Presidential Election Will Cause Little Change In US Foreign Policy, Says Executive Director Of Lowy Institute

SYDNEY, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In a new paper, Dr. Michael Fullilove argues that the similarities outweigh the differences when comparing the foreign policies of President Obama with Republican candidate Mitt Romney, including on areas that matter for Australia.

"President Obama is not as left-wing and dovish as many believe, and Governor Romney is not as right-wing and hawkish as he would have us believe."

"Each candidate is doing his best to emphasize his difference from the other. But the similarities in their foreign policies are more striking than the differences. This is a very different situation from the 2008 presidential race," said report author and Executive Director of the Lowy Institute, Dr. Michael Fullilove.

Launched today at the Lowy Institute, 'The Audacity of Reasonableness: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, US foreign policy and Australia' found that on key issues of US foreign policy – the war in Afghanistan, the threat of a nuclear Iran, and the US relationship with China – Obama & Romney converge.

"Governor Romney's rhetoric has been several notches tougher than President Obama's, but his heart is not in it," said Dr. Fullilove.

Dr. Fullilove analyses Romney's character and experiences to conclude that, like President Obama, Romney would be a careful, analytical foreign policy-maker who based his decisions on expert advice and facts rather than intuition.

On the Australia-US alliance and the US 'pivot' to Asia, the report concludes that there are strong continuities between the two candidates. The alliance is secure regardless of any changes in leadership in Washington or Canberra.

Although President Obama and Governor Romney have points of difference on issues such as Russia, Israel and the United Nations, Dr. Fullilove argues that these policy differences are less than is generally believed.

The report concludes that although Americans have a foreign policy choice to make on election day, they are not at a crossroads.

A full copy of the report is available: www.lowyinstitute.org

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SOURCE Lowy Institute for International Policy