Mitt Romney finds faults with Obama`s Middle East policy

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Monday called for a “change of course in the Middle East”.

Washington: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney criticised Barack Obama`s handling of threats in the Middle East, saying the incumbent president`s lack of leadership has made the region more dangerous place than it was when he took office nearly four years ago.

Promising to restore America`s foreign policy to its traditional role, Romney said, "Unfortunately, this president`s policies have not been equal to our best examples of world leadership. And nowhere is this more evident than in the Middle East." In the major foreign policy speech at the Virginia Military Institute, Romney said, "The President is fond of saying that `the tide of war is receding`. And I want to believe him as much as anyone else." "But when we look at the Middle East today, with Iran closer than ever to nuclear weapons capability, with the conflict in Syria threatening to destabilise the region and with violent extremists on the march, and with an American ambassador and three others dead -- likely at the hands of al-Qaeda affiliates -- it`s clear that the risk of conflict in the region is higher now than when the president took office. In the address, Romney cited the recent protest and violence in the Middle East, the relationship with Israel to prove his point. "It is our responsibility and the responsibility of the President to use America`s great power to shape history, not to lead from behind, leaving our destiny at the mercy of events," he said. "Unfortunately, that`s exactly where we find ourselves in the Middle East under President Obama. The relationship between the president of the United States and the prime minister of Israel, for example, our closest ally in the region, has suffered great strains. "The president explicitly stated that his goal was to put daylight between the United States and Israel, and he`s succeeded. This is a dangerous situation that has set back the hope of peace in the Middle East and emboldened our mutual adversaries, especially Iran," he argued. He accused Obama of a hasty troop withdrawal from Iraq, saying hard-fought gains there are being eroded by rising violence and a resurgent al Qaeda. "In Iraq the costly gains made by our troops are being eroded by rising violence, a resurgent al-Qaeda, the weakening of democracy in Baghdad and the rising influence of Iran. And yet America`s ability to influence events for the better in Iraq has been undermined by the abrupt withdrawal of our entire troop presence," Romney said. "The president`s tried, he tried, but he also failed to secure a responsible and gradual drawdown that would have better secured our gains." Romney said that Obama failed to offer support to America`s partners and allies. "Across the greater Middle East, as the joy born from the downfall of dictators has given way to the painstaking work of building capable security forces and growing economies and developing effective democratic institutions, the president has failed to offer the tangible support that our partners want and need," he said. He said the president also failed to lead in Syria, where more than -- more than 30,000 men, women, and children have been massacred by the Assad regime over the past 20 months. "Violent extremists are flowing into the fight. Our ally Turkey has been attacked. And the conflict threatens stability in the region," he said. At the same time, he said, America can take pride in the blows that the military and intelligence professionals have inflicted on al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including the killing of Osama bin Laden. "These are real achievements won at a high cost. al-Qaeda remains a strong force, however, in Yemen and Somalia, in Libya and other parts of North Africa, in Iraq and now in Syria. And other extremists have gained ground across the region. Drones and the modern instruments of war are important tools in our fight, but they are no substitute for a national security strategy for the Middle East," he said. Referring to the current situation in the Middle East, Romney said: "It is time to change course in the Middle East". "That course should be organised around these bedrock principles: America must have confidence in our cause, clarity in our purpose and resolve in our might. No friend of America will question our commitment to support them. No enemy that attacks America will question our resolve to defeat them, he said. "And no one anywhere, friend or foe, will doubt America`s capability to back up our words." Romney said he will put the leaders of Iran on notice that the US and its allies will prevent them from acquiring nuclear weapons capability. "I will not hesitate to impose new sanctions on Iran and will -- and will tighten the sanctions we currently have. "I will restore the permanent presence of aircraft carrier task forces in both the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf. And I`ll work with Israel to increase our military assistance and coordination. "For the sake of peace, we must make clear to Iran through actions, not just words, that their nuclear pursuit will not be tolerated," he said. Romney said he will champion free trade and restore it as a critical element of US strategy, both in the Middle East and across the world. On Libya, Romney said he will support the Libyan people`s efforts to forge a lasting government that represents all of them. "I`ll vigorously pursue the terrorists who attacked our consulate in Benghazi and killed our fellow Americans," he said. "In Syria I`ll work with our partners to identify and organize those members of the opposition who share our values and then ensure they obtain the arms they need to defeat Assad`s tanks helicopters and fighter jets," he said. "Iran is sending arms to Assad because they know his downfall would be a strategic defeat for them. "We should be working no less vigorously through our international partners to support the many Syrians who would deliver that defeat to Iran, rather than sitting on the sidelines. It`s essential that we develop influence with those forces in Syria that will one day lead a country that sits at the heart of the Middle East," Romney said. Meanwhile, Obama campaign termed Romney `unmitigated disaster` on world stage. "We`re not going to be lectured by someone who has been an unmitigated disaster on foreign policy every time he`s dipped his toe in the foreign policy waters," Jen Psaki, spokeswoman of the Obama Campaign told reporters abroad Air Force One. Invoking Romney`s trip abroad during the summer, campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the "only person who has offended Europe more is probably Chevy Chase". "Second is when he had the opportunity to speak directly to the American people about his plans on domestic and foreign policy issues, as we all remember, he didn`t bring up Afghanistan, he didn`t bring up the troops," she said. Psaki was alluding to a series of missteps by the Republican nominee and his campaign on the trip, including comments that were seen as criticising London’s preparedness for the Summer Olympic. "He has been abundantly clear that he would not have gone after Osama bin Laden in Pakistan; has failed to lay out his exact differences on Iran, as much as he said he has an entirely different position from the President," Psaki said. "So we`re certainly interested in what he has to say, but this is his fourth or fifth retake at trying to lay out his foreign policy positions for the American people." Madeleine Albright, who was secretary of state under Democrat Bill Clinton and is now a professor of international relations, branded Romney`s foreign policy dangerously vague. She said Republican presidential candidate lacks specifics of leading the country in the 21st century. PTI