While neocon hawks like Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney argue that the United States must remain a global police officer, occupying distant lands — including Afghanistan — conservatives of a more isolationist bent, such as Tucker Carlson, are warning against welcoming refugees from Afghanistan with the crude claim of, “First we invade, then we’re invaded.”

Pocan rejects each approach as wrongheaded and proposes an enlightened internationalism. He wants to use this moment to begin shaping a new approach to foreign policy that moves the United States away from reactive militarism and toward the diplomatic and humanitarian responses that forge a safer and more secure world.

The former Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair, who now co-chairs the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, has introduced the COVID Defense Act, a plan to transfer 1.3% of U.S. military spending to global vaccination efforts.

The $9.6 billion shift in spending priorities, while small in the context of the Pentagon’s $740.5 billion budget, would more than double the amount of money available for vaccine production, procurement and distribution internationally. This move, Pocan explains, could enable perhaps another 30% of the world’s vulnerable population to have access to a COVID-19 vaccine. Doing that would curtail the spread of variants that threaten everyone.

“We can’t bomb our way out of a global pandemic,” the congressman said. “Right now, COVID is the greatest risk to our national security, as well as the world’s security. Shifting funds from weaponry and military contractors to producing COVID vaccines will save hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of lives around the world. At a time when America spends more on its military than the next 11 closest nations combined, we should be able to sacrifice a little over 1% of that to save lives, build global goodwill and actually make the world a safer, healthier place.”