Shifrinson Comments on Progressive Foreign Policy
Joshua Shifrinson, Associate Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was quoted in a Vox article discussing the Israel-Palestine ceasefire and the role of progressives in shaping this foreign policy decision.
The article, titled “The progressive foreign policy moment has arrived,” discusses how the Israel and Hamas ceasefire agreed to on May 20, 2021, was accelerated by President Joe Biden who himself was pushed by progressive Democrats in Congress. It goes on to explore how progressives have gained a larger voice in Congress and are shaping foreign policy in a way that differs from conventional thinking.
In his comments, Shifrinson speculated on what might happen if proponents of progressive foreign policy find their way into seats of power. He said that the when in higher positions in government, progressives might find themselves prioritizing differently as their decisions would be representative of the whole country.
An excerpt:
What if the [progressive] movement becomes so successful that some of its proponents become the national security adviser, defense secretary, secretary of defense, or even president? That, ironically, could be a problem.
“When you have to make hard choices about what you care about, things are going to get messy very fast,” said Josh Shifrinson, an associate professor at Boston University. And if a progressive finds themselves in the Oval Office, the problem will be that “you’re no longer the leader of the progressive movement, but the leader of US, which requires different choices, priorities, and thinking.”
The full article can be read on Vox‘s website.
Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson is an Associate Professor at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, where his teaching and research interests focus on the intersection of international security and diplomatic history, particularly the rise and fall of great powers and the origins of grand strategy. His work has appeared with International Security, the Journal of Strategic Studies, Foreign Affairs, and other venues. Read more about Professor Shifrinson on his faculty profile.