A disappointment

To the editor:

A two-party duopoly means that some Americans on the political left have little choice but to vote on Nov. 5 for the Harris-Walz ticket. Former President Trump and the right-wing extremist Republican Party that he controls are grave dangers to an already unfair political and economic system. 

What’s unfortunate is that Harris has been a disappointing candidate, especially when it comes to foreign policy, which can never be separated from domestic policy. Harris has given no signs that she’ll challenge the excesses of the national security state and the militarism of the Biden administration. The war in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine offer two examples.

It’s disingenuous for Harris to continue defending Israel’s right to self-defense while, with American weapons, it commits countless violations of international humanitarian law that are both brutal and horrific, rejects a ceasefire, escalates the war in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Lebanon and Iran, and rejects self-determination and an independent state for Palestinians. 

As for the proxy war in Ukraine, Harris has pledged “unwavering” support. She said, “if we allow aggressors like Putin to take land with impunity, they keep going. And Putin could set his sights on Poland, the Baltic states and another NATO ally.” What Harris didn’t say was that this two-and-a-half-year war has become a stalemate with no victory in sight for either country. Nor is there any evidence that Putin wants to attack any NATO country, which would trigger a war with the United States and its NATO allies. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, since Putin invaded the country in February 2022, the number of Ukrainian and Russian casualties has reached over one million, with Ukraine suffering from major destruction of its infrastructure. Harris’ saber-rattling apparently excludes the words “negotiation” and “diplomacy,” which are the only ways this terrible war will end.

Howard Elterman