Romney hits at Obama policies on Middle East Weak American leadership has left the Middle East a more dangerous place than it was four years ago, Mitt Romney claimed in a speech on Monday designed to enhance his foreign policy credentials. The Republican presidential candidate said the US had missed a "historic opportunity" to win "new friends" in the Middle East who shared US values, accusing President Barack Obama of being "indifferent" to their quest for freedom and dignity. In an address at the Virginia Military Institute that aimed to capitalise on his strong debate performance last week, Mr Romney likened the struggle to establish free societies and economies in the Middle East to the "ashes of world war" in Europe, which the US had helped revive through leaders of "courage and vision." "Our friends and allies across the globe do not want less American leadership," Mr Romney said. They want more - more of our moral support, more of our security co-operation, more of our trade, and more of our assistance in building free societies and thriving economies. He said the recent attack on a US consulate in Libya had been "likely the work of forces affiliated" with al-Qaeda and that Mr Obama's lack of resolve had left "our destiny at the mercy of events." Despite the tough rhetoric, Mr Romney offered little in actual alternative policy to the Obama administration on the main issues in the Middle East. He endorsed the arming of the Syrian rebels, although he was careful to avoid saying whether the US should provide them with weapons, insisting only that the US should not be "sitting on the sidelines." The speech contained familiar Romney themes about inconsistent leadership by the Obama administration, but also pushed back against some of the isolationist voices in his own party, which have called for an end to aid to countries such as Egypt and Pakistan. However, there are potential pitfalls in Mr Romney's unflinching foreign policy posture. One Republican strategist who is not affiliated with the Romney campaign said the party's nominee risked alienating moderate and swing voters if he appeared to be too bellicose and underestimated Americans" aversion to further conflict in the Middle East. Madeleine Albright, the former secretary of state in the Clinton administration, accused Mr Romney of presenting a "shallow" vision of an American foreign policy, with little detail of how he would approach difficult issues. Mr Romney said that Iran should not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapons "capability," a shift from his position in a television interview last month when he said Tehran should be prevented from getting a nuclear weapon. He also called for the US to help negotiate the creation of an independent Palestinian state.