Issue Position: Foreign Policy

Issue Position

Iraq and Afghanistan

I opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which cost us too many lives and more than $4 trillion in taxpayer dollars that could have been invested here at home in education and the economy. I firmly believe that we must never again go to war and leave our grandchildren to foot the bill. We must exhaust all possible diplomatic options before committing to war, and if military action is truly necessary, we must pay for it as we go instead of indefinitely running up our national credit card bill.

Opposing War, Using Diplomacy

We can no longer afford to be the world's lone policeman, and it's a role we should never have played. We have squandered the substantial good will we earned in the postwar era through one disastrous military intervention after another, and it's time we changed course. We need to focus on diplomacy and development to advance our interests abroad. We must recommit ourselves to advancing human rights and facilitating peaceful solutions to international conflict.

In Washington, I will advocate for peaceful and humanitarian solutions to international conflict where possible. I will work to I will support United Nations conventions against torture and in support of women and the rights of children, and I will always stand for the rule of law.

My Experience

I served in the Peace Corps from 1999 to 2001 as a small business volunteer in Panama. I helped launch a micro-lending program for artisans, started a Junior Achievement entrepreneurship program at a local high school, and was president of Women In Development/Gender and Development, a group dedicated to advancing economic and educational opportunities for women and girls. I saw firsthand how investments in economic development -- particularly international health, micro-lending and women's development projects -- can promote international security.

Source