Ben Carson is no stranger to controversy. As his numbers have risen in the polls, Carson has faced increased scrutiny from media organizations and interviewers who question his experience and beliefs. He has been criticized over comments regarding homosexuals, Muslims, Nazism, slavery, evolution, global warming, gender inequality, racism, and abortion. However, these comments have seemingly endeared him to the Republican base, which has a penchant for rewarding controversy. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Carson's foreign policy chops, which have brought unwanted attention to the candidate this week.
Although past blunders have not seemed to hurt the candidate, his weakness on foreign policy was apparent in his assertion that China had been intervening in the Syrian Civil War, and his inability to name the countries of the coalition he would assemble to fight ISIS. When asked about his opinion regarding President Barack Obama's decision to leave troops in Afghanistan and send out 50 special ops forces to Syria in the Fox Business News debate in Milwaukee, Carson's response was weak and mistaken.
Carson replied, "Well, putting the special ops people in there is better than not having them there, because they - that's why they're called special ops, they're actually able to guide some of the other things that we're doing there." He continued, "And what we have to recognize is that Putin is trying to really spread his influence throughout the Middle East. This is going to be his base. And we have to oppose him there in an effective way." Carson explained, "We also must recognize that it's a very complex place. You know, the Chinese are there, as well as the Russians, and you have all kinds of factions there."
The New York Times reports that even Carson's aids admit that the candidate is far out of his realm when he discusses such matters. Duane R. Clarridge, a top adviser of Carson's on terrorism and national security, said, "Nobody has been able to sit down with him and have him get one iota of intelligent information about the Middle East."
Unfortunately for Carson, after the deadly attacks in Paris and the resulting French call for assistance in their fight against ISIS, the 2016 Presidential Election has become increasingly foreign policy-based, and focused on the subject of fighting terrorism.
Carson will have to clean up his answers to these vital questions if he hopes to remain at the top of the polls. As the Iowa caucus draws nearer, and media scrutiny heightens, it is unsure whether Carson will be able to weather the storm of American presidential politics.
