This will be fully owned by President Biden and his National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
There is still time to change
People around the world are poking fun at America, yet the current administration seems eager to lay blame on congressional Republicans — an approach that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.
This political maneuvering underscores a stark reality: the America of yesteryear, revered and respected by the world, no longer exists.
“When you hear United States officials saying those [pro-Russia] things, what does it sound like to your ear?” Chess grandmaster Gary Kasporov expressed his shock. “I can’t believe my ears. I grew up in a world where America was a formidable force.”
German defense manufacturing company Rheinmetall took a quiet but loud shot at broken American promise.
Germans don’t have worry that they are alone in making fun of America. Canadians have stepped up too.
When asked about Canada’s effort to fulfill NATO’s 2% of GDP military spending targets, Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland responded:
In March, Canada sent $2 billion in urgent budget financing support to Ukraine at a time when the U.S. — and this is maybe something you could ask the U.S. ambassador about — at a time when the U.S. has been unable to step up and provide support for Ukraine. We were there to fill the gap.
OUCH.
Canada is not going to meet that target. So, when the interviewer asked about the spending, Canada’s Finance Minister dragged America into the discussion. Well, why not? Here we have the biggest spender, who is in hiding. We (Canadians) are out there helping, so what is the point of your question? That was her message within the message.
While some, like those mentioned above, have mocked the United States for failing in its duty, several political leaders around the world still believe they can persuade the current administration to recognize its actions — or rather, its lack thereof.
Poland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs reminded President Biden and House Speaker Johnson of America’s promise to Ukraine:
“The President of the United States went to Kyiv in wartime and assured the people of Ukraine and the President that the United States will do ‘whatever it takes’ to sustain Ukraine in its resistance against Russian agression.
That ‘whatever it takes’ surely includes anti-missiles, artillery and rockets to defend Ukrainian cities. I appeal again to Speaker Johnson to let democracy decide in the U.S. Congress to let this matter up for a vote so that the money and equipment can reach Ukraine
If it doesn’t, the Russians will do more destruction and the United States credibility will be at stake”.
In his address to Congress, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida emphasized the importance of the United States remaining true to its role on the global stage. He urged Americans not to doubt their nation’s indispensable role in world affairs, highlighting Tokyo’s commitment to historic military upgrades in support of its ally.
“I want to address those Americans who feel the loneliness and exhaustion of being the country that has upheld the international order,” Kishida said.
“The leadership of the United States is indispensable. Without U.S. support, how long before the hopes of Ukraine would collapse under the onslaught from Moscow? Without the presence of the United States, how long before the Indo-Pacific would face even harsher realities?”
Most European and international leaders avoid laying the problem at the President’s feet, but I doubt if they do not understand the reality: President Biden and his national security team are as unreliable as they come.
The current administration loves to hide behind the MAGA Republicans in Congress to escape accountability. But I find that effort as lame as the one mounted by Donald Trump. The former occupant of the White House, amidst the pandemic, blamed the blue states for the high number of Covid cases.
“So we’re down in this territory,” Trump said, pointing to a graph that the White House first unveiled in the spring which showed two estimated ranges of possible death tolls depending on efforts to slow the spread of the virus. “And that’s despite the fact that the blue states had had tremendous death rates. If you take the blue states out, we’re at a level that I don’t think anybody in the world would be at. We’re really at a very low level. But some of the states, they were blue states and blue state-managed.”
I never accepted Trump’s explanation for his failure to govern, and I will never accept President Biden’s explanation for his failure to stand up to naked aggression. President Biden keeps blaming the MAGA Republicans in Congress for throwing Ukraine to the wolves, but there are plenty of actions the President of America can take.
That is how powerful he is.
Take a look at the following:
Since 2013, Morocco has received equipment worth $478 million under DoD’s EDA program. This includes 222 M1A1 Abrams tanks, two C-130H aircraft, and 600 M113A3 Armored Personnel Carriers.
In FY 2018–22, the United States also authorized the permanent export of over $167 million in defense articles to Morocco via the Direct Commercial Sales process.
The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program allows the United States to provide military equipment, including weapons, to allied nations and partners without requiring congressional approval. This is just one of the many avenues the President of America can pursue to assist an ally. If utilized, he would not be the first President in U.S. history to support an ally during wartime without congressional approval.
What can Ukraine do with 200 M1 Abrams tanks and 600 M113A3s (armored personnel carriers)? The Pentagon did not publicly complain about the myriad of problems that come with operating Abrams tanks when they sent them to Morocco.
Pentagon officials said Abrams tanks are “too complex and expensive for the Ukrainians to operate, maintain and repair”. All those problems never crossed their minds when sending the tanks to Morocco, but suddenly became mainstream when sending them to Ukraine.
Their explanation mirrored that of the multiple rocket launchers. We almost overlooked the capabilities of the American-made HIMARS. President Biden and his team took a significant gamble that we would one day forget these systems’ potential to entirely alter the battlefield — and they have succeeded. No one even talks about HIMARS and ATACMS anymore. They have all given up.
Capable of hitting targets with pinpoint accuracy at a range of 300 kilometers, HIMARS and ATACMS are war-winning weapons.
So, to some extent, the effort to hide behind the MAGA Republicans has been a success for this administration. But it won’t last long.
The silent effort to fully leave the United States behind is already underway. America’s international partners are moving away, one by one.
I don’t think this is solely due to Trump and the MAGA Republicans. President Biden and his team also play a significant role. Europe sees both Trump and Biden, along with their actions, as indicative of American politics. So, what’s the point in sitting there with outstretched arms? It’s better to pack your bags and leave.
The day when NATO no longer listens or cares about the American president’s opinion is not far off.
When that occurs, I will hold only two men responsible: Biden and his team. They can continue to blame Trump indefinitely and for any reason they choose. But will that reconcile Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, or any other nation to America’s side? Will their blame game suffice to regain respect for the United States?
Will anyone in their right mind not be smart enough to suspect the next president when he claims he will do whatever it takes? My first question to him will be, under what conditions will you update it to whatever we can? The promise President made in Kyiv is going to hurt America for a very long time. Hiding behind Trump’s shoulders is not a great idea, because it is already not working.
Last week, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg asked the allies to “ensure reliable and predictable security assistance to Ukraine for the long haul”.
He wanted the allies to rely “less on voluntary contributions and more on NATO commitments. Less on short-term offers and more on multi-year pledges.”
Currently, allies send their Ukraine aid voluntarily through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, comprising 50 nations led by the United States. Instead of maintaining this voluntary system under the United States, the NATO chief proposed bringing the flow of aid under NATO’s command.
Reading between the lines isn’t that difficult.
And why not?
The United States leads the Ukraine defense contact group. When was the last time they sent their aid? At least in the first year, they sent a lot of low-end weapons in high quantity, but now even that supply has been halted.
So, what reason do people who continue to send billions of dollars in aid to thwart the Russian army have to sit and listen to the current administration? They are laying the groundwork to move on.
