I'm only going to summarize positions on Iraq and Afghanistan, because they have been covered in detail before.
This is also the last diary where Nader will be included, unless he turns those poll numbers around. He's heading into the margin of error.
Please nominate the next topic, or I'm doing energy policy next time. So if you want to see something else, pipe up.
Nader -
Afghanistan - No specific policy
Iraq - UN in, US out. US helps UN with humanitarian angle.
Rest of foreign policy - Redefine what we mean by global security and peace. Cut back on our weapons (no definition), eliminate "redundant weapons" (no definition), and eliminate our nuclear stockpile. Work with other nations on peaceful projects, and not armed ones. Increase help with AIDS, malaria, TB, flu, and other infectious diseases that "are coming to our country in increasingly drug resistant strains."
Focus resources on global projects for drinking water, tobacco control, soil erosion, deforestation, and "misuse of chemicals."
Set international labor standards, stimulate democratic institutions, set up "agrarian cooperatives" (ask me if you don't know what those are ... I'm old enough to remember), and demonstrate "appropriate technologies dealing with agriculture, transportation, housing and efficient, renewable energy."
Work with the UN Development Program and NGOs to end hunger, malnutrition and resultant diseases with known and proven remedies and practices. Discover and facilitate the indigenous genius of the Third World.
[I want to state for the official record that this is the most logical part of Nader's platform, IMHO. Except for the "agrarian cooperatives" and the implicit idea that AQ et al. will cut it out if we just improve living conditions over there.
But I disagreed with Kucinich on this point too. I think you can seriously disable violent movements with reforms, but you can never eliminate them. Otherwise, rich neoconservatives shouldn't exist.]
Kerry -
Iraq - Go back to the EU and UN and renegotiate a new alliance. Incorporate their ideas into the reconstruction plan. Set up an official fixed timetable for transfer of power and introduction of political institutions and stick to it.
Afghanistan - Go back to allies and get the donations promised at the Bonn conference; again, this would include incorporation of their ideas into the reconstruction plan. Expand the reach of the Karzai government to the entirety of Afghanistan and provide further counter-narcotics aid.
Venezuela - Get Chavez to allow the full referendum process. Vet petitions, and then allow referendum if petitions are legit. Allow oversight by the Carter Center and the OAS (hardly the bastions of American Imperialism). However, any violent extra-legal means of removing Chavez will be opposed by Kerry, as they should have been by Bush in Venezuela and Haiti.
Terrorism - Military force cannot win the war on terror, but it is a component. Kerry will increase the size of the special operations forces and increase training for peace-keeping missions so that failed states can be secured and terrorist sanctuaries denied. Kerry will add more engineers, military police, psychological warfare personnel, and civil affairs teams to the military to ensure combat forces are not drawn away to fill roles that stability forces should fill -- and that a security vacuum does not threaten hard-won victories. Temporary increase of about 40,000 active-duty Army troops: 20,000 in such specialties as military police and civil affairs, and 20,000 combat. The focus is on people, training, and information, with the elimination of Cold War weapons programs (approximately 15% of the current Pentagon budget is spent on those programs).
In addition, Kerry wants to re-open channels to international law-enforcement agencies and share information (this could be good or bad). Increase the number of linguists working for the intelligence community. Give the CIA director authority over the intelligence budgets. Complete a national intelligence review and make the findings public.
Impose sanctions against banks that launder funds for terrorists. Create a public list of such institutions.
Create an American Envoy for WMD reduction.
Reinstate efforts to buy old Soviet stockpiles of WMD. Create a tracking system. Within four years, we will have secured the old stockpiles.
America should build bridges between the business communities in Arab and Muslim countries and the educational system, and make sure that curricula are imparting marketable skills. This will help break down the two-tier system in these states, where only the foreign-educated can get to the top of the ladder. Assist human rights groups, independent media, and labor unions in these countries.
Bush -
Increase military spending and continue to chase terrorists with the military. Spending is for machines, rather than people. Continue work on small nuclear weapons for battlefield use and space-based weapons. Complete pull-out from ABM treaty and continue work on missile defense.
U.S. must maintain its current leadership position (read: same policy as last three years).
Continue to work with the Karzai administration, the Musharraf regime, and the Afghan Warlords to fight terrorists.
Enhance the power of the FBI and increase spending on CIA and FBI.
Continue to stovepipe info from different agencies into the White House alone.