18th District Congressional Candidates: The Middle East

Steve Waterworth: I just think we need to be out of there, and that's one of the things. If we were more energy independent, if we weren't so dependent on oil that comes from the Middle East, we'd be in a much stronger position to influence that region and we're not.

  We need to get with this energy independence and we failed miserably to do that. Once we do that, we'll be able to influence that area at a much greater degree than we do today.

Aaron Shock: I think the Middle East is going through their own renaissance, if you will. It's yet to be seen what the outcome is going to be. Certainly the Arab Spring in Egypt has brought about new leadership there. It's uncertain what their precedent is going to mean to the United States as well as to our ally, Israel, in that region.

  It's uncertain what the uprising in Syria is going to mean. Certainly in Libya, they have new leadership. So, I'm not sure the United States is responsible for all of the outcomes in the Middle East, but to the degree we can support democracies and free and fair elections, that can be a goal we can work towards.