Biden takes stock without censoring Israel’s massacre in Gaza while claiming to be “pushing hard” for a ceasefire

One of the most pro-Israel presidents the United States has ever had wants to be remembered as someone who “never” gave up to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. In his latest speech on foreign policy, Joe Biden stated that the Palestinians have lived through “a real hell.” He has done so using the passive form to avoid mentioning the subject who has perpetrated this “hell” that has left more than 45,000 Palestinians dead: Israel.

“So many innocent people have been killed, so many communities have been destroyed. The Palestinians deserve peace, the right to decide their future. “Israel deserves peace and real security,” the American president stated this Monday from the State Department. While Biden was taking stock of his foreign policy, negotiations to achieve a ceasefire and release the Israeli hostages captured by Hamas were making a final push. Last Tuesday, Donald Trump, the president-elect, threatened to turn the Middle East into “hell” if the hostages were not freed before his inauguration, next Monday, January 20.

“I have spoken by video with the prime minister [Benjamín Netanyahu]. Yesterday I spoke with Amir Qatar. I hope to visit Al Sisi soon [presidente egipcio]. “I am pushing hard to close this,” Biden added.

The president has highlighted his work to restore the role of the United States as a hegemonic power after the first term of Donald Trump, who broke with some of the traditional alliances. Faced with the imminent return of America First To the White House, Biden has wanted to strengthen his legacy as that of a president who never shied away from the supposed responsibility that the United States has on the international stage and who consolidated his strength thanks to alliances with other countries.

Restoring relations with allies in key regions, such as the Indo-Pacific, is what, according to Biden, allows him to leave the United States “stronger” in the face of external threats: Russia, Iran and China. “Our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker. “We have not gone to war to make these things happen,” said Biden, who claims to leave a better country in all fields: economic, military, diplomatic and technological.

Biden has also highlighted how he has managed to increase the contribution of allied countries to NATO: “Before he took office, nine NATO allies spent 2% of GDP on defense. Now 23 are doing it.” Although the increase in military spending by allies has been spurred by the war in Ukraine and fear that Trump will withdraw his support, Biden has scored it as a bit.

Russia’s inability to take control of Ukraine after starting the invasion in February 2022, according to Biden, shows how the United States has managed to weaken its enemies, although the alliance between Beijing and Moscow is in one of its best moments. “The forces [aliadas] We helped the Ukrainians stop Putin and now, almost three years later, Putin has failed to achieve any of his strategic goals. “It has failed so far to subjugate Ukraine, it has failed to break NATO unity, it has failed to make great territorial advances,” Biden insisted.

United States military support for kyiv has been crucial for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s men to contain the advance of Russian troops. The involvement of Washington and other NATO members in sending military and economic aid has also increased tension with Russia, which on several occasions has threatened to escalate the conflict. Last November, Biden authorized kyiv to use long-range missiles within Russian territory in order to strengthen its position in a possible negotiation with Moscow. In response, Putin changed his nuclear doctrine and increased the possibility of using nuclear weapons.

“I had two jobs: one to join the world in defending Ukraine, and the other to prevent a war between two nuclear powers. We achieved both,” Biden said, “Ukraine remains free. “We have laid the foundation for the next administration to protect the bright future of the people of Ukraine.” The Democrat has not even tried to ask Trump to follow in his footsteps. Although it remains to be seen if the Republican will actually withdraw aid to kyiv as he has promised or opt for another of his usual twists in the script.

Despite the expense that maintaining support for Zelensky entails for the US coffers, it also benefits him in many other aspects: more benefits for US military companies, wear and tear for a weakened Russia with the fall of Assad in Syria and focused European allies. to catch up with his contribution to NATO.

With Iran, Biden has said he cannot claim “full credit” for its weakening: “They have done a lot of damage to themselves, but Israel did a lot of damage to Iran and its allies.” Regarding China, the Democrat has taken advantage of the containment belt that he has been creating in the South Sea to prevent the advance of the Asian giant. “But even as we compete vigorously, we have managed our relationship with China responsibly so that it never escalates into a conflict. We have created lines of communication between President Xi [Jinping] and me, and between the leaders of our armed forces to avoid misunderstandings,” the Democrat noted.

The withdrawal from Afghanistan

The troop withdrawal from Afghanistan will likely be remembered as the Biden administration’s biggest foreign policy failure. Still, the Democrat has insisted that it was the right decision. “Today, I can also inform the American people that, for the first time in decades, a president is not leaving a war in Afghanistan to his successor,” Biden stressed, insisting that “it was time to end the war and bring in our troops home.”

In the summer of 2021, images of Afghans clinging to military planes trying to flee the country and the Taliban displaying abandoned American weapons were etched in the retinas of thousands of viewers. After 20 years of occupation, Biden had promised to end the United States’ longest war and assured that the Afghan army was capable of stopping the advance of the Taliban without the help of American troops.

Now Afghan women and girls once again live under Taliban terror. On this, Biden has not made any mention. For him, withdrawing troops has meant “being able to focus our energy and resources on our urgent challenges.” For a president who wanted to rescue the role of the United States as a safeguard of democracy and the liberal order, the human rights of these women are not “urgent.”