AOC ‘working-class perspective’ on foreign policy mirrors global elite at Munich Security Conference

Published February 13, 2026 7:27pm ET



Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrived at the Munich Security Conference on Friday to deliver a “working-class perspective” on foreign policy. But on the world stage, the New York Democrat offered a message far more familiar to global elites: expand social welfare programs and rely on global alliances to combat authoritarianism.

Ocasio-Cortez, a 2028 contender, is often described at home as an insurgent critic of elite power. In Munich, however, her foreign-policy pitch placed her squarely in the mainstream of attendees — from name-dropping Prime Minister Mark Carney to questioning whether “we were in pre–rules-based order” or a “post-rules based order.”

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