Editing Ron Paul (section)

=== Foreign policy ===

An anti-war activist, Paul promotes a [[noninterventionist]] foreign policy and an end to [[American imperialism]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Patriotism |url=http://archive.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul388.html |work=[[Congressional Record]] |publisher=[[U.S. House of Representatives]] |author=Paul, Ron |date=May 22, 2007 |access-date=October 23, 2007}}</ref> He advocates [[American Sovereignty Restoration Act|withdrawal]] from the [[United Nations]] and from the [[NATO|North Atlantic Treaty Organization]], for reasons of maintaining strong national sovereignty.<ref>{{cite web |last=Paul |first=Ron |date=January 6, 2009 |url=https://www.lewrockwell.com/2009/01/ron-paul/opportunities-for-peace-and-nonintervention/ |title=Opportunities for Peace and Nonintervention |work=LewRockwell.com}}</ref>

Paul voted for the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists]] in response to the [[September 11 attacks]], but suggested war alternatives such as authorizing the president to grant [[Letters of Marque and Reprisal]] targeting specific terrorists, in lieu of launching an [[United States invasion of Afghanistan|Afghanistan invasion]]. An opponent of the [[Iraq War]] as well, and potential war with [[Iran]], he has criticized [[neoconservatism]] and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, arguing that both inadvertently cause terrorist reprisals against Americans, such as the 9/11 attacks. Paul has stated that "Israel is our close friend" and that it is not the place of the United States to "dictate how Israel runs her affairs". Paul, a critic of the US's implementation of most [[foreign aid]], said in 2011 that "it was our foreign aid that helped [[Mubarak]] retain power to repress his people in the first place."<ref name="Israel">{{cite press release |url=http://eon.businesswire.com/news/eon/20110519007204/en |title=Ron Paul Responds to President Obama's Middle East Speech |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523070454/http://eon.businesswire.com/news/eon/20110519007204/en |archive-date=May 23, 2011}}</ref>

Following the [[Orange Revolution]] protests in 2004, which led to [[Viktor Yanukovych]]'s ouster from government, Paul accused the [[National Endowment for Democracy]] of having staged a coup in Ukraine.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kirchick |first1=James |date=May 9, 2014 |title=Is Rand Paul a Secret Hawk? Or Maybe Not a Total Dove? |work=[[The Daily Beast]] |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/09/is-rand-paul-a-secret-hawk-or-maybe-not-a-total-dove.html |access-date=March 16, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Paul |first=Ron |date=December 9, 2004 |title=What Has NED Done in Ukraine? |work=lewrockwell.com |url=https://www.lewrockwell.com/2004/12/ron-paul/what-has-ned-done-in-ukraine/ |access-date=March 16, 2020}}</ref> Paul supported the [[2014 Crimean status referendum]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kirchick |first=James |date=2014-03-16 |title=Ron Paul Is Supporting Russia's Illegal Occupation of Crimea |language=en |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/16/ron-paul-is-supporting-russia-s-illegal-occupation-of-crimea |access-date=2022-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325210215/https://www.thedailybeast.com/ron-paul-is-supporting-russias-illegal-occupation-of-crimea |archive-date=2022-03-25}}</ref> for which he was called a friend of [[Vladimir Putin]] by [[The Atlantic]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Journal |first=Lucia Graves, National |date=2014-07-21 |title=Ron Paul Is Putin's New Best Friend |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/07/ron-paul-is-putins-new-best-friend/439533/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101161740/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/07/ron-paul-is-putins-new-best-friend/439533/ |archive-date=2021-11-01 |access-date=2022-04-08 |website=The Atlantic |language=en |url-access=limited}}</ref> and has objected to [[International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War|sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War]] and [[List of military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War|foreign aid to Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Jon |date=2022-03-07 |title=Ron Paul says Putin replaced COVID as excuse for government's failures |url=https://www.newsweek.com/ron-paul-says-putin-replaced-covid-excuse-governments-failures-1685490 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402120719/https://www.newsweek.com/ron-paul-says-putin-replaced-covid-excuse-governments-failures-1685490 |archive-date=2022-04-02 |access-date=2022-04-08 |website=Newsweek |language=en |quote=He went on to write that sanctions imposed on Russia gives the government an excuse to raise gas prices, even while it doesn't ban Russian oil imports. Paul also suggested that the Putin-ordered invasion gave the Federal Reserve an opportunity to postpone what he said were "planned interest rate increases." "The Ukraine crisis also provides an excuse for Congress to do what Congress does best: increase federal spending. President Biden has requested Congress provide an additional $10 billion in emergency military aid to Ukraine," the former congressman wrote. "Congress will likely quickly approve the President's request. This will not likely be the last time Congress rushes billions of 'emergency' money to Ukraine." He theorized another consequence of the invasion could be lobbyists for military industries seeking to expand the country's military budget, in which Congress would likely agree to, he said.}}</ref>