Walker Outlines Aggressive Foreign Policy Agenda In South Carolina Speech

In a speech at the Citadel military school in South Carolina on Friday, Gov. Scott Walker outlined an aggressive foreign policy agenda in which the defeat of the Islamic State group and the restoration of economic sanctions against Iran would be among his top priorities as president.

The governor, addressing a crowd of hundreds of cadets, harshly condemned the foreign policy of Democratic President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asserting that the administration’s strategies have left the country “heading for disaster.” He specifically excoriated the president for “barely disrupting” the Islamic State group, along with his role in forging the recent Iran nuclear deal. He also condemned Clinton for her handling of the attack in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012.

Walker suggested he would intensify the U.S. offensive against both the Islamic State group and the Bashir Al Assad regime in Syria by recruiting more fighters on the ground there, implementing a no-fly zone in the region and “restoring” alliances with countries like Israel. He also said he would leave “all options on the table” when it comes to defeating both groups, implying he would be open to deploying U.S. ground forces.

“President Reagan believed in achieving peace through strength,” said Walker. “I do too, and I will follow his example.”

Walker also emphasized domestic security. He said he would strengthen the country’s southern border, which he described as being “riddled with holes” that terrorists could exploit. He also said he would “restore counterterrorism and surveillance programs.”

The speech comes at a time when the governor’s poll numbers have been slipping following a quiet performance at the first GOP presidential debate. It also comes after Walker made headlines earlier in the week for demanding that Obama cancel a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, citing that country’s cyberattacks, military aggression and alleged currency manipulation.

Walker executed a similar policy rollout last week when he unveiled a plan to replace Obama’s health care law — a move many observers described as an effort to revitalize his campaign.