As we prepare for the 2020 elections, Shondaland will explore the politics and policies that will affect our future. We’ve talked to a number of experts, leaders, and thinkers to write about the issues that will be (or should be) on the ballot this November. It's no secret we live in divisive times, but we’re most interested in how we move forward as a country and discovering the best ideas that will define our collective future. To that end, we'd love to hear from you! If you have ideas about how our country can solve some of our nation’s most pressing issues, give us a shout at ideas@shondaland.com and let's talk 2020.

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General Qassim Suleimani was on the rise for decades before he was trending on Twitter. Since 1998, he had led Iran’s elite Quds Force, which sponsors and organizes terrorism and military intelligence operations throughout the Middle East. But few Americans under 30 had a clue who he was before early this year, when his convoy exploded in Iraq.

The man who masterminded Iran’s powerful military network in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq was killed on January 3 by an American drone strike near the Baghdad International Airport. Within hours, thousands of tweets in English, Arabic, Farsi, Italian, and French announced the news to the world.

It’s hard to keep track of all the characters in this real-life drama. But one thing is certain: Suleimani’s fiery death in a city 6,000 miles from New York will have serious consequences for the lives of everyday Americans. Just one reason is that Iran is capable of conducting cyberattacks on the networks that matter most to keeping us safe.

Electric grids could be knocked out, and battery life would become the least of your concerns. Your local government’s out-of-date computer systems could be hacked and your neighbors’ private information could be taken for ransom. And you’ll wish you carried more (if any) paper money around if banking systems fail from an attack like the one Iran conducted in 2016. Whether in retaliation for General Suleimani’s killing, or later on if tensions spiral, these are just a few ways that Iran could hit close to home.

Today we can’t afford to ignore foreign policy. That was also true a few decades ago, when the legendary news anchor Walter Cronkite educated us on our country’s actions around the world. He was like Mr. Rogers from “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” except for adults. On camera, he exuded calm and kept his opinions to himself — “I am a news presenter,” he once explained, “not a commentator or analyst” — earning a reputation as our friendly, knowledgeable “Uncle Walter.” Reporting on the Vietnam War, Middle East diplomacy, the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, President Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal, and the Apollo 11 moon landing, he was a reassuring and trustworthy presence in living rooms across America during challenging and changing times. But after he went off the air, we became interested less in affairs of state and more in celebrity affairs.

I witnessed the difference as a member of Congress from Southern California in the 1990s and 2000s. I often held town hall meetings at farmers’ markets (before they were hip), and the main complaint my constituents had about foreign policy was that foreign aid was 50% of our federal budget. In fact, it is less than one percent.

Now, there are reasons to believe foreign policy is hot again. Here are three innovators — who all happen to be women — who have reimagined the way we discuss and engage with the world.

Jacinda Ardern. Elected New Zealand’s Prime Minister in 2017 at age 37.

Foreign Policy is Hot Again
Hagen Hopkins//Getty Images
Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand Prime Minister

Had a baby while in office, only the second elected leader in history to do so. Managed to ban military-style assault weapons in a matter of weeks after 51 people were killed and 49 were injured during the Christchurch mosque shootings. Donned a hijab while consoling her country’s Muslim community after the attack. Ardern recognized that the perpetrator’s actions were part of a global trend of violence and hatred between Islamist extremists and white nationalist extremists, and that her actions at home would send the world a message of recovery and reconciliation.

Elissa Slotkin. Elected to Congress at age 42, one of a record-breaking 102 women elected to the House of Representatives in 2018.

Foreign Policy is Hot Again
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Elissa Slotkin, U.S. Representative

Served three tours in Iraq as a CIA analyst. Was also a senior National Security Council adviser under President George W. Bush and acting assistant secretary of defense under President Barack Obama. Fluent in Arabic and Swahili, and helped in the fight against ISIS. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, one of her jobs is explaining our country’s military engagements to her 700,000 constituents in Michigan. Just this month, she spearheaded a bill, approved by the House, that would require the President to seek Congress’s permission before starting a war with Iran. She understands that everyday Americans ultimately pay for war — some of them with their lives — and that means Congress can’t shirk its Constitutional responsibilities.

Jennifer Pahlka. At age 44, she became the U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer during the Obama administration.

Foreign Policy is Hot Again
Bryan Bedder//Getty Images
Jennifer Pahlka, founder and Executive Director of Code for America

Founded Code for America and masterminded the United States Digital Service, both of which seek to reinvent government using the best of technology. The U.S. Digital Service helps government offices use the latest software, make their websites more user-friendly, and modernize how we communicate with our government. One of its biggest impacts has been on immigration. It has digitized the process for obtaining U.S. citizenship and automated green card renewals, which used to take months but now are done in just hours. The Digital Service’s next mission is to innovate how asylum interviews are scheduled as the government struggles with a backlog of over 300,000 applications. The movement Pahlka started is proof that government officials are not all dinosaurs, and that the latest technology can help the United States make smarter decisions at home and abroad.

The United States was once called the “shining city on the hill,” the influencer that set positive trends around the world. Recently, things have been looking tarnished. There are cultural divisions at home, endless conflicts abroad, and anxiety about our future safety and financial security. But there are also communities, including online, with young foreign policy leaders who are more creative, more responsive, and more responsible. Digital-savvy citizens should follow them, learn from them, and share their ideas with their own networks. That way, people can reject the cynicism of the old guard and become influencers themselves. It was true in the past and will be true no matter what lies ahead: the best leaders are those who can get ahead of the trends.


Jane Harman is the Director, President and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. A native of Los Angeles and a public-school graduate, she went on to become a nine-term member of Congress and served decades on the major security committees, including as ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee.

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