The Populist Left, Biden and the Middle East War
We have been writing this year about the way that mainstream Republicans have lost control of the party’s populist right-wing and as a result have been unable to curb the populist penchant for disrupting the normal processes through which policy is made and government business gets done.
I observed in my most recent post that the Israel-Gaza War will be a test of how successful mainstream Democrats can be in controlling their populist left in the realm of foreign policy. In my article “Populist Nationalism in the Age of Trump” one of the issues analyzed is the “character of nationalism.” I define the character of liberal nationalism as a kind of cosmopolitan multilateralism. This envisions the US as leader of a collaborative international bloc of nations, which is racially inclusive and accepting of immigrants from brown countries but does not oppose US military intervention. In contrast, the populist left is multiracialist in a deeper way which has condemned US military intervention in brown countries as imperialism since the Vietnam War. I also argue that one thing both streams hold in common, for differing reasons, is the notion that America is exceptional, a beacon of inspiration for all humankind (see Figure 1).
Figure 1.[1]
Liberalism Populism (Sanders)
|
Character of Nationalism |
exceptionalist (cosmopolitan), multilateralist |
exceptionalist (cosmopolitan), anti-imperialist |
As the icon of the left-populism it is fitting that Bernie Sanders cut his teeth on foreign policy issues in the 1960s as an anti-Vietnam War activist. Sanders issued an early statement calling for the reduction of suffering and the protection of innocent people on both sides in Israel-Gaza.. As the Israeli offensive has grinded along killing and injuring thousands of innocent people, left populist in the street and 18 progressive Democrats in the House of Representatives have called for a ceasefire. All those progressives are people of color.
Protesters have demonstrated at the offices of Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren
(D–Massachusetts) but both progressive firebrands have only called for a humanitarian pause to allow relief workers to enter Gaza and ease evacuation for those trying to leave. Presumably the difference between a ceasefire and a humanitarian pause is that the former could be tied to negotiations about how to create a Palestinian state: something the left wants, but Israel under Netanyahu opposes.
The rift between liberalism and left populism has grown as the House of Representatives voted 234-188 to censure Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib for her X/Twitter comments on the war. Regarding the popular Palestinian chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” she posted that it “is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.”[2] 22 Democrats joined Republicans in voting for her censure.
Many Arab and Muslim Americans are threatening not to vote for Biden in the 2024 election. This could be very damaging to his fortunes, especially in the swing state of Michigan, home to some of the largest concentrations of Arab Americans in the country.
Young voters, further to the left than their parents on many issues, also lean more pro-Palestinian than other Democratic constituencies. We’ve witnessed a series of youth-driven left-populist thrusts from the Occupy Movement (2011) to Ferguson (2014), Standing Rock (2016) and culminating with George Floyd and naming the system racist (2020). Elements within the Black Lives Matter and Indigenous Rights movements have long linked their oppression to that of the Palestinians. They see Palestinian oppression as akin to racial oppression in America. And folks from both movements have expressed support for the Palestinian cause today.[3]
Add to this groups like Jewish Voice for Peace. On October 27 in New York City ...
thousands of its members ... and their allies shut down the main terminal of Grand Central
Station during rush hour. It (was) the largest sit-in protest the city has seen in over two decades.
They brandished banners reading ...
Palestinians should be free” and “Israelis demand ceasefire now.” One sign read, “Never again
for anyone.” The multiracial, intergenerational movement says about 400 people were arrested, including rabbis, famous actors and elected officials.[4]
There are clearly serious and deep conversations yet to held between populists and liberals. Populists must rethink their insistence on using the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” They should forthrightly explain that it doesn’t mean the expulsion of Jews. Or else they must drop it! The tragic chain of events since October 7 has forced the global polity to take up the issue of Palestinian self-determination once again. By dropping that confusing slogan, while calling for negotiations to create a sovereign Palestine, populists can maximize their leverage on the Biden administration as it approaches the 2024 elections.
Another serious issue is how to create a viable Palestinian state in the occupied territories. Gaza will have to be rebuilt after the war, and the question of widespread Jewish settlements in the West Bank must be addressed. These issues are on the plate of Biden and the entire international state system. Can Biden reverse historic American racist imperialism in the Middle East, but at the same time use American military power to enforce a just and equitable peace in Israel-Palestine?
Let’s see what happens???
[1] Johnson, Vernon D. and Autry, Chelsee, “Populist Nationalism in the Age of Trump,” ActaAcademica: Critical Views on Society, Culture and Politics (South Africa), vol. 54, no. 3, December 2022, DOI: https://doi.org/10.18820/24150479/aa54i3/4
[2] Ken Coleman, “Tlaib stands by her defense of Palestinian slogan, “From the River to the Sea,” Michigan Advance, https://michiganadvance.com/2023/11/06/tlaib-stands-by-her-defense-of-pro-palestinanian-slogan-from-the-river-to-the-sea/
[3]“Black Lives for Palestine: US activists find common cause,” Arab News, November 8, 2023 https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231108-black-lives-4-palestine-us-activists-find-common-cause ;
[4] “Not in Our Name: 400 Arrested at Jewish-Led Sit-In at NYC’s Grand Central Demanding Gaza Ceasefire.” Democracy Now, October 30, 2023, https://www.democracynow.org/2023/10/30/grand_central_protest
