Bill Clinton's masterful speech to nominate Barack Obama summed up the philosophical difference between Democrats and Republicans saying, "We believe that 'We're all in this together' is a far better philosophy than 'You're on your own'.'' It's clear that these divergent views extend to the two parties' take on the rest of the world.
My colleague Andrew Hess has pulled together a great side by side comparison of the Ds and Rs platforms on Energy, the Environment, and Foreign Policy. There is a clear difference between the two that will impact our nation's role in an increasingly multi-polar interdependent world.
Democrats stress international cooperation, saying that "The greatest dangers we face--terrorism, nuclear proliferation, cyber and biological attacks, climate change, and transnational crime--cannot be solved by any one nation alone. Addressing these challenges requires broad and effective global cooperation. "
They support ratification of treaties to limit nuclear testing, limit nuclear proliferation and support the rights of women globally. The want the US to lead efforts to "to set emission limits" on greenhouse gasses. They "are committed to modernizing [the United Nations] infrastructure for the 21st century--working to reform international bodies and strengthen national and multilateral capabilities to advance peace, security, and opportunity."
While there are many issues the parties agree on, the Republican platform displays a very different world view. They "oppose the adoption or ratification of international treaties that weaken or encroach upon American sovereignty." They limit US support for the United Nations, the Human Rights Council and the UN Population Fund. Their platform reaffirms support for Reagan's "Mexico City" gag rule that prohibits the granting of federal monies to non-governmental organization that provide or promote abortion. They reject any jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. They oppose ratification of the U.N. Convention on Women's Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, and the Law of the Sea Convention.
Andrew's table provides links to the relevant sections of the two platforms. It's worth looking beyond jobs and the economy to better understand what these two divergent manifestos could mean for our nation and the world.