Bob Schieffer announced the topics for tonight's debate. They are:
* America’s role in the world
* Our longest war – Afghanistan and Pakistan
* Red Lines – Israel and Iran
* The Changing Middle East and the New Face of Terrorism – I
* The Changing Middle East and the New Face of Terrorism – II
* The Rise of China and Tomorrow’s World…
Drezner is disappointed:
Here are the following areas and topics that apparently won't be discussed:
1) The eurozone crisis
2) Latin America
3) Russia
4) Africa
5) Foreign economic policy
6) India
7) North Korea
Now I get that some of these topics won't come up in a foreign policy debate that lasts only 90 minutes. But I'm also thinking that maybe, just maybe, it would be a better foreign policy debate if they actually talked about, you know, SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE MIDDLE EAST!!!!!!
A friend of Fallows has similar objections:
No questions on the Pentagon or defense spending — a clear point of difference between the candidates.
No questions on the criteria for the use of force, whether in Iran or Syria or … Mexico.
No questions on the war powers of the President, either regarding Iran or drones or targeted killings.
No questions on civil-military relations.
Maybe Schieffer will shoehorn some of these issues into his announced topics, or maybe the candidates will broaden their answers. I hope so. Otherwise, this will be a truncated and woefully inadequate one.
The Dish 