Foreign Policy for the People

For the entirety of my students’ lives, the US has been at war. Our aggressive foreign policy has not only been unnecessary, it has been destabilizing for the entire world. With instability, there has been untold human suffering: 15,000 American killed abroad; nearly 500,000 non-Americans dead the result of direct war violence; and millions of refugees created and then trapped from accessing safety and security in the United States.

We need to have a foreign policy of peace and multilateral cooperation. It starts with acknowledging our history of Empire and committing to an anti-imperialist engagement that is internationalist and in solidarity with oppressed peoples throughout the world.

We must recognize our bloated defense budget contributes both to militarization abroad and at home. Total military spending for this fiscal year is nearly $1 trillion, greater than the next ten largest spenders combined. Instead of subsidizing arms manufacturers to produce weapons for the nine unconstitutional wars we’re currently embroiled in, we could be funding our schools, employing workers to repair our roads and bridges, or investing in transitioning to a green economy.

Congress has largely failed to check unjustified executive overreach in the making of war. We must take peace back; it is not only the moral thing to do, it is what is necessary in a world where our greatest challenges in the future - stemming climate change, accommodating refugees, combatting terrorism, and de-nuclearizing the planet - will require global cooperation and diplomatic engagement.

Our Foreign Policy Plan:

• Ending Forever Wars

  • Withdraw all US troops from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan 

  • Support the War Powers resolution to end US complicity in the Saudi-led bombing of Yemen

  • End US airstrikes on Somalia

• Dismantle the Military-Industrial Complex

  • Support the closure of most military bases abroad (we currently have about 800 military bases in nearly 80 countries)

  • Cut $450 billion from military spending

  • Divest from weapons manufacturing

  • Stop the militarization of the African continent and dismantle AFRICOM

• Ending the War on Terror

  • Repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)

  • Close all extralegal detention camps, including Guantanamo Bay

• International Engagement Promoting Peace and Human Rights

  • Oppose intervention in and sanctions on Iran and Venezuela

  • Rejoin Iran Nuclear Deal, INF Treaty, United Nations Human Rights Council, and the Paris Agreement

  • Drastically reduce US nuclear forces and adopt “no-first use” policy

  • Declare a formal end to the Korean war, support the Korean people and governments in building peace on the peninsula, and ultimately withdraw all U.S. troops from South Korea

  • End support/military aid for nations that commit human rights violations (Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, and the Philippines, for example)

  • Oppose all Israeli settlements and advocate for the immediate end of the occupation

  • Support HR 2407 “Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act”

  • Oppose all anti-free speech legislation that attacks BDS supporters

  • Support international economic policies that promote fair trade and workers’ rights