Senator Lindsey Graham's sudden death over the weekend has prompted a wave of tributes from both Republicans and Democrats. Donald Trump ordered flags at half-staff, and colleagues like Dick Durbin and Adam Schiff praised his bipartisanship and humor. However, beneath the bipartisan remembrances lies a concrete legacy of destruction, particularly in foreign policy.
Graham's Hawkish Foreign Policy and Uncritical Support for Israel
Graham's most consequential impact was his constant push for a hawkish US foreign policy and uncritical devotion to Israel. The Wall Street Journal described him as having “outsize influence on U.S. foreign policy.” Aipac, the pro-Israel lobby, called him “a great friend and true champion of the U.S.-Israel relationship.” According to Open Secrets, Graham received over $400,000 from Aipac in 2025-2026 alone, his largest organizational donation.
His desire to project American power predated the second Trump administration. As a congressman in March 2002, Graham pushed for war in Iraq, saying, “We’re looking at going after Saddam Hussein… not to contain him, but to replace him.” The US invaded Iraq in 2003, and Graham continued supporting the war despite its failures.
Advocating for More War: Iran, Israel, and Beyond
In a 2010 speech, Graham promoted attacking Iran to “neuter” the regime. “Instead of a surgical strike on their nuclear infrastructure… you have to really neuter the [Iranian] regime's ability to wage war against us and our allies,” he said. By 2015, he joined John McCain and Joseph Lieberman in denouncing Obama's Iran nuclear deal.
Graham was a prime backer of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem in 2017, calling Jerusalem “the undeniable capital of Israel.” His support for Israel was so complete that Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly considered flying to the US for Graham's funeral.
After the 2023 Hamas attacks and Israel's war on Gaza, Graham urged giving Israel what it needed, saying, “Give Israel what they need to fight the war they can't afford to lose… This is Hiroshima and Nagasaki on steroids.” When asked about killing children and families, he responded, “I don't buy that at all,” and added Israel should “flatten Gaza.”
Threats and Military Intervention
Graham threatened Norway with trade tariffs and visa restrictions after its sovereign wealth fund divested from Caterpillar over ethical concerns. He also targeted Greta Thunberg, posting, “Hope Greta and her friends can swim!” after she joined a humanitarian mission to Gaza.
He wanted US military involvement in Lebanon, telling the Times of Israel in 2025, “I would like the United States to participate in military operations… against Hezbollah… I want our fingerprints on that.” Beyond the Middle East, he lobbied for attacking Colombia, telling CBS News, “We're not going to sit on the sidelines… we're going to blow them up and kill the people that want to poison America.”
The Cost of Graham's Doctrine
Summing up his foreign policy, Graham said at a Republican Jewish Coalition summit on 31 October 2025: “We're killing all the right people, and we're cutting your taxes.” But the consequences are dire. The genocide in Gaza continues; a UN independent commission found that “Israel has killed 20,000 children and injured 44,000 more since 7 October 2023,” and determined that Israeli authorities committed genocide and atrocity crimes in Gaza. In Lebanon, Israeli air strikes continue to kill children and erase families. The war in Iran has resumed, and the Caribbean Sea is viewed as a lawless killing zone.
Graham's hawkish attitude is not a doctrine heading in the right direction; it is decades of failed foreign policy. Mourn him if you wish, but let's be honest about what he promoted. His fervent desire to project US and Israeli military might, regardless of cost, is an abject political and ethical failure. The longer this ideology lives on, the more peril we will all face.
