FOREIGN POLICY BASED ON PROSPERITY & PEACE

For the past century the United States of America has been the world’s most popular sanctum for immigrants. We are a proud nation that values freedom and democracy, but we have not kept our government faithful to this promise. It is time that we, as a country, sort out our domestic affairs. It is no secret that when the world sees innocent men, women, and children being slaughtered on our streets; when they see police officers dressed in military gear assaulting our fellow citizens; when they hear stories of a child dying of a curable disease because of financial limitations; when parents working several jobs are not able to make ends meet - they will unavoidably question America, and the ‘American Dream’. In order to restore the world’s faith in us, we must work intelligently and multilaterally; not simply point a gun, depose a leader, and expect a nation to follow suit. This is what the conquistadors used to do. We are no conquistadors. We are Americans.

We are fortunate to live in California, a state that represents the values that shape our country. This is ever more true and important today, when we have a President who plans to disbar thousands of Americans, who seeks to constrict our liberties.

We understand that what happens thousands of miles away will certainly have an impact on our everyday life. We understand that the interplay of foreign affairs on domestic, and domestic on foreign affairs. This is not the time to shut ourselves off. If elected, we will work tirelessly to defend and promote our values at home and abroad. We will make sure that we work multilaterally, to advance our interests, which do not automatically exclude others’ interests, as many of today’s problems are transnational in nature. We will work hard towards a foreign policy that works for all stratus of society; it is time we do away with free trade in favor of sustainable trade, one that works for our small and medium size businesses, and not just the few multinationals. A foreign policy that does not base itself on scapegoating society’s minorities due to fear and misunderstanding. A foreign policy that helps like minded countries, and that uphold basic human rights and decency. A foreign policy that augments our domestic policy by attracting foreign aid for the high purposes of research and development, and that empowers our youth.

California is a prime example of how we can do this. This is a state who has relied heavily on it's ability to win over hearts and minds without coercion. It has been capable of attracting some of the most brilliant minds in the world, and to integrate different nations into one. The 29th Congressional district is emblematic of this, where different cultures have been living side-by-side, peacefully. We strive to solve our mutual problems via dialogue. The world we live in is increasingly interconnected, and suffers from major problems that one country alone cannot solve; whether this may be terrorism or global inequality.