Yesterday the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times printed an op-ed by Eliot Cohen entitled “A Really Bad Deal for America,” which outlined the supposed audacity of Trump’s potential foreign policy.
Trump’s creed is ‘America First;’ Stop nation building abroad, and start nation building at home.
On the other hand, Cohen was one of the very first neoconservatives to be an outspoken advocate for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Cohen has since doubled down, calling for the overthrow of Iran. Needless to say, he loves “regime change,” and cares very little for Muslims, or sovereignty of any kind.
Cohen also talks about what he calls “American commitments to democratically elected governments and civil liberties.” For the record, Israel is no democracy, it is a theocracy. Saudi Arabia is a theocratic civil liberties nightmare, democracy in Egypt facilitated the election of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hillary Clinton’s overthrow of Muammar Gadhafi has made the Libyan people worse off.
So, who is Cohen talking about, and what exactly is he advocating for?
Cohen is essentially a cheerleader of infinite and perpetual military intervention, as well as global governance apparatuses like NATO. Not only does Cohen take issue with Trump, he praises Clinton.
On foreign policy, Hillary Clinton is far better: She believes in the old consensus and will take tough lines on China and, increasingly, Russia. She does not hesitate to make the case for human rights as a key part of our foreign policy.
Cohen invokes the ambiguity of “human rights” in order to establish a false sense of moral high ground. I’m sure the innocent victims of regime change have a different definition of “human rights,” but I digress, and will let Cohen continue…
So why not vote for her? If the choice were simply between her and Mr. Trump, I would — as would some other Republican foreign policy veterans.
Continue reading “Neocons for Clinton”