Republicans grapple with a new world view

Mitt Romney’s foreign policy vacillation typifies how the Republican Party has struggled to keep up with developments, says Leslie H Gelb

FOREIGN policy sits so far back in American politics today that something quite important has gone almost unnoticed: Republicans are doing what does not come naturally — fighting openly on Afghan policy and edging toward an ever broader national security squabble.

They’re usually quite disciplined about quieting their foreign policy splits. But now the battle is on for the mind of Mitt Romney.