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Bernie Sanders Talks Foreign Policy
In an interview with Ezra Klein from Vox recently, Bernie, as always, was straightforward about his views on this country's FP and what he believes wrt to what the most important issues are facing not just this country, but the World. He talks about the I/P issue, and the issue he believes is of the utmost importance GLOBALLY, Climate Change.
Bernie Sanders Vox Conversation
Klein's first question was along the lines of 'Do consider yourself to be a realist re FP or a Democratic Socialist?'
Lol, whatever that means. As Bernie pointed out:
Bernie Sanders
I don't know what that means. I trust we're all realists.
Ezra Klein
I'm not sure we are.
Bernie Sanders
I don't know what that word means. Look, here's what I will tell you. When you talk about foreign policy you're talking about many, many things, but maybe the most important thing that you're talking about is war. Voting to go to war is the most difficult decision that any member of Congress has to make. I'll tell you a little bit about my foreign policy history if you like.
I was elected in 1990 to the House. You remember the first Gulf War once Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait? The first Bush was telling us the only alternative was war. The only way we can get them out — you have your whole world united against Saddam Hussein, and President Bush was saying the only way we can get him out is an invasion of that region. I voted no. That was a tough vote, because most people believed that we should go to war.
In 2003 the second Bush told us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, that it was absolutely imperative that we invade Iraq, that our soldiers would come home in six months, that we would establish democracy in Iraq and perhaps the whole region, everything would be wonderful. I didn't believe it, and if you check the speeches I gave on the floor of the House, sadly much of what I said about the destabilizing impact of that invasion turned out to be true.
I'm not a pacifist, and I understand that sometimes you do have to go to war. I think war is the very, very, very last option. In terms of Iran, which is what we're dealing with right now, I applaud the President and I applaud Secretary Kerry for their enormously difficult work of trying to reach out an agreement with the P5+1 in Iran, to try to figure out how we can prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, which to me is an absolute imperative, but you do it in a way that doesn't go to war. I get very nervous listening to many of my Republican colleagues who apparently have learned nothing from the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, and they're ready to go to war again, that's the simple truth.
I am the former chairman of the Senate Veterans Committee. Most people don't know that. People know that we lost 6,700 brave women in Iraq and Afghanistan. They don't know that 500,000 came home with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, and they don't know what that has done to those individuals and to their families. Before you go to war, you explore every other option. That would be the basic tenet of my foreign policy.
I don't know what that means. I trust we're all realists.
Ezra Klein
I'm not sure we are.
Bernie Sanders
I don't know what that word means. Look, here's what I will tell you. When you talk about foreign policy you're talking about many, many things, but maybe the most important thing that you're talking about is war. Voting to go to war is the most difficult decision that any member of Congress has to make. I'll tell you a little bit about my foreign policy history if you like.
I was elected in 1990 to the House. You remember the first Gulf War once Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait? The first Bush was telling us the only alternative was war. The only way we can get them out — you have your whole world united against Saddam Hussein, and President Bush was saying the only way we can get him out is an invasion of that region. I voted no. That was a tough vote, because most people believed that we should go to war.
In 2003 the second Bush told us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, that it was absolutely imperative that we invade Iraq, that our soldiers would come home in six months, that we would establish democracy in Iraq and perhaps the whole region, everything would be wonderful. I didn't believe it, and if you check the speeches I gave on the floor of the House, sadly much of what I said about the destabilizing impact of that invasion turned out to be true.
I'm not a pacifist, and I understand that sometimes you do have to go to war. I think war is the very, very, very last option. In terms of Iran, which is what we're dealing with right now, I applaud the President and I applaud Secretary Kerry for their enormously difficult work of trying to reach out an agreement with the P5+1 in Iran, to try to figure out how we can prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, which to me is an absolute imperative, but you do it in a way that doesn't go to war. I get very nervous listening to many of my Republican colleagues who apparently have learned nothing from the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, and they're ready to go to war again, that's the simple truth.
I am the former chairman of the Senate Veterans Committee. Most people don't know that. People know that we lost 6,700 brave women in Iraq and Afghanistan. They don't know that 500,000 came home with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, and they don't know what that has done to those individuals and to their families. Before you go to war, you explore every other option. That would be the basic tenet of my foreign policy.
I agree, War should be a LAST OPTION. Our current FP has strayed far from that rational approach to one that goes to War For Profit. Thanks Bernie!
On the Israel/Palistinian Issue, Klein opens the discussion with this question:
Ezra Klein
Do you view yourself as a Zionist?
Bernie Sanders
A Zionist? What does that mean? Want to define what the word is? Do I think Israel has the right to exist, yeah, I do. Do I believe that the United States should be playing an even-handed role in terms of its dealings with the Palestinian community in Israel? Absolutely I do.
Again, I think that you have volatile regions in the world, the Middle East is one of them, and the United States has got to work with other countries around the world to fight for Israel's security and existence at the same time as we fight for a Palestinian state where the people in that country can enjoy a decent standard of living, which is certainly not the case right now. My long-term hope is that instead of pouring so much military aid into Israel, into Egypt, we can provide more economic aid to help improve the standard of living of the people in that area.
Do you view yourself as a Zionist?
Bernie Sanders
A Zionist? What does that mean? Want to define what the word is? Do I think Israel has the right to exist, yeah, I do. Do I believe that the United States should be playing an even-handed role in terms of its dealings with the Palestinian community in Israel? Absolutely I do.
Again, I think that you have volatile regions in the world, the Middle East is one of them, and the United States has got to work with other countries around the world to fight for Israel's security and existence at the same time as we fight for a Palestinian state where the people in that country can enjoy a decent standard of living, which is certainly not the case right now. My long-term hope is that instead of pouring so much military aid into Israel, into Egypt, we can provide more economic aid to help improve the standard of living of the people in that area.
And we know that Bernie does not like Netanyahu and refused to attend his sneaky, vile attempt to influence Congress to vote AGAINST the President's efforts for a peaceful agreement with Iran.
Klein then demonstrates WHO the 'REALIST' is and who is not when he asks, what Bernie correctly points out is a HYPOTHESIS, iow, not a reality that Elected Officials need to consider re Iran at the moment.
He asks Bernie if the talks fail, if he would vote for War with Iran! Ezra, stick to what is the reality as Bernie instructs him on. What they are considering right now is the President's efforts to avoid war and that is what he is focused on. Good for you, Bernie!
The question Ezra Klein did NOT ask Bernie but which Bernie raised himself in response to Klein's questions re China outdoing the US economically, iow, ARE they doing so:
Bernie Sanders
No. I should also tell you when you talk about foreign policy, what you didn't ask me, which may be as important an issue as any, is the issue of climate change. If you talk to the CIA, if you talk to the Department of Defense, and I have, what they will tell you is that one of the great security issues facing this planet is the fact that as we see more and more drought, as poor people around the world are unable to grow the food they need to survive, you're going to see migrations of people in international climate.
I happen to believe that when you talk about foreign policy, a the very top of the list is the need for the United States to lead the world, to work with China, work with Russia, work with India in transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy. This is not just an "environmental issue," this is also a global national security issue as well.
No. I should also tell you when you talk about foreign policy, what you didn't ask me, which may be as important an issue as any, is the issue of climate change. If you talk to the CIA, if you talk to the Department of Defense, and I have, what they will tell you is that one of the great security issues facing this planet is the fact that as we see more and more drought, as poor people around the world are unable to grow the food they need to survive, you're going to see migrations of people in international climate.
I happen to believe that when you talk about foreign policy, a the very top of the list is the need for the United States to lead the world, to work with China, work with Russia, work with India in transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy. This is not just an "environmental issue," this is also a global national security issue as well.
Airc, while the Corporate Media was pushing for War in Iraq creating the fear that they were the biggest threat to NS, the reality was the Pentagon listed Climate Change as the #1 Security Threat to this country.
It's worth reading the entire interview.
I posted this because I saw a few comments saying that we don't know much about Bernie on FP. That was a surprise to me, as this one issues alone was enough to cause me to support Bernie Sanders.
He is clearly against our current FPs of going to war for Profit. He didn't believe the lies told by both Bushes and voted against what was at the time the WRONG and UNPATRIOTIC thing to do.
The recent article which made the ludicrous claim that somehow Bernie was a trojan horse working with the 'party' to fool the people or whatever the point was, had zero backup to any of the claims made and deserved the dismissive response it got in the face of the FACTS re Bernie's long record on FP.
To believe that article's ridiculous claims, you would have to believe that even before he entered Politics, 50 years ago, Bernie was programmed for THIS MOMENT whereby he would step in and pretend he had the record he has, or whatever.
Anyhow, his FPs have been consistent with those of most rational people for DECADES.
I have no doubt we would not have gone to war had he been president, unless he was run out of office, very likely, by the War Profiteers.
This man does not want war unless it is in unquestioned defense against an imminent threat to this country.
THAT is why I want him in the WH along with a real, Left/Progressive Congress that will support him in keeping this country out of foreign adventures that benefit only Defense Contractors.
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And...he is already on the record as being against the TPP.
As you say:
I have no doubt we would not have gone to war had he been president, unless he was run out of office, very likely, by the War Profiteers.
This man does not want war unless it is in unquestioned defense against an imminent threat to this country.
THAT is why I want him in the WH along with a real, Left/Progressive Congress that will support him in keeping this country out of foreign adventures that benefit only Defense Contractors.
on the lazy nonsense media cliches they toss around:
Bernie Sanders
I don't know what that means. I trust we're all realists.
Ezra Klein
I'm not sure we are.
Bernie Sanders
I don't know what that word means.
I don't know what that means. I trust we're all realists.
Ezra Klein
I'm not sure we are.
Bernie Sanders
I don't know what that word means.
Exactly. What *does* that mean, Ezra? Sanders does this very well.
