AOC’s Munich Stumble Is a Warning to the Left |
It was supposed to be a triumphant foreign visit for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is, on the national level, the best current hope for the American left. Since Zohran Mamdani is foreign born and therefore barred from being president, Ocasio-Cortez is the brightest star to conceivably make a White House run in 2028. Her appearance at the Munich Security Conference — one of the world’s premier foreign-policy events — seemed to be a step in the direction of higher office. If she doesn’t run for president, she could be a formidable primary challenger to Senator Chuck Schumer. It’s not hard to imagine AOC, in 2029, becoming the junior senator from New York.
Though she acquitted herself well in a majority of the interviews and panels in Munich, one stumble stood out — demonstrating she hasn’t yet fully conceived a foreign-policy vision. It’s also a warning for progressives: It’s vital to approach certain foreign-policy and national-security issues, including China’s potential invasion of Taiwan, in a more sophisticated manner.
Questioned directly about whether the U.S. should send troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, Ocasio-Cortez stalled for about 20 seconds. “I think that, uh, this is such a, a — you know, I think that — this is a, um —........