SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"Far too often, American intervention and the use of American military power has produced unintended consequences which have caused incalculable harm," the senator warned. "A heavy-handed military approach, with little transparency or accountability, doesn't enhance our security. It makes the problem worse."
(Photo: Flickr/ Debra Sweet)
Bernie Sanders Thinks War Is Overrated, And He's Right
The Vermont senator says it's time to get rid of the idea that the only “serious” solutions to international problems involve the military.
Sep 27, 2017
When Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was a candidate for president, he seemed uninterested in talking about foreign policy.
Instead, Sanders cast himself as a progressive populist and focused almost exclusively on domestic issues, particularly speaking out against the injustice of economic policies that support the wealthy.
A quick check of Sanders' campaign website reveals that his foreign policy leaned liberal but was far from radical.
He preferred diplomacy to war (don't we all?), but he voted to authorize the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11. His website says he supported the war on terror, but whether that meant the unrestrained use of drones and missiles all over the world, he didn't say.
On September 21, Sanders got around to addressing his foreign policy ideas in a significant speech at Westminster College in Missouri. The Nation hailed it as "one of the finest speeches of his career" and "the progressive foreign policy speech we've been waiting for."
The crux of Sanders' speech was that war as foreign policy has long been overrated.
"Far too often, American intervention and the use of American military power has produced unintended consequences which have caused incalculable harm," the senator warned. "A heavy-handed military approach, with little transparency or accountability, doesn't enhance our security. It makes the problem worse."
He continued: "We must rethink the old Washington mindset that judges 'seriousness' according to the willingness to use force. One of the key misapprehensions of this mindset is the idea that military force is decisive in a way that diplomacy is not."
Not a pacifist, Sanders said that war is properly the means of "last resort," which is what most politicians say, including President Trump. Unfortunately, this "last resort" mantra often leads, eventually, to war somewhere -- often in the name of a humanitarian or patriotic motive.
Was our invasion of Afghanistan, which Sanders voted in favor of, an instance of having no choice but to bomb and invade a foreign country after 9/11? Was there no choice but to kill many innocent Afghans in order to exact revenge against a relatively small number of terrorists? So far we've been in Afghanistan, as a "last resort," for 16 years.
Sanders also spoke recently to The Intercept. One unfortunate question referred back to a Glenn Greenwald column that argues Hillary Clinton lost the election partly through her support of U.S. military interventions. The journalist asked Sanders whether he agreed with Greenwald.
Bernie deftly ducked the question, and I don't blame him: Greenwald, citing a single study, argues that Trump was perceived as being less of a warmonger than Clinton, therefore military families supported Trump. This is, to say the least, an implausible assertion, given Trump's own vocal celebrations of torture and bombing.
Sanders said he would support a war of defense should the U.S. be attacked, and that he believes genocide should be dealt with through an armed international "peacekeeping" force.
Sanders also bravely asserted that he would consider voting against U.S. military aid to Israel and lambasted the repressive regime in Saudi Arabia, which is now waging a brutal war funded by the U.S. in Yemen.
Elsewhere, the Vermont senator wants to preserve the nuclear treaty with Iran and stay the course of sanctions and diplomacy regarding North Korea. Sanders now sees the endless "war on terror" as a mistake and deplores the recent increases in Pentagon spending.
Though not, alas, a pacifist, Sanders has at last revealed himself to be an American leader articulating a new and largely peaceable foreign policy. And, given our current president's bombastic bellicosity, Sanders' speaking his peace comes not a moment too soon.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This column was distributed by OtherWords.
When Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was a candidate for president, he seemed uninterested in talking about foreign policy.
Instead, Sanders cast himself as a progressive populist and focused almost exclusively on domestic issues, particularly speaking out against the injustice of economic policies that support the wealthy.
A quick check of Sanders' campaign website reveals that his foreign policy leaned liberal but was far from radical.
He preferred diplomacy to war (don't we all?), but he voted to authorize the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11. His website says he supported the war on terror, but whether that meant the unrestrained use of drones and missiles all over the world, he didn't say.
On September 21, Sanders got around to addressing his foreign policy ideas in a significant speech at Westminster College in Missouri. The Nation hailed it as "one of the finest speeches of his career" and "the progressive foreign policy speech we've been waiting for."
The crux of Sanders' speech was that war as foreign policy has long been overrated.
"Far too often, American intervention and the use of American military power has produced unintended consequences which have caused incalculable harm," the senator warned. "A heavy-handed military approach, with little transparency or accountability, doesn't enhance our security. It makes the problem worse."
He continued: "We must rethink the old Washington mindset that judges 'seriousness' according to the willingness to use force. One of the key misapprehensions of this mindset is the idea that military force is decisive in a way that diplomacy is not."
Not a pacifist, Sanders said that war is properly the means of "last resort," which is what most politicians say, including President Trump. Unfortunately, this "last resort" mantra often leads, eventually, to war somewhere -- often in the name of a humanitarian or patriotic motive.
Was our invasion of Afghanistan, which Sanders voted in favor of, an instance of having no choice but to bomb and invade a foreign country after 9/11? Was there no choice but to kill many innocent Afghans in order to exact revenge against a relatively small number of terrorists? So far we've been in Afghanistan, as a "last resort," for 16 years.
Sanders also spoke recently to The Intercept. One unfortunate question referred back to a Glenn Greenwald column that argues Hillary Clinton lost the election partly through her support of U.S. military interventions. The journalist asked Sanders whether he agreed with Greenwald.
Bernie deftly ducked the question, and I don't blame him: Greenwald, citing a single study, argues that Trump was perceived as being less of a warmonger than Clinton, therefore military families supported Trump. This is, to say the least, an implausible assertion, given Trump's own vocal celebrations of torture and bombing.
Sanders said he would support a war of defense should the U.S. be attacked, and that he believes genocide should be dealt with through an armed international "peacekeeping" force.
Sanders also bravely asserted that he would consider voting against U.S. military aid to Israel and lambasted the repressive regime in Saudi Arabia, which is now waging a brutal war funded by the U.S. in Yemen.
Elsewhere, the Vermont senator wants to preserve the nuclear treaty with Iran and stay the course of sanctions and diplomacy regarding North Korea. Sanders now sees the endless "war on terror" as a mistake and deplores the recent increases in Pentagon spending.
Though not, alas, a pacifist, Sanders has at last revealed himself to be an American leader articulating a new and largely peaceable foreign policy. And, given our current president's bombastic bellicosity, Sanders' speaking his peace comes not a moment too soon.
When Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was a candidate for president, he seemed uninterested in talking about foreign policy.
Instead, Sanders cast himself as a progressive populist and focused almost exclusively on domestic issues, particularly speaking out against the injustice of economic policies that support the wealthy.
A quick check of Sanders' campaign website reveals that his foreign policy leaned liberal but was far from radical.
He preferred diplomacy to war (don't we all?), but he voted to authorize the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11. His website says he supported the war on terror, but whether that meant the unrestrained use of drones and missiles all over the world, he didn't say.
On September 21, Sanders got around to addressing his foreign policy ideas in a significant speech at Westminster College in Missouri. The Nation hailed it as "one of the finest speeches of his career" and "the progressive foreign policy speech we've been waiting for."
The crux of Sanders' speech was that war as foreign policy has long been overrated.
"Far too often, American intervention and the use of American military power has produced unintended consequences which have caused incalculable harm," the senator warned. "A heavy-handed military approach, with little transparency or accountability, doesn't enhance our security. It makes the problem worse."
He continued: "We must rethink the old Washington mindset that judges 'seriousness' according to the willingness to use force. One of the key misapprehensions of this mindset is the idea that military force is decisive in a way that diplomacy is not."
Not a pacifist, Sanders said that war is properly the means of "last resort," which is what most politicians say, including President Trump. Unfortunately, this "last resort" mantra often leads, eventually, to war somewhere -- often in the name of a humanitarian or patriotic motive.
Was our invasion of Afghanistan, which Sanders voted in favor of, an instance of having no choice but to bomb and invade a foreign country after 9/11? Was there no choice but to kill many innocent Afghans in order to exact revenge against a relatively small number of terrorists? So far we've been in Afghanistan, as a "last resort," for 16 years.
Sanders also spoke recently to The Intercept. One unfortunate question referred back to a Glenn Greenwald column that argues Hillary Clinton lost the election partly through her support of U.S. military interventions. The journalist asked Sanders whether he agreed with Greenwald.
Bernie deftly ducked the question, and I don't blame him: Greenwald, citing a single study, argues that Trump was perceived as being less of a warmonger than Clinton, therefore military families supported Trump. This is, to say the least, an implausible assertion, given Trump's own vocal celebrations of torture and bombing.
Sanders said he would support a war of defense should the U.S. be attacked, and that he believes genocide should be dealt with through an armed international "peacekeeping" force.
Sanders also bravely asserted that he would consider voting against U.S. military aid to Israel and lambasted the repressive regime in Saudi Arabia, which is now waging a brutal war funded by the U.S. in Yemen.
Elsewhere, the Vermont senator wants to preserve the nuclear treaty with Iran and stay the course of sanctions and diplomacy regarding North Korea. Sanders now sees the endless "war on terror" as a mistake and deplores the recent increases in Pentagon spending.
Though not, alas, a pacifist, Sanders has at last revealed himself to be an American leader articulating a new and largely peaceable foreign policy. And, given our current president's bombastic bellicosity, Sanders' speaking his peace comes not a moment too soon.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy