Policy not Politics: A Statement by The Jewish Policy Center

There is a lot of political sorting left to do. We leave that to the political people.

At The Jewish Policy Center, our motto is “Policy not Politics,” and so today is a good day to outline the policies the next President, the next Senate, and next House of Representatives should consider as their priorities for the American people and our American future.

First are the issues people across the country consistently told pollsters and anyone else listening: The economy and inflation, the border and crime. These are related and related to foreign policy issues that need to be addressed quickly.

• Government recognition of the increase in antisemitism across the country and particularly in universities that take funding from foreign sources. Both the funding and the instigators should be investigated and removed.
  • The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism should be the US Government standard.
• Securing both the southern and the northern border.
• An increase in internal policing to capture the thousands of criminal drug, weapons, child labor, and sex traffickers as well as terror suspects who have entered. This must be accompanied by support for state and local police forces.
• Stricter limits on government spending. With the exception here of the Department of Defense (DoD), an actual cut of 10% in both budgets and personnel might be considered – for a start. This will have tax implications for American families.
  • DoD is less a problem of funding than one of modernization, weapons shortages, and planning. Planning includes consideration of the requirements of the All-Volunteer Force (AVF) and why recruitment and retention are not meeting goals.
• Energy independence. The United States proved that it could be independent and, actually, an energy exporter. This has major implications that are both domestic and foreign policy related.

Speaking of which:

• The first foreign policy priority must be an approach to the world that is consistent, strong and based on support for democratic allies including Israel and our Pacific partners, as well as support for countries facing threats from Iran and ISIS in the Middle East and Africa.
  • This is not a call to arms – it is a call for faithful friendship and support for those who share broad American concerns for independence, security, free trade and freedom of the seas.
    • It is not a gift from us to them; it is a requirement for our own security.
• This requires recognition of the emerging Russia-China-Iran-North Korea axis. The first three partners have individual international goals that are inconsistent with a peaceful world, a free international economy, and Western – specifically American – leadership in a rules-based order.
  • The fourth is different, but also dangerous.
• Reining in Iran. This is part of, but also separate from, the other members of the axis. Appeasement of the Tehran regime and sanctions waivers led Iran to increase and expand its funding of terrorist proxies across the region – from Lebanon to Gaza to Syria to Iraq to Yemen, Iranian backed forces threaten America’s regional partners Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, and the Arab/Muslim countries of North Africa.
  • The implications of Iran’s nuclear program cannot be ignored.
  • Israel has taken the lead here. That should be appreciated, but also strongly supported politically and through our bilateral security relations and Israel’s role in US CENTCOM.
• Human Rights are an integral part of foreign policy. This is also not a call to arms, but a call to recognize bestial behavior and to give governments engaged in massive violations no opportunity for evasion.
  • Hamas and Hezbollah – supported by Iran – are engaged in direct violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), from building arsenals in and under protected sites in order to increase the death toll of their own people to massacring Israeli civilians and holding hostages to firing rockets at Israeli civilians. Israel is fighting all three at various levels.
    • • The Palestinian Authority (PA) is not an acceptable replacement for Hamas.
      • The hope for Palestinian people as well as Israeli people is for Israel to constrain Iran and root out the incubi.
  • Iran’s internal depredations include the hanging of nearly 1,000 citizens this year – and more than 100 citizens in August alone. This total includes women and children. Externally, it is responsible for genocide and famine in Yemen; more than 500,000 dead and ongoing food crisis in Syria; and wreckage across Lebanon and Iraq.
  • People struggling under Afghanistan’s repressive policies against its female population; China’s genocide against its Uyghur population; and Turkey’s war against the Syrian Kurdish population, and the ISIS war against Yazidis and across Africa deserve American notice. Turkey, a member of NATO, is not the ally we have presumed it to be.

This is just a start.

Our priorities also include civic education for America’s children, vote security including voter ID laws, with a lot more coming.

– Matthew Brooks, CEO

– Shoshana Bryen, Senior Director