How Tom Tancredo Fits in with Foreign Policy Philosophies

Politicians and foreign policy analysts have differing views on the world and how events should be handled and dealt with. Depending on their world view, their views can be grouped into three theories; realism, neo-realism and liberalism. Realism and neo-realism have similar beliefs but compared to liberalism they are fairly unlike.

The basic idea of the Realist system first created by Morganthau is that countries are hungry for power. Nation states are always in competition for this power and fight to gain as much as they can. Alliances formed to gain more clout are never permanent or long lasting.

In realism, power is the main decision maker on almost all issues. The country with the most power controls the rules of the international system. The way this power is divided is dependent on the resources. Countries with more land assets, larger and more sophisticated military, wealthier people and a larger population will have greater power than its counterparts in the world.

Neo-realism is another theory but is based off some important parts of realism. A predicament was found when a nation had incorporated a certain amount of resources that other, smaller countries would begin to band together to fight the larger power. The dilemma of when a nation becomes powerful at what point do the other countries create a greater alliance to counter and take down your power. Kenneth Waltz realized this problem and developed his theory of neo-realism to create the insufficiencies that realism had been shown to have.

The neo-realism theory is based on five assumptions of countries. The first assumption is that states are unitary actors, meaning they act by themselves. Second, states are rational and fair while third; the international system is anarchic. The fourth assumption is states are always trying to maximize their security and finally that they try to gain more power without putting their security at risk. These assumptions lead to theories that suggest power will be more balanced because relative gains are more important to nations than absolute gains and that bipolar systems create more stability than do unipolar systems. The most important change in thought between realism and neo-realism is that the desire for power is replaced by the desire for security. Power is needed in neo-realism but is not the end game for states. Rather, power is optimized and gains in security by states will result in international stability.

The third theory of foreign policy is completely different than the last two. Liberalism is a 19^th century form of thought that was put on the international stage during the periods between World War I and World War II. The goal was to end war by creating international organizations so nations had a platform to air out their differences without conflict. Liberalism assumes that if the natures of laws are clearly stated that peace can be achieved because by nature man is good. This theory also supports an idealistic idea of a hegemon that would work for the good of all by helping solve problems and issues throughout the world.

Liberals and Realists see the world in completely different ways. The state of the world in liberal thought is a hierarchy and cooperation while the realist sees it as anarchy. Realists assume people are self centered and competitive against one another trying to maximize power. On the other hand liberalism there are norms and a state will be able to enforce laws between states. Ultimately what is important to a realist is power and security of the nation. A liberal sees collective action essential to peace.

Tom Tancredo and his foreign policy approach

Representative Tom Tancredo is a Congressman from Colorado and has been serving his district since 1999. Representative Tancredo is well known for his thorough knowledge of immigration and its effect on the United States. Among the Republican candidates for President he is one of the most conservative on all issues foreign and domestic (Tancredo, Meet Tom). He is a second tier candidate in the field and running a grassroots campaign with a strong following. The Congressman also has a solid record on all issues facing the United States such as The War on Terror, democracy in the Arab world, Iran, trade, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and of course, immigration.

Tom Tancredo is a member of the Subcommittee on International Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Human Rights and has been a strong supporter of the War on Terror. He has echoed a strong neo-realist belief through his speeches and interviews through the years.

"I believe that what we are fighting here is not just a small group of people who have hijacked a religion, but it is a civilization bent on destroying ours...We will never be able to win in the clash of civilizations, if we don't know who we are. If Western civilization succumbs to the siren song of multiculturalism, I believe we're finished....We have to fight radical Islam wherever it exists.

This quote in an interview with Right Wing News, shows that Rep. Tancredo believes that there is a major security problem in America that will end up destroying us if we do not fight back. He believes that Islamic radicalism threatens our security and can not be taken lightly. Being privileged to view classified information he is qualified to make statements about the spread of Islam and its threat to the United States is growing (Hawkins, 2004).

The Congressman believes that in order to reduce this rising threat we should "implant democracies where there are now dictatorships" in the Middle East. Tancredo believes that by doing this the United States will "encourage and create the spread of moderate Islam". Once again his neo-realist believes are given away by these statements. In order to create security for our country, Tancredo believes we should use all weapons at our disposal to make the Arab world a democratic place. As a neo-realist his view that people are irrational gives him the assumption that the Arab Muslim world is unreasonable and a threat to the United States (Hawkins).

Tancredo takes a more realist approach when it comes to another Muslim country, Iran. The Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK) is a militant group based out of Iraq that is strongly opposed to Iran. The State department lists the MEK as a terrorist organization but in an interview for NTI, Rep. Tancredo wants to support that group and for it "to be a little thorn on the side of the government in Iran" (Henry). This position is a classic realist one where the United States would make an alliance in order to gain more power and leverage against our enemies. The alliance would not be permanent rather only until Iran is neutralized.

On the topic of trade Congressman Tancredo fears for American security. He is a skeptic on the issue of free trade and on the recently passed Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) Tancredo was a very outspoken opponent in an article for the NC Times.

If CAFTA were really just about trade, the agreement would be little more than a few pages long, declaring that tariff treatment for U.S. and Central American goods will be on a reciprocal basis. But it isn't. In reality, CAFTA is about expanding a growing body of international law that supersedes our own.

Thinking like a true neo-realist Tancredo is certain that free trade agreements with any country will decrease our security at home. With such international agreements like CAFTA, Tancredo thinks our national sovereignty will be compromised by an international tribunal that could rule against our immigration laws forcing America to change its laws in order to comply.

Congress' "exclusive" authority to regulate immigration policy will be subjugated to the whim of international tribunals and trade panels ---- in much the same way that Congress' once supreme constitutional authority to "regulate commerce with foreign nations," has already been largely ceded to the WTO. (Tancredo, 2005)

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is another example of Rep. Tancredo and his neo-realist thought. Tancredo is a strong supporter of Israeli and has repeatedly encouraged them to protect themselves from the Palestinian threat. The Congressman said in a speech on the house floor "Prime Minister Sharon must continue to construct the security barrier in a manner that minimizes the hardships of the Palestinian people and stop settlement expansion on the Palestinian side of the fence." (Tancredo, 2004)

Tancredo believes that a barrier that separates the two groups will stop the attacks on Israel and deaths of Israelis. Security is even used in the wording and name of the fence that lets the public know the reason why it is being constructed (Tancredo, 2004). Rep. Tancredo also believes in using a fence for the security of the United States and has focused his Presidential campaign on this topic. He believes our country is "becoming balkanized, we concentrate on all the things that pull us apart as Americans instead of [what] holds us together and this does not help us in this greater issue of clash of civilizations. We're losing sight of who we are."In this interview for his campaign website, Tancredo makes clear that he believes our security and sovereignty as a nation is threatened by unchecked illegal immigration. He also believes that our common bonds are deteriorating and that we may cease to exist in the future if this continues. This is just another example of his neo-realist beliefs that people are out for themselves instead of the country and that security must be a major concern when it comes to foreign policy topics (McMahon, 2006).

In conclusion, Tom Tancredo harbors the beliefs of a true neo-realist on almost all policy issues. He feels seriously threatened by the other nations and international bodies that are trying to establish laws and other agreements around the world. The Congressman is running on these issues in a straightforward and easy to understand manner hoping that the public will rally behind his message. His credentials as a member of the International Relations Committee in the House of Representatives as well as committees and caucuses on immigration and other foreign policy issues shows his stance is well thought out and backed with facts that will give his neo-realist beliefs a respected look while making policy.

Works Cited

Team Tancredo, 2007 "Meet Tom"

http://teamtancredo.org/tancredo_meettom_index.php (October 10, 2007)

Hawkins, John "An Interview With Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO)" (October 10, 2007)

http://www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/tancredo.php

Henry, Terrence, 2004. "Iranian Opposition Group Blows Nuclear Whistle, Receives Terrorist Designation"

http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2004/9/10/26914D2A-345C-4E83-A5CD-AAC3C6882F59.html (October 10, 2007)

Tancredo, Tom, 2005. "CAFTA undermines immigration laws"

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/07/18/opinion/commentary/71705195445.txt (October 10, 2007)

Tancredo, Tom, 2004. "Israel Independence Day and Israel Memorial Day"

http://votesmart.org/speech_detail.php?sc_id=115668 (October 10, 2007)

McMahon, Robert, 2006. "Tancredo: Tough Immigration Reform Essential to Maintain U.S. Identity" http://www.cfr.org/publication/11141/