Punishing Allies, Rewarding Enemies: The Biden Agenda

"Mr. Biden just committed the most bumbling, tragic and incompetent major actions of an American president since the Bay of Pigs. The mangled, bungled, tragic, unspeakable incompetent withdrawal from Afghanistan is a massive humiliation of the world's preeminent power."

"Under Biden's tottering leadership, the U.S. has left its armaments, its high-tech helicopters, its base in Bagram -- $70 billion of weaponry by some cited estimates -- to a ragtag militia of fundamentalist Islamists."

"Worse, it has abandoned some of its citizens, shamed its own military, and left Afghan allies and the women and girls of that sad country to the fierce and revenge-hungry Taliban."

Rex Murphy, journalist, National Post

Joe Biden framed his election as a reset after four years of Donald Trump    EPA

 

The Biden administration lost no time after ascending the White House, in reversing course on many of its predecessor's moves. A predecessor whose habitual spontaneous decision-making often enough gave headaches to his own advisers and left the international community agape with trepidation over what was next. President Trump embarked on some initiatives that were questioned by America's allies, and his peremptory disregard for traditional alliances left those same allies confused and bemused. They hoped for a change in presidency.

When that occurred, no doubt a huge sigh of relief went the rounds that things would return to normal between the great, powerful United States of America and the rest of the world community. Among whom there was satisfaction when the Biden administration reversed the Trump administration's decision to take the U.S. out of the controversial Iran nuclear agreement. And while Donald Trump while president pledged to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, a decision that Joe Biden chose to continue, it was President Biden's precipitous withdrawal agenda with no contingency back-up and no thought to potential consequences resulting from the manner in which it was carried out that has thrown the country, its geographic neighbours and the Middle East into further disarray.

In an apparent nod to the recent Capitol riot, Biden said "we have fought for democracy ourselves"  Getty Images

 

The United States has become internally bitterly divided and confrontational. When Barack Obama was campaigning for the presidency he spoke positively of his intention to promote bipartisan, inclusive politics. What speedily resulted was a swift descent into division which has since then become more stark and alienating. There are now two versions of the American public weal and no view in sight of reconciliation. Democratic America has turned on itself. The forces of divisive politics strengthened with the election of self-styled 'progressives' for whom traditional conservative values are trash.

Relations with the nation with whom the U.S. shares the world's longest undefended border have become tense and fraught. In trade relations and cooperation as two advanced democracies the U.S. has chosen to abandon its traditional friendly relations with Canada, reacting in a hostile, offensive manner reflecting its new focus on "America First" policies, preferential to the more familiar convention of nation-to-nation mutual support that once seemed so durable.

"We've always gotten along very well. I think, however, I fear that much, this is not the same Joe Biden I knew 30 years ago. I think that his thought process and policy process was at the beginning taken over in large measure by the left wing of the Democratic Party. The Americans are now, with Prime Minister Trudeau, who has a good relationship with Biden, they are talking a good game but the Biden administration's actions have been fairly hostile with Canada so far in a number of important areas, including energy and pipelines."

Former Canadian Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney

Canadian oil has represented the largest source of oil imports to the United States, shipping over four million barrels per day of oil on average, with Russia and Mexico bringing up the  rear. The U.S. economy is reopening and surging post COVID lockeown and a shortage of fossil fuels has seen the average U.S. retail gasoline prices jump almost double its price per gallon from April 2020. President Biden is facing criticism for higher gas prices through the summer driving season.

Leading him to plead with OPEC for an increase in oil production to rescue the country from high fuel prices. This has occurred months following President Biden's cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta into the U.S.; the first impulsive move when he took the presidency from Donald Trump who had given it a green light after President Obama had cancelled it ostensibly for climate protection reasons at a time when U.S. coal production was sky-high.

"Keystone XL would have provided Americans with a stable source of energy from a trusted ally and friend", stated Alberta's Energy Minister. "The same U.S. administration that retroactively cancelled Canada's Keystone XL Pipeline is now pleading with OPEC & Russia to produce & ship more crude oil. This comes just as Vladimir Putin's Russia has become the 2nd largest exporter of oil to the U.S.", tweeted Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.

Challenged by environmentalists for over a decade, the pipeline was expected to pump 830,000 barrels a day of Albert crude to Nebraska, connecting to pipelines feeding refineries in Texas. The Biden administration revoked a presidential permit in January on assuming office. "Higher gasoline costs, if left unchecked, risk harming the ongoing global recovery", stated Jake Sullivan, President Biden's ational security adviser.

"America is back, diplomacy is back. [My administration will work toward] reclaiming our credibility and moral authority."

"As I said in my inaugural address, we will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s. American leadership must meet this new moment of advancing authoritarianism, including the growing ambitions of China to rival the United States and the determination of Russia to damage and disrupt our democracy." 

"I made it clear to President Putin, in a manner very different from my predecessor, that the days of the United States rolling over in the face of Russia’s aggressive actions — interfering with our elections, cyberattacks, poisoning its citizens — are over. We will not hesitate to raise the cost on Russia and defend our vital interests and our people.  And we will be more effective in dealing with Russia when we work in coalition and coordination with other like-minded partners."

"Investing in our diplomacy isn’t something we do just because it’s the right thing to do for the world.  We do it in order to live in peace, security, and prosperity. We do it because it’s in our own naked self-interest.  When we strengthen our alliances, we amplify our power as well as our ability to disrupt threats before they can reach our shores."

"We’ve taken steps to acknowledge and address systemic racism and the scourge of white supremacy in our own country. Racial equity will not just be an issue for one department in our administration, it has to be the business of the whole of government in all our federal policies and institutions."

Remarks by President Biden on America's Place in the World, February 4, 2021, The White House

President Biden's plan was to withdraw American troops by the deadline he set in agreement with the Taliban, U.S. negotiators meeting with negotiators of an Islamist terrorist group that the United States and other Western nations have on their list of prescribed terrorist entities as though they were equals  and to be treated as trusted adversaries. The meetings in Doha, Qatar took place with the Taliban's full knowledge that the U.S. was anxious to depart Afghanistan, and would agree to Taliban demands, themselves equally anxious to see the invading foreigners leave the country.

In this handout image provided by the U.K. Ministry of Defence, the British armed forces work with the U.S. military to evacuate eligible civilians and their families in Kabul out of the country. Seven civilians died in the chaos. (MoD /Getty Images)

The chosen date of 31 August, delighted the Taliban and alarmed American allies who pleaded with U.S. President Biden for extra time to extract vulnerable Afghans from a vengeful Taliban, but to no avail. Not only were U.S. allies in Afghanistan forced to scramble to evacuate as many Afghans who had worked with their troops and diplomatic missions as possible, but the U.S. military themselves were unable, given the time limitation, to rescue all of their own citizens stranded in Afghanistan, including aid workers and Afghans with links to the U.S. desperate to escape.

"The reason the Taliban wants to prevent these people from leaving is likely because they intend to punish them for their cooperation with the U.S."

"[If the Taliban really are using people as a bargaining chip, that] is unacceptable."

Mick Mulroy, former senior Pentagon official   New York Times, September 5, 2021

 

"[The Taliban were preventing six airplanes from leaving Afghanistan, effectively holding Americans hostage.] State has cleared these flights, and the Taliban will not let them leave the airport."

"[The problem is] turning into a hostage situation."

Representative Michael McCaul, Texas Republican, ranking member, House Foreign Affairs Committee

In this satellite image taken on September 3rd, planes can be seen near the main terminal of the airport in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan.  Credit...Maxar Technologies/Reuters