How President Bernie Sanders would handle foreign policy

[mak3cats]

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/how-president-bernie-sanders-would-handle-foreign-127259111076.html

Bernie Sanders, the Independent senator from Vermont, has a special “War and Peace” section on his official website, detailing his views on issues like Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East peace process. Bernie Sanders, the contender for the Democratic presidential nomination … doesn’t.

It’s not that Bernie is hiding his record. When he rolled out his campaign in April, Sanders took a question about where he disagreed with Hillary Clinton. “I voted against the war in Iraq. And not only did I vote against it,” Sanders emphasized, “I helped lead the effort” to defeat the resolution authorizing the use of military force to topple Saddam Hussein. Clinton, of course, lost the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination in part because she voted for the war.

“If he’s going to win this nomination, it’s not going to be on the strength of his foreign policy views. They’re not distinctive enough, even though he is to the left of Hillary Clinton on some of these issues,” explained Matt Dickinson, a political science professor at Middlebury College in Vermont. “That’s not what’s capturing the attention of the base of the Democratic Party.”

The article discusses several foreign policy topics (e.g., the Iran deal, the TPP, Middle East peace), and the author's summary:

The picture that emerges is less that of a firebrand antiwar radical than a pragmatic liberal who regards military force as a second choice in almost any situation — but a choice that sometimes must be made.

More and more press the last few days - it's about time Bernie was taken seriously!

[TBF]

1. There is a good article in Salon -

an interview in which he lays out middle east - he is not a fan of Netanyahu. Wants a 2-state solution.

http://www.salon.com/2015/06/16/bernie_sanders_im_not_a_great_fan_of_benjamin_netanyahu_partner/

[Enthusiast]

2. +1

[eridani]

3. I don't have super high expectations here. Remember where his information--

--about what is happening in the rest of the world will be coming from--some very self-interested entities who profit from perpetual war. Turning that around is a lot like trying to turn a battleship around with an outboard motor.