul, United States Senator for Kentucky, "Sen. Rand Paul Cosponsors Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015," accessed April 10, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Republicans Warn Iran Against Nuclear Deal With Obama," March 9, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Rand Paul Challenges Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz on Iran," January 26, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul blocks Iran sanctions bill," March 27, 2012
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Bloomberg, "Rand Paul Finally, Sort of, Responds to the Iran Negoations," April 6, 2015
- ↑ New Hampshire Union Leader, "Rand Paul speaks in Derry, says he is only true fiscal conservative in Presidential race," December 11, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Who said what and what it meant: The 4th GOP debate, annotated," November 10, 2015
- ↑ South Carolina Radio Network, "Rand Paul calls for VA to reduce medical services, offer vouchers instead," July 27, 2015
- ↑ Newsweek, "What Rand Paul Thinks About Defense Spending," April 7, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Rand Paul now wants more defense spending. Welcome back to the old GOP.," March 26, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "Committee Assignments," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ Slate, “Jettison Some of the Crap," July 23, 2012
- ↑ Lexington Herald-Leader, "Sen. Rand Paul: Vote was against wasteful bill, not veterans," October 15, 2012
- ↑ CNN, "Budget debate shifts to raising debt ceiling," April 18, 2011
- ↑ CNN, "Rush Transcript second debate: CNN Facebook Republican Presidential Debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ CNBC, "10 questions for Rand Paul," October 19, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Rand Paul: No-fly zone in Syria ‘could lead to World War III,'" October 7, 2015
- ↑ National Review, "Rand Paul: Republican Hawks Are Arming ISIS," May 27, 2015
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 CNN, "New Day, May 19, 2015, Transcript," accessed May 22, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Rand Paul: Kurds would fight ISIS 'like hell' if promised a country," March 11, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Rand Paul Calls for a Formal Declaration of War Against ISIS," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Rand Paul's surprise move on ISIS," December 5, 2014
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "How U.S. Interventionists Abetted the Rise of ISIS," accessed February 9, 2015
- ↑ Rand Paul, United States Senator for Kentucky,, "Sen. Paul Blocks the Renewal of Patriot Act," November 18, 2014
- ↑ CNN, “Rand Paul: U.S. involvement in Syria a 'mistake'," September 1, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul slams Syria plan," September 18, 2014
- ↑ Courier Press, “Kentucky Senator Paul berates Obama for 'cavalierly taking us to war'," March 30, 2011
- ↑ CBS News, “Sarah Palin: Big Tent Republican?" February 10, 2010
- ↑ Mother Jones, "Rand Paul Says Dick Cheney Pushed for the Iraq War So Halliburton Would Profit," April 7, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Rand Paul: Iran prisoner release may lead to ‘thawing of relations’," January 16, 2016
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Rand Paul: Sailor video means we need to watch Iran 'like a hawk'," January 14, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "CNN REAGAN LIBRARY DEBATE: Later Debate Full Transcript," September 16, 2015
- ↑ The Blaze, "Rand Paul Lists Ways People ‘Misinterpret’ Reagan, Says He’s Candidate Most Aligned With Him on Intervention," August 25, 2015
- ↑ TIME, "Transcript: Read the Full Text of the Primetime Republican Debate," August 6, 2015
- ↑ Rand Paul, United States Senator for Kentucky, "Sen. Rand Paul Introduces Stand with Israel Act of 2015," March 4, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.34 - Defend Israel by Defunding Palestinian Foreign Aid Act of 2015," accessed May 22, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul introduces bill to defund Palestinian Authority," January 7, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Rand Paul : Ending foriegn aid for Israel would be good for Israel," August 7, 2014
- ↑ Bloomberg, "Rand Paul Would Be 'Happy to Dissolve' the United Nations," January 14, 2015
- ↑ TIME, "Rand Paul: Cuba Isolationists Just Don’t Get It," December 19, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, “Rand Paul: GOP shouldn’t ‘tweak’ Russia over Ukraine," February 25, 2014
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "GOP Hawks Are on the Rise," March 5, 2014
- ↑ Time, “Sen. Rand Paul: U.S. Must Take Strong Action Against Putin’s Aggression," March 9, 2014
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Rand Paul irritated by vaccine questions," February 12, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Rand Paul’s claim that the White House suggested Ebola transmission is like AIDS," October 20, 2014
- ↑ The Hill, "Rand Paul torn on Ebola quarantine policy," November 2, 2014
- ↑ National Review, "Rand Paul Urges ‘Temporary’ Ebola Flight Restrictions: ‘We’ve Underplayed the Risk of This’, October 10, 2014
- ↑ Newsmax, "Rand Paul: Will Take Half-Million Troops to Defeat ISIS," December 21, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Rush Transcript second debate: CNN Facebook Republican Presidential Debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ The Daily Caller, "Rand Paul: ‘The First War Was A Mistake And I Oppose Going Back Again’," November 19, 2015
- ↑ Real Clear Politics, "Rand Paul: No More Arm Sales To Middle East Until They Start Accepting Refugees," November 18, 2015
- ↑ TIME, "Rand Paul: Punish Those Who Fund ISIS," November 17, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "Rand Paul introduces bill to bar refugees from Syria, subject French citizens to waiting period," accessed November 17, 2015
- ↑ Boston Globe, "After Paris attacks, GOP hopeful Rand Paul warns of refugees," accessed November 16, 2015
