Biden’s Diplomatic Blunders - The President’s Failures in Foreign Policy May Spell Doom for his Administration
Opinion analysis by Johnny Achkar, Staff Writer
September 3rd, 2021
Many observers have stated that President Biden’s ascension to the presidency will manifest a third term for Obama. This may be true in some areas but inaccurate in others. These individuals point to the growing size of the welfare state and the increased dependence on government. However, what is most striking in President Biden’s erroneous foreign policy is that it resembles that of the man he served alongside as his vice president. Mr. Obama will be remembered for many things such as increasing national debt. Nonetheless, Obama’s foreign policy failures like his catastrophic intervention in Libya and the failure to curb the spread and growth of ISIS are mistakes that are being repeated under Mr. Biden with his failures to challenge China, assist Cuba and safely end the Afghan conflict. This may well cost him the presidency in 2024 (should he run).
Biden notably dismissed China as an economic giant and an equal rival during his presidential campaign in 2019, claiming that they were "not competitors." “China is going to eat our lunch?” he said dismissively. “Man, come on.” When the coronavirus outbreak swept the globe in 2020, Biden's tendency for bumbling China matters persisted. When former President Donald Trump proposed restricting travel from China to the United States, Biden spoke out against it, calling it "xenophobia" and "fear-mongering." Meanwhile, China deceived the entire globe about the virus outbreak's magnitude and timeliness, enlisting the help of the World Health Organization (WHO). Surprisingly, China even blamed the virus's spread on the US military. The Chinese, in fact, continue to refer to American military engagement to this day. Mr. Biden has also failed to confront China regarding its human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
The president has previously asked U.S. intelligence services to increase their efforts in identifying the origin of the Coronavirus. Nonetheless, China has remained obstructive, refusing to answer any further questions about the virus's origins in the country. The world has the right to know about the origins of this pandemic due to the sheer loss of human life and its economic impact. As the new disease moved asymptomatically through communities, physicians on the front lines were attacked from the start. New variants are spreading now, and they are continuing to modify the game. All of this is consistent with a virus that moved from a bat to a lab rather than a rat or a rabbit. President Biden must stand up to China and demand clear answers from the Xi Xinping.
It has been five weeks since thousands of Cubans took to the streets in unprecedented demonstrations against the country's 62-year-old communist dictatorship. A sharp economic fall has sparked the island's greatest protest movement in decades, with Cubans facing difficulties they have not seen since the collapse of the Soviet Union destroyed their country in the 1990s. Team Biden, on the other hand, is still struggling to define a policy that actively promotes the public demand for self-governance. It is enough to make one question whether regime change is a top goal for the administration. The White House's stance on remittances to the island, as well as the use of the Magnitsky Act to put sanctions on the regime's senior officials, may go a long way toward addressing those questions in the days and weeks ahead.
Prior to his election, Biden assured Cibercuba, an online opposition news site, that he would repeal Trump's remittance and travel restrictions, which he claimed had hurt Cubans and divided families. Cubans, however, are still waiting for real action to back up his pledges six months into his presidency. The people of Cuba are not only demanding freedom, they are also seeking medicine, jobs, decent wages, and basic household items. Simple statements by the president are not enough to deal with the situation. Firm non-military action needs to be taken. The situation in Cuba is deteriorating on a daily basis. Basic medications like penicillin and aspirin have ran short in hospitals and pharmacies. Blackouts have grown excruciatingly frequent and protracted. Cubans who are fortunate enough to have foreign cash queue for hours for basics like as beans and rice.
Only a few months after becoming president, John F. Kennedy authorized the catastrophic Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, for which he quickly took full responsibility. In Afghanistan, President Biden may have made the exact opposite error, leaving too quickly and ignoring the advice of his generals and the CIA as well as the advice of US allies. However, unlike Kennedy, Biden has mostly avoided accepting blame for the Afghan disaster. Mr. Biden’s decision has pushed the United States’ European allies and NATO to rethink the goal of the alliance after the president’s ‘unilateral’ Afghan exit. After President Trump's tumultuous term, European allies believed that Joe Biden's ascension to the US presidency would restore NATO's importance. The shambolic exit of the United States from Kabul has prompted a reassessment. A military departure of this magnitude generates chaos. “Chaos adds to the agony.” Latvia's defense minister, Artis Pabriks, told local radio. On Monday, UK defense minister Ben Wallace looked to be at the point of tears as he warned that some will not return from the war-torn country.’
The withdrawal from Afghanistan might serve as a warning lesson for NATO members who fail to recognize that US security guarantees are not always permanent. Beijing has already mocked the United States’ messy withdrawal and has threatened Taiwan. This has also affected President Biden’s approval rating at home, with some even considering the notion that he is unfit for office.
Mr. Biden needs to get things right with his foreign policy team. Even if he decides to be a one term president, he must not repeat the disastrous steps taken by the Obama administration. [ND(1] The president needs to resolve the issues at hand, such as those of human rights in Xinjiang, and meet the demands of the Cuban people. If we are to believe that ‘America is Back’, action needs to be taken.