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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) speaks during a rally to express solidarity with immigrants and refugees hosted by MoveOn, United We Dream, Families Belong Together, and Popular Democracy near Union Station on May 16, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
Ilhan Omar to President-elect Biden: Seize 'Once-in-a-Generation' Chance to End Disastrous US Foreign Policy
In an op-ed at The Nation, the Minnesota Democrat explains how the Biden White House can forge a path "toward justice."
Nov 19, 2020
Rep. Ilhan Omar on Friday urged President-elect Joe Biden to seize the "tremendous opportunity" he'll have to shift the nation's foreign policy in the Middle East and depart from the approach taken by President Donald Trump, who's "made armed conflict more instead of less likely."
The Minnesota Democrat laid out her plea for a "renewed vision" in an op-ed published at The Nation.
\u201cWe have an opportunity to reorient our foreign policy away from shortsighted military alliances and toward justice. \n\nWe can create an America that means what it says when we claim to stand for human rights and democracy.\n\nRead my op-ed in @thenation: https://t.co/JCXoGxuXpi\u201d— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Rep. Ilhan Omar) 1605887363
Cataloguing what she framed as the current administration's numerous foreign policy mistakes with regard to Iran, Omar listed Trump's departure from the nuclear deal, the assassination of Gen. Qasem Soleimani, and escalating economic sanctions.
Omar also took issue with Trump's relationships with some of the world's "most notorious human rights abusers," including Saudi Arabia. She further pointed to the fact that the kingdom is using U.S. weapons to bomb Yemeni civilians.
Also coming in for criticism are the recently brokered purported peace deals with nations including Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Omar said such deals are truly aimed at beefing up the military threat targeting Iran, all while further normalizing Israel's occupation of Palestine.
Biden can embark on a new course that includes holding all human rights abusers to account and backing the call for two-state solution, wrote Omar.
In short, said Omar, "we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reorient our foreign policy away from shortsighted military alliances and toward justice."
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Rep. Ilhan Omar on Friday urged President-elect Joe Biden to seize the "tremendous opportunity" he'll have to shift the nation's foreign policy in the Middle East and depart from the approach taken by President Donald Trump, who's "made armed conflict more instead of less likely."
The Minnesota Democrat laid out her plea for a "renewed vision" in an op-ed published at The Nation.
\u201cWe have an opportunity to reorient our foreign policy away from shortsighted military alliances and toward justice. \n\nWe can create an America that means what it says when we claim to stand for human rights and democracy.\n\nRead my op-ed in @thenation: https://t.co/JCXoGxuXpi\u201d— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Rep. Ilhan Omar) 1605887363
Cataloguing what she framed as the current administration's numerous foreign policy mistakes with regard to Iran, Omar listed Trump's departure from the nuclear deal, the assassination of Gen. Qasem Soleimani, and escalating economic sanctions.
Omar also took issue with Trump's relationships with some of the world's "most notorious human rights abusers," including Saudi Arabia. She further pointed to the fact that the kingdom is using U.S. weapons to bomb Yemeni civilians.
Also coming in for criticism are the recently brokered purported peace deals with nations including Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Omar said such deals are truly aimed at beefing up the military threat targeting Iran, all while further normalizing Israel's occupation of Palestine.
Biden can embark on a new course that includes holding all human rights abusers to account and backing the call for two-state solution, wrote Omar.
In short, said Omar, "we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reorient our foreign policy away from shortsighted military alliances and toward justice."
Rep. Ilhan Omar on Friday urged President-elect Joe Biden to seize the "tremendous opportunity" he'll have to shift the nation's foreign policy in the Middle East and depart from the approach taken by President Donald Trump, who's "made armed conflict more instead of less likely."
The Minnesota Democrat laid out her plea for a "renewed vision" in an op-ed published at The Nation.
\u201cWe have an opportunity to reorient our foreign policy away from shortsighted military alliances and toward justice. \n\nWe can create an America that means what it says when we claim to stand for human rights and democracy.\n\nRead my op-ed in @thenation: https://t.co/JCXoGxuXpi\u201d— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Rep. Ilhan Omar) 1605887363
Cataloguing what she framed as the current administration's numerous foreign policy mistakes with regard to Iran, Omar listed Trump's departure from the nuclear deal, the assassination of Gen. Qasem Soleimani, and escalating economic sanctions.
Omar also took issue with Trump's relationships with some of the world's "most notorious human rights abusers," including Saudi Arabia. She further pointed to the fact that the kingdom is using U.S. weapons to bomb Yemeni civilians.
Also coming in for criticism are the recently brokered purported peace deals with nations including Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Omar said such deals are truly aimed at beefing up the military threat targeting Iran, all while further normalizing Israel's occupation of Palestine.
Biden can embark on a new course that includes holding all human rights abusers to account and backing the call for two-state solution, wrote Omar.
In short, said Omar, "we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reorient our foreign policy away from shortsighted military alliances and toward justice."
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