Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley officially launched her bid for president this week, but if she really wants to resonate with conservative voters and win the Republican nomination, Haley needs to atone for her long list of foreign policy failures.
Haley says she’s tired of the Washington establishment failing U.S. voters and she’s ready to “rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure the border, and strengthen our country, our pride, and our purpose.” Her history of pursuing an interventionist agenda, however, will not be easily forgotten. To have a shot at a successful GOP campaign, she has to prove that the aimless military adventurism that puts America last and the U.S. war machine first is behind her.
The Bush Era Revived
Haley officially advanced her failed foreign policy agenda during her tenure as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from January 2017 to January 2018. By that time, it was clear from both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that U.S. interventionism in the Middle East was a huge waste of time, funds, and American lives. Yet Haley repeatedly advocated for the U.S. to insert itself and our military in conflicts with Iran, Syria, North Korea, and other foreign countries.
Despite former President Donald Trump’s explicit demands that his administration pivot away from the Bush-era intervention that plagued his GOP predecessors, Haley pushed Trump to take a more militant approach to Iran.
In late 2017, Haley furthered her quest by claiming there was “undeniable” evidence that Iran supplied
