Nader himself is of Lebanese decent, and feels “the west is causing Lebanon to break up by supporting the Lebanese criminals and war lords.” Nader went on to say that if he were president, there would be no more puppet governments in Lebanon and he would give Lebanon the financial and political support they need. He warns the Lebanese government and people not to form alliances with a nation that has betrayed them in the past. Would anyone take that advice seriously? Let’s hope not.

Samantha Foley

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During Friday night’s first U.S. presidential debate, Republican U.S. presidential candidate McCain shifted on his policy regarding negotiating with Iran. This represents an attempt to narrow the gap between his foreign policy and that of his rival presidential hopeful, Democratic candidate Barack Obama, and to widen that between himself and U.S. president George Bush, who is at a record-low approval rating by U.S. citizens. Previously, John McCain has argued against authorizing “high-profile direct talks with Iran,” stating that direct face-to-face talks are “the most overrated aspect of our dialogue about international relations.” After Obama cited Henry Kissinger’s calling for negotiations at the secretary of state level without precondition earlier this month, however, McCain stated that he encourages these lower level meetings, and that he has “always encouraged them.” He is highly reluctant, however, to meet with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He has instead called for a new league of democracies, including Germany, France and Britain in working to impose sanctions on Iran, specifically regarding their nuclear program, which is a major concern for both U.S. presidential candidates. One European diplomat has voiced concerns over creating this league of democratic nations, however, suggesting that it could antagonize important countries like Russia and China with whom they would like to enjoy good relations. It has also been suggested that such a league may undermine the United Nations, and could therefore be potentially very unpopular internationally.

Kayla Cahoon

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