Diplomacy before war

War & foreign policy

El-Sayed favors a foreign policy centered on diplomacy and human rights: standing with democratic allies like Ukraine, and choosing negotiation over war with Iran, China, and Taiwan.

All people deserve equal rights to peace, dignity, and self-determination.

WHAT HE HAS SAID

• Supports a foreign policy that centers diplomacy, cooperation, and human rights, and that stands with democratic allies.
• Supports Ukraine against Russia’s invasion as acting in the interest of human rights and democracy, and criticizes past rule-breaking interventions such as Vietnam, Iraq, and Palestine.
• Wants an immediate end to the Iran war, arguing diplomacy of the kind that produced the nuclear deal does more to keep Iran from a bomb than fighting does.
• Wants to compete with China on economics and research rather than an arms race, while insisting China play by the same trade and patent rules.
• Supports Taiwan’s future being chosen by the Taiwanese through democratic means, and onshoring critical national-security assets such as chip manufacturing.
• Supports reinvestment in foreign aid, including to UNRWA, and meaningful U.S. engagement in the WHO, the Conference of the Parties, and the Paris Agreement on global health and climate threats.

Primary sources

• Read the campaign position — Abdul for U.S. Senate

Last reviewed 2026-08-19.