Republican 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has criticized President Biden’s self-serving national security policy, claiming that much of the US’s military defense spending in the last few decades has not been correctly allocated. Ramaswamy emphasized the need for a modern Monroe Doctrine in the country and the need for homeland defense, nuclear defense, super EMP, cyber defense, and electromagnetic pulse capabilities.
Ramaswamy drew inspiration from centuries of American exceptionalism and disavowed liberal hegemony and “a rules-based international order. He aimed for “realism, not moralism. With conservative principles, Ramaswamy wants the primary objective of his administration’s foreign policy to be “America first.”
Ramaswamy summoned past presidents and their contributions to the nation, focusing on only the world’s regions where the US has a direct stake. He cited George Washington’s 1796 Farewell Address as a template for focusing on parts of the world that could impact the United States. He also praised Richard Nixon and his visit to China in 1972, illustrating how the US must face its two greatest foes.
Ramaswamy believes the Russia-China alliance represents the most significant military threat the US faces today. He believes DC can do this with the present-day powers, but instead of working through the CCP, he sees Russian President Vladimir Putin as the lynchpin. He would mitigate Moscow’s economic responsibilities and guarantee that Ukraine will never be a member of NATO. In addition, he would force Russia to cease its presence in the Western Hemisphere and clear out its nuclear bombs from Kaliningrad.
Ramaswamy is not Taiwan’s biggest defender either, but he believes we must cut ambiguity with Taiwan and be direct with them. The island must bolster its defense spending to achieve its independence aspirations. He also thinks semiconductor independence must be ensured so that the US does not have to rely on adversaries worldwide.
Ramaswamy’s speech followed conservative tenets but refused to follow the rhetoric of decline that many Republican foes echo, and former President Donald Trump used to help him win the 2016 election.
