The results of US foreign policies harmed its position and undermined its declared values, and its consequences were disastrous for the (French) working class.
Independent US Senator Bernie Sanders called for a revolution in his country's foreign policy based on replacing what he calls greed, militarism and hypocrisy with solidarity, diplomacy and human rights.
He said that an unfortunate truth about Washington policy is that some of the most important issues facing the United States and the world are rarely seriously discussed.
In his view, this is most true of American foreign policy.
He lamented that the consensus between the two major parties, Democratic and Republican, on foreign issues, for many decades, was often a false consensus, whether it came to the wars that the United States fought in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, or its efforts to overthrow democratic governments around the world, or Its “disastrous” trade initiatives, such as joining the North American Free Trade Agreement and establishing permanent normal trade relations with China.
Damage to status and undermine values
Sanders saw - in an article in Foreign Affairs magazine - that the results that resulted from these policies often harmed the standing of the United States in the world, undermined its declared values, and had dire consequences for the American working class.
He added that this pattern continues today.
He cited as an example the United States' defense, "almost alone" in the world, of the "extremist" right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which he said was waging a comprehensive war of destruction against the Palestinian people, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands - including thousands of children - and caused starvation. Hundreds of thousands more in the Gaza Strip.
In the context of spreading fear of the danger posed by China and the continued growth of its military industry, it is easy to see that the speeches and decisions of American leaders in both parties are often guided not by standards of respect for democracy or human rights, but by militarism, groupthink, and greed. And the power of corporate interests, Sanders said.
Sanders stressed the need for Washington to reduce its excess military spending (Al Jazeera)
Increasing isolation even among its allies
For this reason - Sanders adds - the United States has become increasingly isolated, not only from the poorer countries in the developing world, but also from many of its old allies in the industrialized world.
In his article, the congressman believes that the time has come to radically redirect American foreign policy after all these failures, adding that this begins with acknowledging the failure of the two-party consensus in the post-World War II era, and formulating a new vision that focuses on human rights, multilateralism, and international solidarity.
He blamed politicians in the Democratic and Republican parties, who have long used intimidation and blatant lying to involve the United States in “tragic and unwinnable” foreign military conflicts, such as those fought by President Richard Nixon in Vietnam and Cambodia, which have greatly damaged its credibility abroad and at home.
Repetition of errors
According to the article, Washington has repeated many of these mistakes, especially after the attacks of September 11, 2001, when President George W. Bush mobilized nearly a million American soldiers and more than $8 trillion to wage a “global war on terrorism” and “disastrous” wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Iraq war was not an exceptional case, according to Sanders. In his opinion, America practiced torture, detained people illegally, and kidnapped suspects all over the world and placed them in the Guantanamo detention center in Cuba and other prisons run by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The congressman described American policy towards China as another example of the failure of collective thinking in foreign policy, and it has become its "new bogeyman," stressing the need for Beijing to be held accountable for its human rights violations.
The United States has become increasingly isolated, not only from the poorer countries in the developing world, but also from its allies (Reuters)
Supporting tyrants in the world
He goes on to say that America's military adventures and Washington's "hypocritical" support for tyrants in the world have backfired, as has the international trade agreements it concluded in recent decades with some countries.
If the goal of foreign policy is to help create a peaceful and prosperous world, then the foreign policy establishment must radically reconsider its assessments, as the article put it.
The writer advised that the United States lead a new global movement based on human solidarity and dealing with the needs of “struggling” peoples.
The power of corporations and billionaires
He claimed that economic policy is the engine of foreign policy, citing the control of rich companies and billionaires over the economic and political systems in the United States, which makes foreign policy decisions guided by the material interests of those companies and the wealthy, at the expense of the interests of the vast majority of the world’s population.
He stressed the need for Washington to reduce its excess military spending, call on other countries to follow suit, and stop undermining international institutions - such as the United Nations and its agencies - when their decisions do not align with its short-term political interests.
He advised his country to join the International Criminal Court "instead of attacking it when it does not like its rulings."
He concluded that the benefits of this shift in foreign policy far outweigh its costs.
More importantly - in his estimation - is that America realizes that its greatest strength does not derive from its wealth and military power, but rather lies in the values of freedom and democracy.
Source: Foreign Affairs