In the legislative battlefields of the House and Senate I believe in a no holds-barred fight, to advocate for, and to pass legislation that is overwhelmingly popular with the people. I am not interested in using process as an excuse for why we cannot get things done, I am interested in our leaders finding solutions and getting results in spite of process with creative solutions and grit. It is tragic that the Democrats do not share this attitude, and even more-so, that the American people are so desperate they will probably be relieved just to get the crumbs.
As we move from domestic, to international politics, excuses of process from the Biden administration become even weaker. Presidents have great latitude in their international relations, with a plethora of policies which can be advanced in spite of Republican or Democratic intransigence. America is an Empire, perhaps an Empire in decline, but the reality is we still use military might and power to consistently exert control over many areas of the world, and the President leads it. Recently this has been pursued through drone warfare, military bases around the world, and troops on the ground in hot zones, but rarely through diplomacy.
Fortunately, there do seem to be signs that the Biden administration is at least partly charting a new course. They have quietly stopped most drone bombings, and are pulling back aid for the Saudi war in Yemen and signed an extension on nuclear arms proliferation with Russia. This sort of behavior must be encouraged, so that our foreign policy begins to listen to the American people. We must not take for granted, however, that Biden will continue down this promising path. Already he is balking at re-entering the Iran Nuclear Deal without a show of deference from the Iranians, he is refusing to hold MBS accountable, despite releasing reports admitting he ordered the murder of Khashoggi. Even more worryingly, as China begins to become more powerful and extricate itself from the total grip of control that America has exerted on the world, in other worlds, as the world moves from a mono power to a multi power system, the aggressive rhetoric against China has increased on both the right and the left. This is exactly what the military industrial complex needs to ramp up further military spending, a conflict between great powers. You don’t need nuclear weapons to fight terrorists in guerilla warfare, but the more warlike members of our military and even of our political class argue that such devices of death and destruction are needed to combat a force like China. The American people disagrees when it comes to nuclear weapons. Should the U.S. ever use nuclear weapons again? Never/Only in Retaliation - 77% Limited Other Circumstances - 21% The American people are clear, they do not want to use nuclear weapons, for many not under any circumstances. For decades we may have assumed the time of nuclear weapons was over, and these treaties, and policies were merely academic exercises, but unfortunately, Trump and the Republicans proved that while we might have gotten lucky so far, the danger is far from over. The Trump administration managed to undermine a huge percentage of our nuclear weapons treaties during his time in office, and we all know it is easier to maintain than to create anew. It will be important for the Biden administration to push vigorously for new, de-escalatory mechanisms, having the US take the first steps if necessary, in order to get the world back on the right track. So while the legislative branch is tied up with slow moving legislation, Joe Biden can do many things via executive actions and one of the most important, and most powerfully life protecting, would be reengaging America's commitment towards not using nuclear weapons, and to begin real substantive work towards nuclear disarmament. We can live in a world without the existential fear of nuclear annihilation, only facing the single existential threat of the climate crisis. At this new juncture we must encourage our government to actually exercise to use its power to avoid catastrophe, and choose to invest in America instead of destruction. This type of existential threat should be acceptable even for the donors, other than defense contractors, since no one makes money in a world obliterated by nuclear Armageddon. The people know that this is right and it should be imminently possible to move to a safer world, without the threat of nuclear. The only reason it won’t happen is short sighted politician choose the military industrial complex money over the people. To make sure they make the right choice we must organize, and build our economic power. Join us each Tuesday as we work to create a safer and more humane world for all people. Don't Shop on Tuesdays!
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