What's Missing in the Foreign Policy Debate?

How patriotic are expats?

Obama and Romney are in Boca Raton in Florida tonight for the foreign policy debate in the US presidential election. They will cover many issues about their attitudes towards other countries, but there are two questions that I would like to see asked that I think won't make it in to the debate.

• How will you promote sustainable, stable global trade?
• When will you create an expat policy to promote the rights of your citizens living abroad?

Why Are These Questions Important?

Countries that open their borders benefit from trade. In this debate there will be strong positions taken to show leadership, but trade shouldn't be a consequences of a change in leadership, or driven by a political agenda. We need sustainable global growth that open borders. (China bashing is not a policy.)

Changes in the way we live because of accessibility of travel and the Internet means that citizens are choosing to live, work, or retire abroad. There is no legislation that helps citizens have global lives. In the future there will be more global movement of people and it is important to start creating the legislative framework that will protect the rights of citizens abroad now, before it is needed.

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