National Public Radio: on Foreign Policy


John McCain: Chechnya: End aid to Russia until Russia stops bombing

As long as Russian bombs fall on Chechnya, we should give no aid and no assistance to Russia - not one ruble.
Source: National Public Radio news, WBUR Boston 90.9 FM Dec 2, 1999

Pat Buchanan: Armenia: History shows national interest trumps atrocities

Q: In Buchanan's book, he praised the way the British were mistreating the Armenians, in what he called the Armenian holocaust. If it's America first, why did he prefer Britain to Armenia as far as people being mistreated goes?

A: I did not say that was a good thing at all. What I said was that if you go back in all these massacres and genocides of peoples, you will find that despite the fact that statesmen say this is awful and it can't happen again, it does every single time and there has never been a real intervention to stop it.

The British issue was with the Bulgarian massacres by the Turks. Disraeli said we ought to stay with the Turks even though they did it, and Gladstone said we ought to throw the Turks out of Europe even though they're our allies. What I'm saying was this shows you when national interest come into collision, even with horrific human rights atrocities, every time virtually, national interest wins. I don't say it's morally right. I was writing history.

Source: National Public Radio interview, "Talk of the Nation" May 30, 2000

Pat Buchanan: Supported opening China in 1970s, but situation has changed

With regard to my old colleague Henry Kissinger, I'm one of 10 surviving members of that official delegation, that opened up the PRC, and where I break with Mr. Kissinger is this: When we went to China, we were trying to get our men out of Vietnam, and the Chinese military was positioned all along the Soviet border. Now all those Chinese forces have been moved [to threaten] our friends on Taiwan and against our country. And the weapons are being bought to fight a war against a naval power in the western Pacific, the United States.

When I saw this redeployment, I said, ‘It is time the US stopped building up this--what could be this Frankenstein monster and took a hard look at what they're doing.' They persecute Christians. They persecute dissidents. They threaten our country. What in heaven's name are we doing giving them a $ 70 billion trade surplus every single year when they're using it to buy weapons to threaten our men and women?

Source: National Public Radio interview, "Talk of the Nation" May 30, 2000

Susan Rice: Didn't want to be pigeonholed as "black working on Africa"

I was concerned, at not quite 28, that as an African American woman entering the field of national security and foreign policy, that if I accepted a job in African policy without having demonstrated my ability to work on a wider range of issues, I feared, I think legitimately, that I might get pigeonholed in Africa. That people in this predominantly white national security establishment would see me as black working on Africa -- and therefore not capable of, or suited to do, anything else.
Source: National Public Radio on 2020 Maine Senate race Oct 7, 2019

Wesley Clark: Use UN to gain credibility in Iraq

We should use the UN for what it is good for. It offers credibility. It will not offer troops or money. We pay 25% of the UN budget but we're not going to get the UN to contribute the other 75%. But we can use the UN in Iraq to help spread the blame around -- let them hate some French and some others, instead of just hating us. The UN offers credibility because there's not one Iraqi who votes in the US. But they do have a delegate to the UN.
Source: The Connection with Dick Gordon, National Public Radio Sep 8, 2003

Wesley Clark: Contribute to democratization in Muslim world

Q: I'm a Muslim and I'd like to hear your opinion on US relations with Muslim countries.

A: We expect the US to be judged by who we are and what we do. Muslims live here, so who we are is not the problem, it's what we have done. We need to focus on the peaceful transformation of governments. It's not so much about terrorist states, but about our allies in the region, who are only now starting to democratize. We can contribute to democratization and modernization in Pakistan and other countries.

Source: The Connection with Dick Gordon, National Public Radio Sep 8, 2003

Elon Musk: Has supported far-right politicians in Italy & Germany

Musk has waded into politics in other European countries, throwing his support behind far-right leaders such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and trolling Britain's center-left government. Musk spoke repeatedly about the importance of Germans taking pride in their heritage. Then, in an apparent reference to the Nazi era, Musk added that there is "frankly too much of a focus on past guilt and we need to move beyond that."
Source: National Public Radio on 2025 Trump Cabinet Jan 27, 2025

  • The above quotations are from National Public Radio political coverage.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Foreign Policy.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
2024 Presidential contenders on Foreign Policy:
  Candidates for President & Vice-President:
V.P.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.(I-CA)
Chase Oliver(L-GA)
Dr.Jill Stein(D-MA)
Former Pres.Donald Trump(R-FL)
Sen.J.D.Vance(R-OH)
Gov.Tim Walz(D-MN)
Dr.Cornel West(I-NJ)

2024 presidential primary contenders:
Pres.Joe_Biden(D-DE)
N.D.Gov.Doug Burgum(R)
N.J.Gov.Chris_Christie(R)
Fla.Gov.Ron_DeSantis(R)
S.C.Gov.Nikki_Haley(R)
Ark.Gov.Asa_Hutchinson(R)
Former V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
U.S.Rep.Dean_Phillips(D-MN)
Vivek_Ramaswamy(R-OH)
S.C.Sen.Tim_Scott(R)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org!
Click for details -- or send donations to:
1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140
E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org
(We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Aug 14, 2025