Governor Bill Richardson’s Foreign Policy Expertise and Positions

Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson has vast experience in foreign policy. Allow me to quickly highlight his experience and then move on to his foreign policy positions. Nominated four separate years for a Nobel Peace Prize, he is a former staffer for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, seven-term congressional representative, and U.N. ambassador. Using his background in foreign policy, Richardson has defused many situations and negotiated the release of many hostages, soldiers, and prisoners from numerous countries including Sudan, Iraq, Cuba, and North Korea. In 1995, he successfully negotiated with Saddam Hussein for the release of two American workers; in 2006, he achieved the release of an American journalist held in Sudan, where he also freed a pilot and two Red Cross workers in 1996. Overall, Richardson is a veteran of foreign policy affairs.

Iraq is an important denominator in the 2008 election and Governor Bill Richardson has a plan concerning Iraq. Believing that the U.S. military should only be used when U.S. territory is attacked, Richardson promotes setting a timetable for withdrawal of our troops from Iraq, much like numerous other democrats.

Bill Richardson is a firm believer that talking to enemies can produce results, such as the recent agreement with North Korea. Richardson would continue talks with North Korea and Iran. As president, he would pressure China and Europe to enforce a no-fly zone in Darfur. Regarding Russia, Richardson realizes that we need to strive to decrease Russia's nuclear missiles and end the war with Chechnya. He perceives Israel as less safe due to Bush's policy of stubbornness; former Congressman Richardson has said that being stubborn is not a foreign policy, but diplomacy is. As a former U.N. ambassador, he believes that we must pay, in full, our back dues and begin a process of serious reforms within the U.N. In November of 2005, Richardson negotiated with Castro to halve the fee to emigrate from Cuba; Governor Richardson would like to re-evaluate the embargo for a post-Castro Cuba. When negotiating, he believes we should focus on goals above all else, not whom we negotiate with.


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