Cory Booker has been a Democrat representing New Jersey in the United States Senate since 2013. Since his election to the US Senate, Booker has served on the powerful Foreign Affairs committee. As a result, Booker has held significant power over how the US Senate shapes US foreign policy. Despite being an outspoken proponent of ethical integrity and justice, Booker has become a well-known ally to the defense lobbying sector as well as special interest groups that lobby on behalf of foreign governments. Despite not being an outspoken warhawk, Booker's voting record, as well as his groups that have funded his Senate campaigns, have proven him to be quite the warhawk himself. 

During Senator Booker's 2020 U.S. presidential campaign, he publicly criticized the U.S.'s reliance on military interventionism that resulted in forever wars. In fact, Booker campaigned heavily on the need for a more restrained foreign policy that focuses on diplomacy and regional cooperation. However, Booker himself has not only advocated but voted for continued US intervention in international affairs. Although he has stressed the need for diplomacy, Booker continues to back the long-standing sanctions on Cuba. These sanctions have continued to cripple Cuba, leading to food insecurity as well as resource shortages in the country. Booker has justified his stance by backing the stance of pushing for a pro-Democracy revolution within Cuba. This, however, is unlikely to occur since these sanctions have been ongoing for decades. Booker's vocal support for diplomatic engagement is contradicted by his hawkish stance toward the neighboring country.

To continue, Senator Booker supported the Obama administration's military intervention in Syria. Booker believed the casualties of war were justified to eliminate Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad from power and to use nuclear weapons. This intervention by the Obama administration led to mass casualties in Syria. Booker's championing of this policy provides more evidence of his pro-war ideology. In 2019, Senator Booker criticized the Trump administration's attempt to withdraw the US military presence from Syria. This would later be contradicted during his Presidential campaign when Booker campaigned on withdrawing troops from Syria. Moreover, Cory Booker has continued the same approach regarding US foreign policy with Iran. He did not support the Iran Nuclear Deal at the time, nor has he supported it since President Trump ended it. In fact, Booker voted to sanction Iran multiple times, specifically citing Iran's growing nuclear capabilities as the reason. Senator Booker publicly condemns Iran for the possibility of Nuclear weapons while opposing the Iran Nuclear deal, summing up his foreign policy. Booker publicly advocates or condemns a position that is publicly popular while advocating for the exact opposite when working in Congress.

The evidence discussed is enough to deduce that Senator Booker is, in fact, a major War Hawk. Senator Booker's campaign finances also provide more evidence of how his foreign and defense policy positions are dictated. A sum total of $90,000 in campaign contributions from various defense contracting companies. This includes well-known companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, which profit from the US military's expansion in other countries such as Syria. 

Throughout Cory Booker's entire political career, he has been a steadfast and ardent supporter of Israel. Booker has continuously defended Israel's actions toward Palestine as well as the surrounding countries. Senator Booker has defended Israel's actions toward Gaza as well as their missile attacks on Iran. It must be noted that Senator Booker has received nearly $1 million from the pro-Israel lobbying sector. Prominent organizations such as AIPAC have publicly thanked Senator Booker for his devoted loyalty to Israel. 

The Democratic Party is currently in shambles, with it polling its lowest in decades. Without question, the Democrats’ actions or lack thereof about Gaza came with great costs in the 2024 US elections. Senators like Cory Booker only continue to reinforce the problem that has plagued the party for decades. A party bought out by the US military-industrial complex. A party that publicly positions itself as liberal only to continue the neoconservative agenda popularized by the likes of Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. The only time the Democrats are against war is when a Republican is in office. Senator Booker's actions and views are not an anomaly in the halls of Democrats in Congress. However, if the Democratic Party truly wants to be the alternative to their Republican counters, then re-evaluating their approach to foreign policy is vital.

FEC DATA

Pro-Israel - $973,850
Raytheon - $10,000
RTX - $7,500
Lockheed Martin - $15,000
Boeing - $10,000
Honeywell - $19,500
General Electric - $18,000
Space X - $1,000
Huntington Ingalls - $1,500
BAE Systems - $2,000
Motorola - $2,000
Airbus - $3,500