Seeing as McCain looks set to be the Republican candidate I figured I'd look over his essay on foreign policy as published in Nov / Dec Foreign Affairs magazine.

TERROR

He's fairly well versed in the "war on Terror" regions of the world. He admits failures while displaying an understanding about the intricacies of Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. What he fails to see is the broader connection to places like Indonesia and the Horn of Africa.

He maintains support for Israel and thinks that Hamas "must be isolated".

His stance on Iran is confrontational and subversive. He feels that all efforts should be taken to crush the current powers in that country and keeps the military (read: air strike) option open.

In support of these actions he wants to increase funding to the military for technology and the recruitment of 150,000 more soldiers. He doesn't really say where this money would come from.

Additional support for his plans will come from an "Army Advisory Corps with 20,000 soldiers" that sounds like some fancy new covert ops type unit. These new Advisory ops will be backed by people trained in Languages and "advanced psychological techniques" who have studied abroad. These new recruits will be part of the military's Foreign Area Officer program and will have specialized in "strategic interrogation". (aka: inquisitors)

Thee will also be a new intelligence branch (like they need one) based on the pasted Office of Strategic Services, a group of civilian reconstruction specialists, and a propaganda ministry based on the old U.S. Information Agency.

EU

When it comes to friends McCain wants to make a new club, the League of Democracies. It sounds like some way to create consensus when the UN isn't playing nice.

He also wants to patch up European issues by doing things like creating an Atlantic free trade area.

It seems clear that McCain's lists of friends does not include Putin. His Russian paragraphs (two of them) are hostile and even include the suggestion that Russia should be removed from the G-8 meetings.

ASIA

McCain says:
Japan should have a permanent security council seat.
China needs to work on its corporate code of conduct, the safety of it's exports, the currency exchange rate, sustainable environmental policies, and it's "go-it-alone approach to world energy supplies.
China shouldn't play with mean people like Burma, Sudan, and Zimbabwe.
China should invite the US to parties like regional forums and economic meetings.

AFRICA and SOUTH AMERICA

Both get glossed over in two paragraphs each where key words get mentioned but nothing is really said.

NUKES

McCain has a decent stance on nukes. He recognizes the difficulties that are part of the NPT and feels that slight modification should allow a country to have a provisional rating that would be a partial bar on their resources while the IAEA continued to work.

ENVIRONMENT

Capn' Trade while the US scientists invent their way out of the oil pickle.

I liked this line though:
"The transfer of American wealth to the Middle East through continued oil purchases helps sustain the conditions under which extremism breeds, and the burning of oil and other fossil fuels spurs global warming,"

TRADE

In his 11 pages McCain outlines free trade within Asia, across the Atlantic, into South America, and from Morocco to Afghanistan. Clearly his ideal goal is to create more free markets. He's very much into globalization.