Perry O'Brien

WE NEED A NEW FOREIGN POLICY. Amidst the fiasco of the war in Iran, Americans need to rethink the very foundations of our foreign policy and how we go forward in a very different direction — a direction which focuses on peace, democracy and economic and social justice. Let us not forget: The war in Vietnam was based on a lie. In that war over 58,000 Americans died, hundreds of thousands were wounded and millions of Vietnamese civilians lost their lives. The war in Iraq was based on a lie. In that war 4,492 Americans died, tens of thousands were wounded and hundreds of thousands Iraqi civilians lost their lives. The current war in Iran was based on a lie. In this war 14 Americans have been killed, hundreds have been wounded and up to ten thousand civilians in the region have lost their lives. Meanwhile, with 60% of our people living paycheck to paycheck, we have a military budget of over one trillion dollars — much of it going to the extremely profitable military-industrial complex. In terms of the Middle East, here are our major allies: Israel: a nation, now controlled by right-wing extremists, which has committed genocide in Gaza, plotted with Trump to start the illegal and unconstitutional war in Iran, and is now actively obstructing a meaningful pathway towards peace as it continues to attack Lebanon’s civilian population. Saudi Arabia: a nation controlled by the wealthiest family in the world who run a dictatorship that treats women as third-class citizens and tolerates no opposition or dissent. According to U.S. intelligence, the Saudi leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had American journalist Jamal Khashoggi murdered in its Istanbul consulate because of his criticism of the regime. UAE: a nation which is an authoritarian monarchy with no free press, no free elections and no independent civil society — built on the labor of migrant workers who make up 80% of its population. Beyond its borders, the UAE has armed the Rapid Support Forces — a paramilitary group the United States government has formally determined is committing genocide in Sudan. Qatar: a nation which is also an authoritarian monarchy controlled by the Al Thani family, one of the most powerful and wealthy royal families in the world. Unbelievably, 91% of Qatar’s population is migrant labor who are ruthlessly oppressed. While building World Cup stadiums in Qatar, thousands of workers died as a result of horrendous working conditions. The politics of the Middle East are complicated, and no one believes that we can bring peace, prosperity and democracy to the region tomorrow. But clearly, we need a very different approach than what we have right now. We need a foreign policy that actually reflects our values and which must start with a simple premise: the United States will not provide weapons and diplomatic cover to governments — whether in Tel Aviv, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi or Doha — that engage in systematic human rights violations. And it means, at long last, building a foreign policy centered around human rights, respect for international law and multilateralism — and one that holds war criminals accountable no matter whom they may be.