Mike Pence's Out-of-Touch And Risky Foreign Policy Positions

tippinsights Editorial Board -
  • Pence's desire to admit Ukraine into NATO is an extreme position, potentially risking NATO involvement and an escalation of conflict with Russia
  • Pence's stance on Taiwan contradicts America's official One China policy, which could escalate tensions with China
  • His positions on Israel and Iran also have the potential to lead to conflict and heightened tensions
  • Considering America's already high defense budget and growing debt concerns, his stance on military spending is fiscally irresponsible and unsustainable

Appearing on Fox News with Shannon Bream two weekends ago, Mike Pence disqualified himself as a GOP candidate for the 2024 nomination by vowing to continue the failed policies of the Biden administration, which have brought America closer to a direct conflict with Russia. 

Three days ago, Pence repeated his desire for Ukraine to fight until all territory is recovered from Russia. Appearing before NewsNation, he emphasized support for emergency funding for Ukraine. "Give [Ukraine] the resources that they need to fight and to win and to drive that Russian military back... Because it's in our interests, and I think, ultimately, it's in the interests of peace and security in the world." 

The former vice president was reciting the words of the Biden administration nearly verbatim. Appearing at the White House daily presser, the NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, said: "We want to see Ukraine succeed on the battlefield. We want to see them get all their territory back. We want to see their sovereignty respected. We want to see no Russian troops inside Ukraine. We want to see the war end...So, we're going to continue to provide Ukraine with the capabilities that they need to be successful."

Most military analysts believe that the goals Pence and Kirby have repeatedly outlined are nearly impossible unless NATO forces get involved, which could trigger World War III. Pence favors admitting Ukraine into NATO, an extreme position not embraced by other NATO members at the recent Vilnius summit. That communique, in July, left plenty of wriggle room, including denying Ukraine entry into NATO when it said: "The Alliance will support Ukraine in making these reforms on its path towards future membership. We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when Allies agree and conditions are met." 

Pence thinks that he can cement his claim as a Reagan conservative by repeating the "Peace Through Strength" mantra of former President Reagan, revered in GOP circles as the greatest president since Eisenhower. But Reagan's doctrine was for a different time - when the Soviet Union had just invaded Afghanistan and was failing as a super-large administrative state. Conditions today are vastly different.

Reagan's 'Peace Through Strength' – a different era, different times. Photo: Pence with Reagan at White House, 1988, Office of Congressman Mike Pence, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Regarding Taiwan, Pence has a dangerous position that escalates conflict with China, when America's official One China policy is strategically ambiguous and relies on peace-making efforts. Officially, America does not support Taiwan's independence or want unilateral changes to the status quo.  

On Israel and Iran, he sounded the foghorns of war at the slightest hint of trouble. "We have to send a clear message to the Mullahs in Tehran that any move against Israel will be met with the full force and full partnership of the American military. That's how we keep Israel safe. That's how we keep peace in the region." 

So Pence will send in American forces when Tehran makes "any move against Israel?" Estimates are that Iran is close to developing nuclear weapons. What happens if Tehran unleashes a dirty bomb? Do the mullahs have the same restraint and organizational structure Russia has in managing weapons of mass destruction?

He argued for more spending on the Pentagon, promising to release a new plan for rebuilding the American military. America already spends more on national defense than the next ten nations combined, and with America facing a $50 trillion debt burden ten years from now, Pence wants to spend even more.

Doesn’t America have enough Neocon warmongers in the Biden administration who have pushed America closer to nuclear conflict with Russia? China and Russia, two formidable nations, have already announced a no-limits partnership that tests America daily. As BRICS founders, these two nuclear-weapon superpowers have solidified a relationship with North Korea, another nuclear-weapon-wanna-be-state. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia to discuss technology cooperation in return for sending artillery shells and other weaponry to Russia in its war against Ukraine. 

The latest RealClearPolitics poll average has Republican Mike Pence at 4.5% in the GOP campaign, well behind former President Trump, whose administration he served and frequently proudly touts. The 45th president declared no new wars and unwound America from existing battles. America became prosperous and the world's largest energy exporter because we were not at war with any nation. 

America has been going downhill ever since President Biden took over, with his support for Ukraine, with record-high domestic inflation, interest rates, and deficits, and a weakening world standing as the BRICS nations invite more countries into their fold.

Make no mistake, we admire Pence's tireless service to the nation as vice president. However, we simply disagree with his current foreign policy positions, which lack the much-needed fresh approach to solving today's problems.

No, Mr. Pence, America does not want more failed policies that result in death and destruction. The last two and a half years have been enough.

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