How a Progressive POTUS Would Change the World

Why It Matters

A progressive shift would redirect trillions of dollars toward domestic priorities and alter the United States’ strategic posture, affecting allies, rivals, and the stability of the post‑Cold War order.

Key Takeaways

• Progressive foreign policy prioritizes global solidarity and minimizing harm.
• Advocates cutting U.S. defense budget while maintaining essential deterrence.
• Calls for closing Middle East bases, especially Qatar, to reduce militarism.
• Emphasizes selective engagement, supporting democracies like Ukraine, not endless wars.
• Internal left debate between restraint and primacy shapes future U.S. role.

Summary

The episode examines how a progressive Democratic president would overhaul U.S. foreign policy after the Trump era, featuring Matt Dus, former Bernie Sanders foreign‑policy adviser and progressive think‑tank leader.

Dus outlines a progressive doctrine built on ‘solidarity’: aligning with other democracies, backing popular movements in Iran, Palestine and Ukraine, while avoiding policies that export insecurity or poverty. He stresses restraint, arguing that American military power should be used sparingly and only when it truly reduces harm.

Specific proposals include slashing the trillion‑dollar defense budget, closing Middle‑East installations such as the Qatar base, and reallocating resources to diplomacy and social programs. He contrasts this with Trump’s ‘performative’ strikes and notes the internal left debate between ‘restrainers’ and ‘primacists’ over where U.S. strategic primacy should be concentrated, especially in the Indo‑Pacific.

If a progressive candidate like AOC or Ro Khan wins, these ideas could reshape the U.S. role from a global police to a more modest, partnership‑focused actor, influencing alliance dynamics, defense spending, and the broader international order.

Original Description

The same populist forces that brought Donald Trump to office could also enable a politician from the progressive left to succeed him. How would a president in the vein of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Zohran Mamdani change U.S. foreign policy and the world?

Matt Duss, a former advisor to Bernie Sanders, is a leading figure in progressive foreign policy. On this episode of The World Unpacked, Matt lays out a global vision based on solidarity and harm reduction. He and host Jon Bateman discussed what Gaza means now, why the U.S. should act like Led Zeppelin, and whether Taiwan is worth fighting for.

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https://carnegieendowment.org/preview/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/what-would-president-aocs-foreign-policy-be

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Chapter

00:00 – Is Another Global Reset Coming?

01:22 – Progressive Foreign Policy Explained

03:20 – Solidarity With Who? Democracies, Gaza & Ukraine

07:19 – The Myth of “Magic” Military Power

10:28 – Is the $1 Trillion Military Budget Justified?

13:22 – Close U.S. Bases in the Middle East?

15:21 – Primacy vs. Restraint: The Big Divide

19:08 – Tariffs, Sanctions & Economic Warfare

24:39 – Are Americans Tired of Forever Wars?

27:40 – Did Gaza Cost Democrats the Election?

32:26 – The Missing Progressive China Strategy

37:03 – Would a Progressive Defend Taiwan?

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