Why Ocasio-Cortez's Platform is So Great

http://www.counterpunch.org/2018/07/03/why-ocasio-cortezs-platform-is-so-great
Date Written:  2018-07-03
Publisher:  CounterPunch
Year Published:  2018
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX22809

By labeling her foreign policy platform "A Peace Economy," Ocasio-Cortez, using a phrase popular with the peace movement, makes the financial connection without shying away from the immoral and criminal and counter-productive character of war. The fact is that war endangers rather than protecting, erodes rights, militarizes police and society, destroys the natural environment, directly kills and injures and traumatizes and harms millions, and - on top of that - does the most damage through the diversion of resources from where they could do good.

Abstract: 
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Excerpt:

Elizabeth Warren's platform tells us right at the top that some wars are "unavoidable" or in the "national interest." Her top priority is that wars be paid for up-front rather than creating debt. In the next breath she’s bragging about weapons production in Massachusetts. Warren wants war-plus, that is: militarism AND diplomacy. She moves on to support for imperialism in the Pacific and fear-mongering over North Korea, justifying troop presence because of existing troop presence plus "economic interests." Offering hypocritical accusations against China as well as North Korea as examples of her desired "diplomacy," Warren proposes militarism plus diplomacy plus sanctions (a very diplomatic tool, don’t you know) as the three-part answer.

Warren jumps to pushing Russiagate propaganda, declaring that Russia "hacked" Democratic party emails revealing the DNC's slanting of its primaries against Bernie Sanders (although she doesn’t mention that that is what they revealed) and declaring this action to be (1) fact because "intelligence" agencies say so, and (2) an "attack." But before you can take in the WWIII significance, Warren is on to demonizing Iran and backing deadly sanctions there, and supporting U.S. wars in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. Despite massive public pressure to improve, Warren's position on Palestine remains pathetic and delusional, including imagining that some geographic location remains for a second state in a two-state "solution."

To her credit, Warren supports concrete steps to reduce nuclear weapons. But she concludes her platform with more unproven and hypocritical accusations against Russia and the very dangerous and reckless leveling of threats against anyone engaged in "cyberattacks."