Military Doctrine

For all his reputation as an extremist, McCain is far more cautious than Obama on using American force abroad, especially on the question of intervening in the internal affairs of other nations. In response to a question from the moderator on the so-called ‘humanitarian intervention’, Obama was gung-ho. “When genocide is happening, when ethnic cleansing is happening somewhere around the world...we have to consider it as part of our interests, our national interests, in intervening where possible. But, we’re not going to be able to be everywhere all the time.”

If Obama fuses moral concerns with national security interests, McCain’s emphasis is on making a judgment on each specific case. The Republican argued that the US should be rather careful and when and where it decides to send its troops. He argued, “we must do whatever we can to prevent genocide...But it also has to be tempered with our ability to beneficially affect the situation”.

Pakistan’s sovereignty

In response to a specific question whether the US should respect Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty in the pursuit of al Qaeda and the Taliban, Obama was more hawkish than McCain. If Pakistan does not live up its responsibilities as a territorial state, Obama suggested the US should have no qualms about its sovereignty.

“If we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani Government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think that we have to act and we will take them out. We will kill bin Laden; we will crush al Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority”, Obama thundered.

McCain cautioned against Obama’s Pakistan rhetoric. “If you’re trying to gain the support of another country, then you want to do everything you can that they would act in a cooperative fashion. When you announce that you’re going to launch an attack into another country, it’s pretty obvious that you have the effect that it had in Pakistan: It turns public opinion against us.” Obama’s tough posturing on Pakistan is meant to outflank McCain in the foreign policy debates. Having opposed the war in Iraq, Obama believes a hard line on Pakistan will prevent the Republicans from questioning his national security credentials.

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