AOC's Munich Stumble Is a Warning to the Left

"It was supposed to be a triumphant foreign visit for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is, on the national level, the best current hope for the American left. Since Zohran Mamdani is foreign born and therefore barred from being president, Ocasio-Cortez is the brightest star to conceivably make a White House run in 2028. Her appearance at the Munich Security Conference - one of the world's premier foreign-policy events - seemed to be a step in the direction of higher office."

""I think that, uh, this is such a, a - you know, I think that - this is, a, um - this is of course, a, uh, a very long-standing, um, policy of the United States," the congresswoman said. "What we are hoping for is that we want to make sure we never get to that point and we want to make sure that we are moving in all of our economic, research, and our global positions to avoid any such confrontation and for that question to even arise.""

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attended the Munich Security Conference as a rising national figure and potential 2028 presidential contender or 2029 New York senator. Her interviews and panels were largely strong and elevated her profile among foreign-policy audiences. A conspicuous hesitation occurred when she was asked whether the United States should send troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, exposing a lack of a firm, articulated position. The episode underscores the need for progressives to adopt more sophisticated foreign-policy and national-security approaches. U.S. strategy should combine diplomacy and deterrence with allies to prevent a military confrontation over Taiwan.

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