Senior Fellow John Isaacs wrote an op-ed in The Hill about the impact of bipartisan coalitions on foreign policy.
“Last month, the House of Representatives defeated a resolution offered by conservative Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to remove about 900 U.S. troops from Somalia. The vote was 102-321, with the votes on the provision split with 52 Republicans and 50 Democrats voting aye. It was an unusual left-right coalition; conservatives such as Gaetz and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) joined liberals such as Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in favor.
Coalitions like these sets of unlikely bedfellows could signal readiness in Congress to reengage in a long overdue conversation about the scope of the U.S. military’s presence overseas. The talking points espoused by advocates of troop removal, who otherwise seem diametrically opposed on almost every issue, echo familiar cries from politicians and experts alike who argue that the U.S. presence in foreign countries could sometimes exacerbate, rather than prevent, conflict.” Read more
