Bill de Blasio on War & Peace

	Bill de Blasio on War & Peace NYC Mayor; Democratic Presidential Challenger (withdrawn)

Leave Afghanistan when a peace deal is in place

De Blasio has declined to join with most of his fellow progressive candidates in pledging to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan. He thinks it is a war that has "gone on too long" and he hopes one day to remove all of our troops. But he thinks it is unwise to commit to a troop withdrawal before a peace deal is in place. When a reporter pressed him to give a yes/no answer on an Afghanistan troop withdrawal, he replied, "Some things, I think you would agree, are not always a yes or a no." Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2019 Democratic primary , Aug 12, 2019

Opposes U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen

De Blasio opposes U.S. support for the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen. Back in March, he applauded the Senate's passage of a resolution that would have ended U.S. support, calling the intervention "brutal and immoral." More broadly, he wants Congress to more vigorously exercise its war powers. "As president I would want the Congress to authorize major military actions because getting away from that has made it bluntly too easy for these kind of interventions to occur." Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2019 Democratic primary , Aug 12, 2019

Rejoin the multilateral Iran nuclear deal

De Blasio [agrees with] the other Democratic candidates in having supported the Iran nuclear deal [Obama's Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, negotiated jointly with 6 countries and the E.U.] He has committed to rejoining the deal if he becomes president. He has also said that he sees "a purposeful march to war that some are trying to engineer in the Republican Party" and he worries that "at some point, Donald Trump will see it as a helpful distraction." Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2019 Democratic primary , Aug 12, 2019

Stop the march to war in Iran

We haven't talked about Iran [in this debate]. We didn't talk about Iran. We're on the march to war in Iran right now, and we blew by it [in this debate]. We have to stop this march to war in Iran. And the Democratic Party has to stand up for it. Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) , Jul 31, 2019

No military action without approval of Congress

Q: Does the United States have a responsibility to protect in the case of genocide or crimes against humanity?

Rep. Beto O'Rourke: Yes, but that action should always be undertaken with allies and partners and friends.

DeBlasio: What about the War Powers Act being a part of that equation? With deep respect to the congressman, look, we've learned painful lessons as Americans that we've gone to war without congressional authorization. Even in the humanitarian crisis--and I think we should be ready, Congressman, to intervene, God forbid there is genocide--but not without congressional approval. Democrats and Republicans both in the Congress have not challenged presidents and have let them get away with running the military without that congressional approval. We learned a lesson in Vietnam we seem to have forgotten, that decisions have to be made by the United States Congress.

Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami) , Jun 26, 2019

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*Other big-city mayors on War & Peace:*	*Bill de Blasio on other issues:*
Tom Barrett (D,Milwaukee) Bill de Blasio (D,NYC) Rahm Emanuel (D,Chicago) Bob Filner (D,San Diego) Steven Fulop (D,Jersey City) Eric Garcetti (D,Los Angeles) Mike Rawlings (D,Dallas) Marty Walsh (D,Boston) *Former Mayors:* Rocky Anderson (I,Salt Lake City) Tom Barrett (D,Milwaukee,WI) Mike Bloomberg (I,New York City) Cory Booker (D,Newark,NJ) Jerry Brown (D,Oakland,CA) Julian Castro (D,San Antonio,TX) Rudy Giuliani (R,New York City) Phil Gordon (D,Phoenix) Tom Menino (D,Boston) Dennis Kucinch (D,Cleveland,OH) Michael Nutter (D,Philadelphia) Sarah Palin (R,Wasilla,AK) Annise Parker (D,Houston) Jerry Sanders (R,San Diego) Antonio Villaraigosa (D,Los Angeles)	Abortion Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families/Children Foreign Policy Free Trade Govt. Reform Gun Control Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Infrastructure/Technology Jobs Principles/Values Social Security Tax Reform War/Iraq/Mideast Welfare/Poverty