Since her election to Congress in 2018, Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar has emerged as one of the most important progressive leaders in contemporary US politics. She has used her considerable rhetorical skills to push for Medicare for All and a Green New Deal. She has championed legislation to cancel student loan debt and provide all school children with three meals a day. Last month, she endorsed Bernie Sanders for president.

But it is as a critic of US foreign policy that Omar has really stood out. She opposed the Trump administration’s attempts to foment a coup in Venezuela; skewered resurrected Reagan-era ghoul Elliott Abrams for his role in US-backed atrocities in Central America; harshly criticized Saudi autocracy, even calling for a boycott of the Hajj; stood on the side of Kashmiris under siege by the Indian government; signed congressional letters drawing attention to the human rights crisis in Brazil; and spoken up for the rights and basic humanity of Palestinians (still a controversial point in much of Washington).

For all of this, Omar has been hit with endless hatred and vitriol. President Trump has singled her out on social media and at rallies. House Democrats moved to censure her as an antisemite. Yet she has handled the death threats and bile with uncommon courage, righteous anger, and good humor. Instead of flinching from foreign policy minefields, Omar has taken bold stance after bold stance. Global affairs and the creation of a just international system are clearly near and dear to Omar’s heart.