2020 presidential candidates on the Middle East and North Africa

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Presidential election
Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Howie Hawkins

Jo Jorgensen

This page includes statements from the 2020 presidential candidates on the Middle East and North Africa. These statements were compiled from each candidate's official campaign website, editorials, speeches, and interviews. Click the following links for policy statements about related issues: foreign policy, Russia, North Korea, and South and Central America.

The candidates featured on this page are the 2020 presidential nominees from the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Green parties.

Donald Trump
Joe Biden
Howie Hawkins
Jo Jorgensen

Middle East and North Africa

Republican candidates

Donald Trump

Donald Trump's campaign website says, "President Trump traveled to the Middle East and Europe to solidify relations with our allies in both regions and to push for greater commitments and cooperation. In Saudi Arabia, President Trump pushed for a coalition of nations to confront Iran and attended the opening of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology. The State Department announced the new US Embassy in Israel would move to Jerusalem. The Trump Administration withdrew from UNESCO to show it would not stand for the anti-Israel bias of the organization. During his first international trip, President Trump pushed for a coalition of nations to confront Iran and attended the opening of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology. It was created to empower Muslim-majority countries in fighting radicalization. President Trump directed the State Department to send aid through USAID directly to Christians and other minorities facing genocide in the Middle East." ^{[source, as of 2020-06-22]}

Mark Sanford

Mark Sanford's campaign website does not include a position on the Middle East and North Africa.

His website says about foreign policy, "I believe in Teddy Roosevelt's notion of speaking softly, but carrying a big stick. To do this, we must maintain a strong economy, because economic supremacy has always been the precursor to military supremacy. Among other things, this once again ties back to our own debt as a threat to our ability to protect power and maintain our place in the world." ^{[source, as of 2019-09-10]}

Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh said in a debate, "Look at Iran's the biggest threat in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is no great guy either. OK so I worry about with these troops us getting further involved in a region that we shouldn't get involved in. Our men and women ought to be home from Afghanistan by now. We support Israel and we've got to do whatever we can to encourage that part of the world to move toward a democracy. But I don't like us placing resources in there especially placing American troops. " ^{[source, as of 2019-09-24]}

Bill Weld

Bill Weld's campaign website does not include a statement about the Middle East.

He said in a speech about foreign policy, "I would include issues like free trade and a robust engagement in foreign policy and robust use of soft power and diplomacy. Mr. Trump doesn’t do any of that because he thinks he’s the only person that knows anything. He has no use for soft power or diplomacy or, indeed, planning ahead. He likes to have a summit on no notice and with no preparation. There’s a reason why over the years, people thought that successful diplomacy required careful preparation and debriefing of the people who are going to conduct the negotiation." ^{[source, as of 2019-02-15]}

Democratic candidates

Joe Biden

Joe Biden's presidential campaign website says, "Biden will end the forever wars in Afghanistan and the Middle East, which have cost us untold blood and treasure. As he has long argued, Biden will bring the vast majority of our troops home from Afghanistan and narrowly focus our mission on Al-Qaeda and ISIS. And he will end our support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Staying entrenched in unwinnable conflicts only drains our capacity to lead on other issues that require our attention, and it prevents us from rebuilding the other instruments of American power." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-20]}

Michael Bloomberg

Mike Bloomberg's campaign website does not include a statement on the Middle East and North Africa.

Bloomberg's website says of foreign policy, "Mike has built global coalitions of mayors to share strategies and spread proven solutions to cities around the world. As a philanthropist, he has deepened these efforts, working with local leaders and heads of state to implement ambitious agendas that cover everything from public health to climate change. As president, Mike will restore global respect to the White House. Under the Bloomberg administration, the world will know it can work in good faith with the United States, because it has already seen and experienced Mike’s leadership firsthand." ^{[source, as of 2019-12-11]}

Cory Booker

In a response to a questionnaire sent by the Council on Foreign Relations, Booker said, "It was a serious mistake for President Trump to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, and I never would have done it. Without an agreement, Iran is now able to rapidly enrich uranium and drastically reduce the time it would take for them to produce a nuclear weapon. We have been in Afghanistan for far too long, and I am determined to bring our troops home as quickly as possible. We need a reset in our relationship with Saudi Arabia, starting with an end to U.S. arms sales and transfer of nuclear technology. As President of the United States, I will be committed to finding a two-state solution to the conflict so that both Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side in peace with dignity and security. " ^{[source, as of 2019-07-30]}

Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg's campaign website says, "The Middle East is one of the most important examples of a place where we can and must uphold our values while advancing our interests. We will remain open to working with a regime like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the benefit of the American people. But, we can no longer sell out our deepest values for the sake of fossil fuel access and lucrative business deals. If we recognize that the torture and execution of dissidents is wrong, then we should have the courage to say that it is wrong on both sides of the Gulf." "The pressure of history and the mathematics of demography mean that well before 2054, Israelis and Palestininians will have come to see either peace or catastrophe. A two-state solution that achieves legitimate Palestinian aspirations and meets Israel’s security needs remains the only viable way forward, and it will be our policy to support such a solution actively. And if Prime Minister Netanyahu makes good on his promise to annex West Bank settlements, he should know that a President Buttigieg would take steps to ensure that American taxpayers won’t help foot the bill."

His website also says, "I will rejoin our international partners and recommit the United States to the Iran nuclear deal." "The United States can’t fix every fragile state where extremism might flourish. But with proper legal authorities, we should maintain limited, focused and specialized counterterrorism and intelligence missions in places like Afghanistan, to reduce the likelihood that such places will become launching pads for attacks on the United States or our allies." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-21]}

Julián Castro

Julián Castro's campaign website did not include positions on the Middle East or North Africa. Castro tweeted the following about Iran: "The Iran Nuclear Agreement was a landmark achievement that prevented a nuclear-armed Iran for more than 3 years. If Iran continues to comply with the terms of the agreement as determined by the intelligence community, I will re-enter the U.S. into the #JCPOA as President." ^{[source, as of 2019-03-20]}

Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard tweeted, "The ratcheting up of retaliatory actions between the US and Iran will lead to a war that will be devastating to the people of both countries. As president I will re-enter the Iran Nuclear Agreement and end the sanctions against Iran to move us back from the precipice of war."

Gabbard also posted on Facebook, "I've always supported Israel's right to exist—especially after visiting Auschwitz in 2005. That's why I'm so concerned with Netanyahu's aggressive annexation policies which will simply stoke the flames of resentment and conflict. Bad for Israel, US, Palestinians, and the region." "After al-Qaeda attacked our country on 9/11, Americans were united in our determination to destroy al-Qaeda. But our leaders got off-mission, waging regime change wars in Iraq, Libya, and Syria, enabling al-Qaeda to become stronger today than it was on 9/11." ^{[source, as of 2019-09-23]}

Kamala D. Harris

Kamala Harris' campaign website says, "As president, she’ll end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and protracted military engagements in places like Syria. But she’ll do so responsibly – by consulting our Generals and Ambassadors, not via tweet. She’ll reinvigorate our diplomatic corps and State Department. She’ll continue her unshakable support for Israel and work towards a two-State solution so that Palestinians and Israelis can govern themselves in security, dignity, and peace. She’ll stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, but without isolating the United States diplomatically and risking an unnecessary war." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-20]}

Amy Klobuchar

Amy Klobuchar's campaign published a plan for her first 100 days in office which says, "The 2015 nuclear agreement imposed verifiable limits on Iran’s nuclear program that would prevent it from building a nuclear weapon. Senator Klobuchar will negotiate to bring the United States back into the nuclear agreement with the goal of avoiding war and a nuclear-armed Iran." ^{[source, as of 2019-06-18]}

Beto O'Rourke

Beto O'Rourke's campaign website says the following of Afghanistan and Iraq: "Negotiate a drawdown of troops in coordination with our allies and international partners, which sustains peace and ensures women are included in the peace process. Propose that Congress invest nearly half of the $400 billion saved from ending these wars into programs to benefit veterans. Provide veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families, with the necessary support to re-enter civilian life." O'Rourke says the following on Iran: "Ensure Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons, by working with our allies, as we did throughout the Obama Administration to contain Iran and end the needless escalation of tensions. Rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action." O'Rourke's Israel-Palestine plan says: "Advocate for a two-state solution—which Beto believes is the only way to achieve peace in the region. Work to guarantee the safety of all who call the region home, Israelis and Palestinians. Hold all parties to account for violations of human rights." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-27]}

Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders' campaign website says on foreign policy, "Follow the American people, who do not want endless war. American troops have been in Afghanistan for nearly 18 years, the longest war in American history. Our troops have been in Iraq since 2003, and in Syria since 2015, and many other places. It is long past time for Congress to reassert its Constitutional authority over the use of force to responsibly end these interventions and bring our troops home."

In response to a Council on Foreign Relations questionnaire on Israel and Palestine, Sanders also said, "Two states based on the 1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states. Ultimately, it’s up to the Palestinians and Israelis themselves to make the choices necessary for a final agreement, but the United States has a major role to play in brokering that agreement. My administration would also be willing to bring real pressure to bear on both sides, including conditioning military aid, to create consequences for moves that undermine the chances for peace." ^{[source, as of 2019-09-30]}

Thomas Steyer

Tom Steyer's campaign website does not include a position on the Middle East and North Africa.

His website says about international agreements in the context of climate change, "Join the international Powering Past Coal Alliance, work to end global finance for coal-fired power plants, and strengthen and improve accountability procedures for enforcing human rights and environmental requirements for projects that receive funding through the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and other international finance mechanisms. Lead a global plan to help prevent, address, and reduce climate-related disasters, including supporting pre-disaster resilience planning and investment, and helping protect the human rights of the growing number of people displaced by these disasters domestically and globally." ^{[source, as of 2019-09-10]}

Elizabeth Warren

In an op-ed in Foreign Affairs, Elizabeth Warren wrote, "It’s time to seriously review the country’s military commitments overseas, and that includes bringing U.S. troops home from Afghanistan and Iraq. They have fought with honor, but additional American blood spilled will not halt the violence or result in a functioning democratic government in either place."

Warren wrote, "The costs have been extraordinarily high, but these wars have not succeeded even on their own terms. We’ve “turned the corner” in Afghanistan so many times that it seems we’re now going in circles. After years of constant war, Afghanistan hardly resembles a functioning state, and both poppy production and the Taliban are again on the rise. The invasion of Iraq destabilized and fragmented the Middle East, creating enormous suffering and precipitating the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. The region remains a tangled mess—the promise of the Arab Spring crushed, Iran emboldened, Syria devastated, the Islamic State (or ISIS) and its offshoots stubbornly resilient, and a massive refugee crisis threatening to destabilize Europe. Neither military nor civilian policymakers seem capable of defining success, but surely this is not it." ^{[source, as of 2018-11-01]}

Andrew Yang

Andrew Yang tweeted, "Iran’s incentives to adhere to the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement are limited if US economic sanctions are being imposed. I would re-enter negotiations with the existing agreement as a starting point. The goal should be to reduce tensions while moving our interests forward. ^{[source, as of 2019-07-07]}

Green candidates

Howie Hawkins

Howie Hawkins' campaign website says, "It is time for the United States to end its bipartisan unconditional support for Israeli policies that violate the human rights of Palestinians. At this critical moment, when Israel has announced its intention to annex Israeli settlements on the West Bank with the support of the Trump administration, we must speak out and resist this blatant violation of international law and the right of Palestinians to self-government."

His website also says the United States should "stop its war on Iran and that the US military get out of the Middle East now – out of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean." ^{[source, as of 2020-05-15]}

Libertarian candidates

Jo Jorgensen

Jo Jorgensen's campaign website says the U.S. should not give aid to Israel or any foreign nation. She says it's not the business of the United States whether Jerusalem is recognized as the capital of Israel. She opposes military aid to Saudi Arabia in its conflict with Yemen. She supports accepting refugees from Syria. ^{[source, as of 2020-07-28]}

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Footnotes