Survey of 2020 Presidential campaign websites: on War & Peace


Kanye West: Don't tie up our country in foreign quagmires

Maintain a strong national defense, fully prepared, but not so quick to tie up our country's young men and women in foreign quagmires that do not advance our national interest, and which last for decades.

Through God we shall do valiantly. -- Psalm 60:12

Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website kanye2020.country Oct 9, 2020

Jo Jorgensen: Turn America into One Giant Switzerland: Armed and Neutral

Turn America into One Giant Switzerland: Armed and Neutral--with the military force to defend America's shores and soil against any foreign attackers or invaders. Protected by an armed citizenry and by a military laser-focused on defending America. No US involvement in foreign wars. Bring home our 200,000+ American military personnel stationed in foreign countries. No US military aid to foreign governments. No US blockades or embargoes of non-military trade. Peace.
Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website jo20.com Jul 26, 2020

Rocky De La Fuente: Stop failed exercise of nation-building

We should extricate ourselves from the failed exercise of nation-building--trying to impose democracy on countries that may not choose to embrace it or may not be ready to build upon it from a cultural perspective. I would like to see us be less active in that regard. We also must protect our citizens. If we are assaulted by a hostile entity--foreign or domestic--or if there is a clear and present danger of such an attack, then we have every right to defend ourselves.
Source: 2020 presidential campaign website rocky101.com Mar 4, 2020

Rocky De La Fuente: Eliminate ridiculous waste, inefficiency in military budgets

We should eliminate the ridiculous amount of waste and inefficiency in our recent military budgets. There is a disgraceful relationship between our politicians and the military-industrial lobby. Our government's authority to "provide for the common defense" is fundamental. If the threat to the United States is immediate or impending (as in the case of "confirmed" terrorists), we have the authority to address it. If the threat is hypothetical, then we must exercise well-measured restraint.
Source: 2020 presidential campaign website rocky101.com Mar 4, 2020

Joe Sestak: Immediately rejoin the Iran nuclear deal

One critical action we must undertake immediately is rejoining the Iran nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA). This hard-won agreement, signed by all of the world's major powers, had disarmed the nuclear threat of Iran--until we abandoned it. Breaking America's word on the deal while Iran kept theirs is unforgivable. The recent ratcheting up of tensions with Iran is a potentially grave mistake. If we decide to launch missile strikes on Iran in an attempt to destroy deeply buried nuclear infrastructure, they might instantaneous rain missiles on Israel and our regional bases, and close the Straits of Hormuz, cutting off 20% of the world's oil supply. Even if we manage to destroy their nuclear infrastructure, they can rebuild it all again. We must heed that old lesson of our misguided invasion of Iraq: militaries might stop a problem, but militaries don't solve a problem. And the problem of Iran's nuclear capability can only be solved through diplomacy.
Source: 2020 presidential campaign website JoeSestak.com Jun 23, 2019

Pete Buttigieg: Never send troops without clear definition of their mission

The greatest strategic advantage for America has always been the fact that our country has stood for values shared by humanity, touching aspirations felt far beyond our borders. The lesson of the Iraq disaster is not that there is anything wrong with standing for American values, but rather that any action in the name of such values must be strategic, legitimate, and constrained by the premise that we only use force when left with no alternative.

We should never again send troops into conflict without a clear definition of their mission and an understanding of what will come after.

I believe we should use force when there is a clear and present threat to the US; when it's necessary to deter and defend against an attack on or imminent threat against the United States, our citizens at home or abroad, or our treaty allies; and when we act as part of a legitimate international coalition to prevent genocide or other atrocities. But when we must use force, we must also have an end game.

Source: 2020 presidential campaign website, PeteForAmerica.com Jun 11, 2019

Pete Buttigieg: Small steps forward in North Korea; no "love letters"

So rather than a zero-sum insistence on full and complete denuclearization before any peace is possible, we can recognize that the two processes can be mutually reinforcing, with small steps leading to bigger ones. You will not see me exchanging love letters on White House letterhead with a brutal dictator who starves and murders his own people. But you will see my administration work to create the conditions that would make it possible to welcome North Korea into the international community.
Source: 2020 presidential campaign website, PeteForAmerica.com Jun 11, 2019

Howie Hawkins: Endless war follows from capitalist competition

ENDLESS WAR: We will never have a secure peace as long as capitalism's competitive economic structure generates international conflicts and wars. Nuclear-armed capitalist states--including the US, Russia, and China--compete for resources, markets, cheap labor, and geopolitical military positioning. If we don't replace capitalism's nationalistic competition with socialism's international cooperation, sooner or later these conflicts will end in nuclear annihilation.
Source: 2020 Presidential Campaign website HowieHawkins.us May 19, 2019

Mike Gravel: Split DoD into Department of War and Department of Peace

The Department of Defense has benefitted from its Orwellian moniker for too long: who could justify cutting "defense" spending? The Founders recognized that "Department of War," a name that accurately reflected the purpose and activities of the body, was a more fitting name. But that's not enough to push back on the overwhelming power of the Department of Defense. A Department of Peace, as proposed in 1793 by Benjamin Rush, should exist to promote peacebuilding and conflict prevention whenever necessary.
Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeGravel.com Apr 9, 2019

Mike Gravel: End military aid to Israel; recognize Palestinian statehood

For too long, America has given uncritical support to the Likud government of Israel, which has enacted racist apartheid-style policies designed to disenfranchise Palestinians. American leadership, both Democratic and Republican, has watched, both approvingly and passively, as Israel illegally annexed Palestinian land, encouraging further encroachment through billions of dollars in military aid, the placement of the American embassy in Jerusalem, and the recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeGravel.com Apr 9, 2019

Mike Gravel: End military aid to Saudi Arabia; no support for Yemen war

The US' relationship to Saudi Arabia is extraordinarily corrupt. For decades, the Saudi royal family has used oil money to influence American policy; from the prominence of "Bandar Bush" to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman claiming to have Jared Kushner "in his pocket," our leaders have been serving Saudi interests for far too long. Saudi Arabia is a repressive dictatorship which regularly engages in torture and murder, as seen most recently in the death of Jamal Khashoggi. Its curtailment of women's rights has been appalling.

The United States government serves as a salesman of death around the globe. The only way to clamp down on the military-industrial complex, the greatest enemy of the American people, is a hard line against selling weapons abroad.

Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeGravel.com Apr 9, 2019

Mike Gravel: Withdraw all troops from South Korea; normalize with North

The primary responsibility for achieving a lasting peace on the Peninsula rests with the Korean people and their respective governments. This is--first and foremost--their dispute to settle. As the overwhelmingly more powerful party, the U.S. has a responsibility to make every effort to de-escalate tensions to enable the two Koreas to reach an amicable outcome to current and future talks.
Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeGravel.com Apr 9, 2019

Howard Schultz: Strengthen NATO alliance to fight Russian cyber-attacks

NATO is the strongest and most successful military and political alliance in the history of the world. It helped contain and defeat the Soviet Union. It came to the defense of the United States in the wake of the September 11th, 2001, attacks. And it has led the international effort to secure and stabilize Afghanistan.

But President Trump has questioned this essential alliance. He has criticized it, and he has weakened it. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of America's role in the world. We must stand with our allies.

We must support the alliance's efforts to transition resources to the increasing threat from cyber attacks around the globe--most especially from Russia. NATO needs even more fortification to fight this growing menace, which may soon become the gravest threat facing the American people.

As NATO looks ahead to its next 70 years, the United States must continue to be a leader for peace and security. And we must do so in concert with our allies.

Source: 2020 Presidential Campaign website HowardSchultz.com Apr 4, 2019

Mike Gravel: 2020 debates desperately need an anti-war voice

We must fundamentally shift the dialogue of American politics, and force a tough conversation about the costs of endless wars of choice.

The 2020 presidential debates will be in desperate need of an anti-war voice, and Mike Gravel is ready to take on that challenge.

Debemos cambiar el di logo de la pol¡tica estadounidense y forzar la conversaci¢n dura de los costos de guerras infinitas de elecci¢n.

Los debates presidenciales de 2020 necesitar n desesperadamente una voz contra la guerra.

Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeGravel.org Mar 29, 2019

  • The above quotations are from Survey of 2020 Presidential campaign websites.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on War & Peace.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Mike Gravel on War & Peace.
  • Click here for more quotes by Pete Buttigieg on War & Peace.
2020 Presidential contenders on War & Peace:
  Democrats running for President:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN)
Republicans running for President:
Sen.Ted Cruz(R-TX)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich(R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY)

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
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Page last updated: Dec 01, 2021