Local Opinion: Is Bernie Sanders truly the anti-war candidate?

Many people tuning into the Democratic debates may conclude that Sen. Bernie Sanders is the “anti-war candidate” in the 2020 presidential election. However, if one looks deeper into Sanders’ voting record and statements, a pattern develops. Although Sanders has been arguably more peaceful and less interventionist than anyone amongst his presidential rivals (besides Tulsi Gabbard), he is in no way an “anti-war candidate.”

Most of the information discussed below is outlined in the book “Bernie & the Sandernistas” by Jeffrey St. Clair and an article on Medium.com titled “No, Bernie’s not Anti-War” by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume. Combining these sources with Bernie’s voting record and statements on his website, one can conclude that Sanders has endorsed an aggressive and violent foreign policy in numerous places throughout the world. Additionally, he voted to give George W. Bush almost supreme power to wage war, supported bringing the unreliable and expensive F-35 fighter jet to Vermont, and has a questionable stance on the drone program.

But, didn’t Sanders vote against going to war in Iraq following the 9/11 attacks? Yes, he did. However, Sanders’ support for war in Iraq starts far before his vote against the Iraq War. In 1998, Sanders supported the Iraq Liberation Act that aimed to remove Saddam Hussein from power and promote a democratic regime. Compounding this issue was Sanders’ support for a resolution that exacerbated the deadly economic sanctions in Iraq. This resolution also allowed for Operation Desert Fox, a bombing campaign that involved a mix of air- and ground-launched bombing. Finally, Sanders voted to authorize funds for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, which cost taxpayers countless dollars.

Sanders’ questionable stance on war is not limited to the Middle East. Pertaining to Serbia, his voting record has been much more hawkish. According to St. Clair, “(Sanders) voted in favor of the war on Serbia: once, twice … and on April 28, 1999, he did it again.” Sanders has also voted against removing troops from foreign countries. For example, in 1998 he voted against a resolution that would have removed American forces from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sanders has also supported sanctions against Russia. Feelthebern.org states, “Bernie supports freezing Russian government assets all over the world and imposing sanctions on Russia.” As Americans have witnessed, sanctions can lead to violent backlash, and many people consider them acts of war or war crimes.

Possibly the most dangerous aspect of Sanders’ questionable action regarding foreign policy is his vote in favor of the 2001 Authorization for Unilateral Military Force Against Terrorists.

Within the text of AUMF, it states, “That the president is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism.”

This act has allowed the president to attack numerous nations without the consent of Congress and sets a dangerous precedent.

Although Sanders has made it clear that he wants to reduce military spending and wants to use more money on relieving student debt, providing universal health care, and kick-starting the Green New Deal, he endorsed bringing F-35 jets to Vermont. Thus far, the fighter jet program has cost taxpayers at least 1.2 trillion dollars and has angered numerous pro-peace and environmentalist groups.

Lastly, although Sanders stated that drones have done “some terrible things,” he also said, “drones have done some good things.” It seems that Sanders would not end the unconstitutional and violent program of Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

It is melancholic that there is no true “anti-war candidate” that has a legitimate chance of representing either of the two major parties in the 2020 presidential election.