Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has already slayed some dragons. On foreign policy, however, the Democratic candidate for New York’s 14th congressional district is wielding a dull sword. On a recent episode of PBS’ Firing Line, Ocasio-Cortez failed to explain comments she’d previously made about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Asked what she meant by “the occupation of Palestine,” she dodged the question, saying: “I am not the expert on geopolitics on this issue.” As one of the most prominent self-identified democratic socialists in American politics, her stumble seems at odds with the political affiliation she’s publicly claimed. The website of the Democratic Socialists of America, of which she is a member, says it views “the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and its inhumane siege of Gaza as the major barrier” to peace in the region.

It’s reasonable to assume that Ocasio-Cortez would be able to defend this relatively common position. But it’s become common in recent years for left-wing politicians to either botch or dodge foreign policy issues. During 2016’s Democratic presidential primary, Senator Bernie Sanders initially failed to articulate much of a foreign policy platform—a strange oversight given that his opponent, Hillary Clinton, was a former secretary of state and a former senator who’d supported the invasion of Iraq. Sanders didn’t put forward a clearer foreign policy vision until 2017. “Foreign policy must take into account the outrageous income and wealth inequality that exists globally and in our own country,” he said during a 2017 speech at Westminster College.

Sanders may have helped spur 2018’s unusual slate of left-leaning congressional candidates. But his recent foreign policy commitments—reducing military spending, choosing diplomacy over military intervention—haven’t always filtered into the midterm races. This isn’t necessarily unusual for congressional races; candidates of all persuasions tend to campaign on issues of immediate importance to potential constituents. When left-wing candidates have looked beyond American borders, they have often done so on immigration and trade. Ayanna Pressley, who is challenging Democratic Representative Mike Capuano in Massachusetts’s 7th congressional district, offers an extraordinarily detailed immigration platform on her website that includes defunding Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Randy Bryce, the viral star of Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, similarly calls for abolishing ICE and the passage of a clean DREAM Act.

Midterm elections, when there are no national candidates on the ballot, may not be the best stage to premiere a cogent left-wing foreign policy doctrine. But midterms are also necessarily referendums on the White House, especially during a new presidency and especially in the Trump era. The president has: announced the U.S. will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate accord; launched a trade war against China and imposed tariffs on allies like Canada and Mexico; restricted travel from several Muslim-majority countries; rolled back Obama’s Cuba opening; recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital; alternated between nuclear threats and diplomacy with North Korea; and consistently defended Russia. On Sunday, he threatened to shut down the government later this year if he doesn’t receive funding for his border wall.

Which is to say, foreign policy isn’t just an important issue ahead of the 2020 presidential election, but right now. Candidates like Ocasio-Cortez, if she wins the general election in her heavily Democratic district, may find themselves in control of the House of Representatives—in a position, in other words, to exert some influence over the president. That makes the left’s foreign policy vacuum all the more glaring.