In a piece for the Wall Street Journal this week, he argued that under President Obama, America was "at the mercy of events rather than shaping them".
"That's dangerous," he said. "If the Middle East descends into chaos, if Iran moves toward nuclear breakout, or if Israel's security is compromised, America could be pulled into the maelstrom."
He called for "a new strategy toward the Middle East", writing that "at a time when Israel needs America to stand with it, [Obama] declined to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu".
The contenders squared off on Wednesday night in the first of three presidential debates in the run up to the November 6 election, arguing about domestic questions. Next Thursday evening they will debate again, this time covering issues of foreign policy.
