<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:inherit;
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Arial Black";
panose-1:2 11 10 4 2 1 2 2 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
h1
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.uficommentbody
{mso-style-name:uficommentbody;}
span.Heading1Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1";
font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
color:#2E74B5;}
span.fa
{mso-style-name:fa;}
span.comment-count
{mso-style-name:comment-count;}
span.EmailStyle22
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;
color:#1F497D;
font-weight:bold;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:1752311786;
mso-list-template-ids:-751027750;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Yeah, Carl is right.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Nothing has changed<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Democrats versus Republicans<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Tweedledumb versus Tweedlegreed<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Plus ca change….<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Fab<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Francis A. Boyle<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Law Building<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Champaign, IL 61820 USA<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">217-333-7954 (phone)<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">217-244-1478 (fax)<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><u><span style="font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">(personal comments only)<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Peace [mailto:peace-bounces@lists.chambana.net]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Karen Aram via Peace<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, June 15, 2017 8:11 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> Karen Aram <karenaram@hotmail.com><br>
<b>Cc:</b> peace <peace@lists.chambana.net>; peace-discuss <peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Peace] Democrats Foreign Policy Vision?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">I had a point in posting this article from Common Dreams, which I rarely read anymore, but the lies contained within aren’t worth the trouble disputing. Carl Estabrook disputed one below: Others I have commented
on FB, such as the lie in relation to the Syrian government being responsible for the gas attacks on their own people, a statement I missed, also any suggestion that the Democratic Party has moved to the left, is ridiculous of course, given they have moved
to the right over the years. So please ignore this article, and chalk it up to my foggy glasses when reading it.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">On Jun 15, 2017, at 03:59, Karen Aram <<a href="mailto:karenaram@hotmail.com">karenaram@hotmail.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1D2129;letter-spacing:-.2pt;background:#F6F7F9"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/cgestabrook"><b><span style="font-family:"inherit",serif;color:#365899;text-decoration:none">Carl
G. Estabrook</span></b></a> </span><span class="uficommentbody"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"inherit",serif;color:#1D2129;letter-spacing:-.2pt;background:#F6F7F9">Nonsense. Democrats (and Republicans) have a progressive [sic] foreign policy vision,
as the State Department pointed out years ago: </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"inherit",serif;color:#1D2129;letter-spacing:-.2pt;background:#F6F7F9"><br>
<br>
<span class="uficommentbody">"...we have about 50% of the world’s wealth but only 6.3% of its population. This disparity is particularly great as between ourselves and the peoples of Asia. In this situation, we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment.
Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which will permit us to maintain this position of disparity without positive detriment to our national security. To do so, we will have to dispense with all sentimentality and day-dreaming;
and our attention will have to be concentrated everywhere on our immediate national objectives. We need not deceive ourselves that we can afford today the luxury of altruism and world-benefaction."</span><br>
</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1D2129;letter-spacing:-.2pt;background:#F6F7F9">—<br>
Report by the Policy Planning Staff | top secret | February 24, 1948 | PPS/23</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">On Jun 14, 2017, at 18:26, Karen Aram via Peace <<a href="mailto:peace@lists.chambana.net">peace@lists.chambana.net</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<h1 style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;margin-left:.5in;mso-line-height-alt:12.0pt">
<span style="font-size:27.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#336699">Democrats Don’t Have a Progressive Foreign Policy Vision. And They Need One<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<div style="margin-bottom:15.0pt;box-sizing: border-box" id="field-wrapper-authors">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-line-height-alt:7.5pt;vertical-align:middle">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">by<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-line-height-alt:7.5pt;vertical-align:middle">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333"><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/author/evan-popp" target="_blank"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">Evan Popp</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom:7.5pt;box-sizing: border-box;display:inline-block;zoom: 1" id="shr_canvas2">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;vertical-align:middle">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#333333"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;vertical-align:middle">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#333333"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;vertical-align:middle">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#333333"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;vertical-align:middle">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#333333"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;vertical-align:middle">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#333333"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;vertical-align:middle">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#333333"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;vertical-align:middle">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#333333"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-line-height-alt:12.75pt;background:#999999">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:white"><a href="https://commons.commondreams.org/t/democrats-don-t-have-a-progressive-foreign-policy-vision-and-they-need-one/42449" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:white;text-decoration:none"> <span class="comment-count">13</span> Comments</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333"><img border="0" width="955" height="500" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_large/public/views-article/afghanistan_12.jpeg?itok=orFzF4Sd"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;background:#F0F0F0"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">President Barack Obama waves at the conclusion of his remarks to U.S. troops at Bagram Airfield in Bagram, Afghanistan,
Sunday, May 25, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">Former President Barack Obama once <a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/06/04/obamas-dont-do-stupid-shit-foreign-policy/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">articulated</span></a> his
vision of foreign policy as not doing “stupid shit.” By this he meant not putting boots on the ground in long-term, unwinnable wars. What this vision didn’t include was ending those wars or pursuing a progressive foreign policy based on peace and diplomacy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">Obama’s Democratic Party has not advanced far past this vision since the end of his time in office. While the party has moved to the left on many domestic issues, and emerged as an
effective counterbalance to the meanness and incoherence of Donald Trump, many Democrats remain wedded to Obama’s foreign policy legacy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">This is the one area in which Trump has managed to win bipartisan support. He does not deserve it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">For example, last week <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/at-least-12-people-killed-after-airstrikes-in-syria-1.3109195"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">airstrikes
in Syria</span></a> by a U.S.-led coalition killed at least 12 people, including women and children. The response from Democrats in Congress: radio silence.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-position: normal;font-variant-numeric: normal;font-variant-alternates: normal;font-variant-east-asian: normal;float:right">
<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;text-align:right;line-height:18.0pt;box-sizing: border-box">
<b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#111111">Former President Barack Obama once articulated his vision of foreign policy as not doing “stupid shit,” but his vision didn’t include a progressive foreign policy based on peace
and diplomacy.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">Even worse, consider the Democrats’ reaction to Trump’s April airstrike in Syria after the Syrian government’s horrific use of chemical weapons on its own people. Critics <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/president-trumps-syria-strike-was-unconstitutional-and-unwise/522228/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">slammed</span></a> Trump
for bypassing Congress, arguing that the airstrike was unconstitutional and didn’t solve any of the underlying issues in Syria.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">But twenty-nine Democratic Senators <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-clear-majority-of-senators-support-trumps-syria-airstrike/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">supported</span></a> the
strike; only <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-clear-majority-of-senators-support-trumps-syria-airstrike/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">five</span></a> opposed it. In addition, a number of Democratic leaders in the House <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/lawmakers-praise-and-condemn-us-airstrikes-against-syria"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">praised</span></a> the
strike.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">Beyond their support for the Syrian airstrike, top Democrats have disappointing records on issues of war and peace. Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer is a leading <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/un-israel-vote-mitch-mcconnell-chuck-schumer-233186"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">supporter</span></a> of
Israel, despite its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory. Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi also has a history of hawkishness in the Middle East, as <a href="http://www.ips-dc.org/pelosi_the_hawk/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">documented</span></a> by
the <a href="https://www.ips-dc.org/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">Institute for Policy Studies</span></a>. And Hillary Clinton, the Democratic standard bearer in the 2016 presidential election, promoted <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/14401-hillary-clintons-legacy-as-secretary-of-state"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">militaristic
solutions</span></a> to international issues as Secretary of State, as well as during her campaign for President.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">Even Democrats like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders have failed to articulate a progressive foreign policy. During his presidential campaign, Sanders’s main foreign policy talking point
was his vote against the war in Iraq. While he was less hawkish overall than Clinton, Sanders didn’t <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/bernie-sanders-wouldnt-end-obama-s-drone-program-promises-to-use-it-very-selectively-16aca710a8e6"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">rule
out</span></a> continuing Obama’s drone program that has <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/the-obama-administrations-drone-strike-dissembling/473541/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">killed</span></a> thousands
of civilians.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the women-led peace group <a href="http://www.codepink.org/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">CODEPINK</span></a>, tells <em><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The
Progressive </span></em>that Democrats “have a foreign policy message that is pretty much a continuation of what George Bush had and Obama followed. It’s hard for them to challenge Donald Trump because they have a vision that’s quite similar. I think that
the Democrats are really a war party, just like the Republicans are.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">There are individual Democrats whose foreign policy is less hawkish. Representative Barbara Lee of California, for example, has consistently opposed war. Lee, the only member of Congress
to <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/09/the-vindication-of-barbara-lee/380084/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">vote</span></a> against the post 9/11 authorization of military force, has <a href="https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-responds-to-president-obamas-call-for-aumf-repeal-introduces-legislation-creating-greater-oversight-of-drones"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">spoken
out</span></a>against Obama’s aggressive use of drone strikes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">And Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut has called for a <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/03/chris-murphy-donald-trump-progressive-foreign-policy/518820/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">de-emphasis</span></a> of
American military force and slammed the proposed $110 billion <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/murphy-saudi-arabia-arms-weapons/2017/05/20/id/791355/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">arms deal</span></a> with Saudi Arabia, which is <a href="http://hir.harvard.edu/article/?a=14490"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">using</span></a> U.S.
weapons in its brutal war against Yemen. But Murphy also <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/03/chris-murphy-donald-trump-progressive-foreign-policy/518820/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">opposes</span></a> cuts
to the United States’ bloated military budget, which is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-us-military-spends-its-billions-2015-8"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">larger</span></a> than the next seven highest spending countries
combined.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">Norman Solomon, author of the book “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death” and co-founder of the group <a href="http://rootsaction.org/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">RootsAction</span></a>,
tells <em><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The Progressive </span></em>that Democrats would likely gain politically if they had a more forward-looking foreign policy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="block-inject-4">
<div id="block-block-48">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333"><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/in-a-word" target="_blank"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="690" height="235" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/users/user18439/essentials-mid-content.png" alt="A free and independent press is essential to the health of a functioning democracy"></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">“The Democratic Party base is more skeptical of and opposed to the warfare state than most Democrats in the House and Senate,” he argues.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">Polls back him up. A 2017 <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-news-poll-shows-divergence-in-americans-opinion-of-us-strike-vs-syria/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">survey</span></a> found
more than half of Democratic voters disapproved of Trump’s airstrike in Syria. In addition, a 2016 <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/defense/272323-survey-american-voters-would-cut-defense-spending-by-at-least-12b"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">poll</span></a> showed
that a majority of Democrats would support cutting the defense budget by $36 billion.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-position: normal;font-variant-numeric: normal;font-variant-alternates: normal;font-variant-east-asian: normal;float:right">
<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;text-align:right;line-height:18.0pt;box-sizing: border-box">
<b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#111111">“The Democratic Party base is more skeptical of and opposed to the warfare state than most Democrats in the House and Senate.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">Paul Kawika Martin, senior director of policy and political affairs at <a href="http://www.peace-action.org/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">Peace Action</span></a>,
tells <em><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The Progressive</span></em> that one problem with Democratic foreign policy is that many lawmakers were previously on city councils or were members of state legislatures and didn’t have to deal with foreign
affairs. He says when they get to Congress, lawmakers often follow the Democratic leadership on foreign policy votes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">Martin says there needs to be a focus on educating lawmakers about foreign policy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">“It’s important that Democrats think about foreign policy and find a good position,” he says. “They need to take some ownership for their positions and not fall into the trap where
they feel like they have to react to things with force all the time.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">With terror attacks on the rise and fears growing over ISIS, the temptation to pursue military strategies will only grow. As the opposition party, Democrats need an alternative foreign
policy based on international diplomacy and the pursuit of peace, rather than the same warmongering strategies that <a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2017/6/5/lawyer_for_tortured_detainees_us_created"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">create</span></a> terrorist
organizations like ISIS.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">If the Democrats regain power in Congress and the White House, it’s important they have a foreign policy that breaks from the Bush-Obama-Trump continuum of endless war.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">But what would such a foreign policy look like? Along with ending the war in Afghanistan, CODEPINK’s Benjamin says it would mean challenging the Pentagon on its extreme budget as well
as stopping weapons deals with oppressive regimes like Israel and Saudi Arabia. Democrats appear to be taking a step forward on that front, with the majority <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/08/trump-senate-saudi-arabia-arms-239259"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">opposing</span></a> an
arms deal with Saudi Arabia.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">Phyllis Bennis, director of the <a href="https://www.ips-dc.org/new-internationalism/"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none">New Internationalism Project</span></a> at the
Institute for Policy Studies, tells <em><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The Progressive </span></em>that forward-thinking foreign policy also has to rely on negotiations rather than violence.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">“If you look at Obama’s foreign policy successes like the Paris climate deal, the move toward normalcy in Cuba and most of all the Iran nuclear deal, they were all examples of the victory
of diplomacy over war,” she says, adding that Obama’s foreign policy failures in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Somalia were instances when war trumped diplomacy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">However, Bennis says the peace movement will have to pressure Democrats to move toward a progressive foreign policy. They won’t do it themselves, she argues.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in;box-sizing: border-box">
<span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">“The Democrats are never going to lead the progressive movement,” Bennis says. “The movements lead and demand of the Democratic Party that if they want support from the most mobilized,
most conscious, and most committed component of their base, they damn well better include a progressive foreign policy vision.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-top:7.5pt;margin-bottom:7.5pt;box-sizing: border-box" id="field-wrapper-copyright-cond">
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:8.0pt 0in 0in 0in;box-sizing: border-box">
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:center"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">© 2016 The Progressive<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-top:37.5pt;margin-bottom:37.5pt;box-sizing: border-box">
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom:7.5pt;box-sizing: border-box">
<div id="cdreams-profile-10561">
<div>
<div style="margin-top:3.0pt;margin-right:9.0pt;margin-bottom:7.5pt;box-sizing: border-box;float:left">
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333"><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/author/evan-popp"><span style="color:#336699;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="65" height="65" id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_bio_small/public/authors/popp.jpg?itok=NbTRQODk"></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:.5in">
<em><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333">Evan Popp is a journalism student at Ithaca College currently interning at the Institute for Public Accuracy.</span></em><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">_______________________________________________<br>
Peace mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Peace@lists.chambana.net">Peace@lists.chambana.net</a><br>
<a href="https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace">https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>