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Joe Biden reacts to Kabul attack that killed 60 Afghans, 13 US troops and more

At least 60 people were killed in twin suicide bombings outside the Kabul airport on Thursday evening. Thousands have flocked the airport as they try to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

The attack came just hours after some Western governments warned of a probable terror strike near the Kabul airport and requested people to stay away from the area. The attack also killed 13 US troops leaving other American military wounded. Reacting on the attack, US President Joe Biden vowed to hunt down those responsible.

“To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm notice, we will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Thursday.

ISIS struck the crowded gates of Kabul airport in a suicide bomb attack on Thursday, killing scores of civilians and at least 13 U.S. troops, disrupting the airlift of tens of thousands of Afghans desperate to flee. Hours after the twin blasts, a third explosion was reported by news agency AFP while unconfirmed reports said there may have been more.

US president Joe Biden, in his White House address following the Kabul attacks, asked for a moment of silence to honour the fallen service members, bowing his head, and ordered US flags to be flown half-staff across the country. “We have some reason to believe we know who they are… not certain,” Biden said while referring to the bombers and gunmen involved in the attack.

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Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin met in a much awaited US-Russia summit

Biden -Putin meeting

On June 16, the 18th century Swiss Villa in Geneva witnessed a very crucial meeting, which is particularly important in matters related to global balance of power. US president Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for the first time in a summit in the Lakeside Villa de la Grange.

During their summit in Geneva Biden told Putin that his agenda “is not against Russia” but that the United States will always speak out on human rights.

The case of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny and two “wrongly imprisoned” Americans held in Russia was also raised by the US president during his meeting with Putin. Prior to the summit, the issue of poisoning and imprisonment of Alexei Navalny was indeed speculated to be on the agenda. Meanwhile, Russia stressed the issue to be an internal matter. During the summit, Putin deflected questions about treatment of dissidents in Russia.

The meeting was described as a professional one rather than a personal one.

Biden underscored that he had told Putin that the countries need to have some basic rules of the road that all can abide by. Putin termed his relationship with Biden “pragmatic”. Following their conversation in Geneva, Putin also praised the American president’s values during a news conference. The Russian President described Biden as a very constructive, balanced, and experienced partner. Putin also appreciated that he and the POTUS “spoke the same language”.

Body language analysts said that the pictures of the handshake and the meeting showed that Putin wants to be in the global attention during the summit.

Also Read: Trends in Foreign Policy of post-Cold-War US -where Joe Biden might fit in

It was the first time that the Russian president has travelled outside Russia, in his trip to Geneva, Switzerland. This trip came after more than a year in response to Covid19-pandemic.

The meeting occurred at a time when both countries consider the US-Russia relations to be at all-time low. The location of the summit is a reminder of the cold-war era 1985 meeting of Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. That the US-Russia relations are an all-time low is evinced by the fact that neither of the countries has an ambassador in-country. In this regard, Biden & Putin have agreed to return their ambassadors to their respective posts in Washington and Moscow.

Also Read: Helsinki talks between US and Russia provide the hope to reboot the New START treaty in nuclear arms control

The expectations out of this meeting were limited and regarding making limited tangible progress. But, there were certain pleasant surprises that came out of the summit. After the meeting, US president said that he had a “positive” tone during the meeting, while asserting that US is not against Russia. While on the other hand, Putin described his talks with Biden as “quite constructive”.  Biden had earlier stated that he would work with Putin to sort out what lies in the mutual interests of both the countries, while an US official had earlier stated that big deliverables cannot be expected out of this meeting. The outcome of the talks was expected to be interesting given that Biden had earlier called Vladimir Putin “a killer”, and that he was told that “Putin without soul”.

The meeting has been seen as a test of wills, leadership, diplomatic skills, and mettle to manage the international relations between the two former cold war belligerents.  Both of the leaders have years of experience in handling diplomacy, global relations and participation of the respective countries on international platforms and alliances.  Hence, this summit is especially important as the relations between US and Russia are at an all-time low since the end of cold war & fall of USSR.

Biden’s analysts had earlier cautioned him against falling into the trap of resetting the relations during this summit. This trap had allegedly caught hold of the previous US presidents. But, Joe Biden has been reportedly staying clear of the ‘trap of reset’, with decades of experience to back him up.

Also Read: The plausible link between Abraham accords and the Afghanistan peace process

Though there has been refusal about resetting of ties, especially after the discovery of Russian links behind meddling in US election, it is expected that there might be a diplomatic truce in the lengthy diplomatic war.

The US-Russia summit came at the tail-end of Joe Biden’s first foreign trip as US president, where he met world leaders at G7 summit and NATO meet.

A multitude of things were present on the platter of agenda for the talks during the summit meeting between the two Presidents. Prominent among them were the issues of Russian meddling in US election and the cyber-attacks allegedly originating in Russia. In this regard, Biden asked Putin about the Ransomware cyber-attacks. US has many concerns regarding Russia that were expected to be discussed in the meeting, which include apprehensions related to human rights in Russia. The summit also touched upon the issue of arms control, on which there is a possibility of a follow-up meeting.

Also Read: Russia-China Relations- Shanghai Cooperation Organization-implications for India in current times

US was also expected to ask Russia to not close the only corridor of entry into Syria through Turkey. That entry point at Bab-al Hawa leads into North-West Syria, bringing UN aid to an almost starved population. After the Crimean annexation, Russia has turned into thorn of eyes for most western powers, especially US. In this regard, the idea of Ukraine joining into NATO is bothering Russia, which might have shown up during the summit. It is worthwhile to note that well before the summit began, Ukraine had rejected to use any recommendations coming out of the US-Russia meet. The country, a former constituent republic under USSR, is currently at war with Russia-backed separatists.

Given their differences on various global issues, US and Russia have shared barbs and criticisms. In this regard, Biden has earlier reportedly recognised Putin as bright, tough and a worthy adversary, which is surprising. Meanwhile, in a manner of charm offensive, Russian TV had reportedly praised the elderly Biden for making it down the stairs of his plane without falling down. Apart from that, well before the summit, Russia has included US in its official list of “unfriendly states”, in a show of distrust.

Also Read: Evolution of the US–Syria relations-from Reagan years to Biden year-where is it headed

Prior to the summit, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov had suggested that there was not much ground for optimism. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin Spokesperson had earlier stated that the talks would be very difficult. On American side, an official stated that there would be no breaking of breads, meaning that there would be no official meals between the two leaders. But, the outcome of the summit can be considered as a step forward in the right direction, as perceived from the responses of Biden and Putin.

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US public health experts seek information from China; relying too much on intelligence community can be problematic

Dr_Anthony_Fauci_AP

The incident where some miners and researchers fell ill in a bat cave in the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan, is haunting China again. US based researchers have claimed that medical records of those miners and the researchers could throw light on whether the Coronavirus was circulating in other regions among wildlife before it hit Wuhan. Hence, US researchers are urging China to share medical records of those people who had visited bat caves in 2012 and 2019.

This development comes close on heels after US President Joe Biden has ordered the US intelligence community to dig out about the origin of SARS-CoV-2, how it arrived in Wuhan and also examine the lab-leak theory.

Also Read: What can India learn from the Tenth man principle

President Biden’s chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci stated that the medical records could throw light on the exact origin of the causative virus behind Covid19 pandemic. He added that it is entirely possible that the origins of SARS-CoV-2 were in the cave and the virus either started spreading naturally or went through the lab.

Dr. Fauci had earlier stated that he believes that the virus originated naturally, but he was not 100% certain about that.

After the order given by President Biden and the statements given by former MI6 boss on the origins of Covid19, former US President Trump went all vocal in reiterating his stance on the origin of Covid19. He declared that he was right about the China virus coming from Wuhan Lab. He said, “Now everyone, even so-called “enemy”, are beginning to say that President Trump was right about China virus coming from Wuhan Lab.”

Also See: Cyber warfare from China-part-II

An increasing number of national governments and scientists are calling for further investigation on the origin of Covid19. China vehemently rejects the idea that Covid-19 originated on its territory and the idea of the lab-leak theory.

Many scientists have opined that uncovering the origin of the virus is important for better understanding the risk levels of different human behaviours and preventing the next outbreak.

A U.S. intelligence report has suggested that several researchers at a prominent Wuhan lab studying bat coronaviruses became ill in November 2019. This has made the “accidental lab transmission” a more credible hypothesis for some.

It is worthwhile to note that Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) was the first in China to achieve the highest level of bio-containment, known as Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4). An incident one year prior to the outbreak paints an opposite picture. Some U.S. diplomats visited the lab in 2018. They had raised deep concerns about vulnerabilities, including shortages of sufficiently trained technicians and investigators.

Also See: Cyber warfare from China-part-I

The China-WHO cooperation on Covid19 has been worth observation. In January 2021, a delegation of WHO scientists had travelled to Wuhan for a four-week joint study with Chinese counterparts. The international team followed many lines of investigation. Natural zoonotic transmission was the most likely among several possibilities of infection-transmission. But scientists are yet to find samples of SARS-CoV-2 in any animals thought to be a possible host.

Public health experts around the world stated that uncovering how this pandemic started can help prevent the next one. A clear understanding of how a virus makes its way to humans is very crucial epidemiologically. It sheds light on the risks associated with different societal behaviours. These include various forms of human-animal interaction, such as farming, herding, and selling animals, as well as scientific research in the field or in laboratories.

Also See: New mutants of Coronavirus

Finding out the virus’s origin in humans improves the scientific understanding of how such viruses work, particularly how they move and change across species. Experts in virology, diseases and public health are already urging governments to make major investments to detect future epidemic threats. An independent task force of the think-tank cum publisher “Council of foreign relations” has recommended an integrated network of national epidemic surveillance systems.

The heavy economic toll that comes with major health crises has been demonstrated by this pandemic. The cost of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States alone would amount to at least $16 trillion, as estimated by Harvard University economists, in late 2020.

Also Read: Invisible and enigmatic scare the most

Over-reliance on intelligence community

WH has recently released a statement on the investigation into the origins of COVID-19. The report is composed of a little more than 300 words. In the report, “Intelligence Community” (IC) is mentioned six times, but no trace of “science” can be found.

This shows the more than needed favouring inclination given by the government towards the intelligence community. In this regard one must not forget what had happened in the invasion of Iraq, 2003, where the country was accused of having WMDs. That led to deaths of civilians and collapses of families. The so-called evidence behind the intelligence of alleged possession of WMDs was merely a bottle of detergent. That proved beyond doubt that the agency which had successfully hunted down OBL had erred in the case of Iraqi WMD scenario.

Therefore, placing entire responsibility of tracing the origins of Covid19 on the shoulders of the gentlemen of Langley can be a bit far-fetched. The better approach would be to take inputs of the experts in public health, virology, medicine, biocontainment, genetics, viral phylogeny, Viral BRN while analysing the intel-data gathered in the field by sleuths.

Placing the responsibility solely on the intelligence community can hamper the international cooperation on tracing the origin of Covid19, which is exactly what is needed at this moment.

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US President Joe Biden announced vaccine distribution plans; Kamala Harris dialed New Delhi

U.S. President Biden

In a press briefing held on Thursday, US President Joe Biden announced the vaccine distribution plan. He announced the first details of the US sending 80 million Covid19 vaccines overseas with the stated aim of “ending the pandemic globally.”

The President stated that US will donate 75% of its unused vaccines against Covid19 to the UN-backed COVAX facility, which is facilitating distribution of vaccine to all people across the world.

The White House stated that out of the first tranche of 25 million doses, about 19 million will go to the COVAX, with around 6 million allocated for  South and Central America, 7 million allocated for Asia and 5 million for Africa. In Africa, US would be working in coordination with the African centre for Disease control and prevention. White House further stated that the remaining doses, just  over  6 million, will be shared directly with countries experiencing surges and other partners and neighbours including Canada, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Gaza, Ukraine, Kosovo, Haiti, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, India as well as for United Nations frontline workers.

Also Read: Trends in US foreign policy- which archetype might Biden fit in

The US administration led by Joe Biden has been under a lot of pressure to provide vaccines and other necessary aid to various nations that have been hard-hit by the pandemic. Experts and observers from various organizations and countries have implored US administration to provide such hard-hit nations with its abundant supply of vaccines. At a White House briefing, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that some of the initial doses would go to India, Gaza and the West Bank and other nations and areas facing crises.

In the statement, Biden stated that the first 25 million of the vaccines would be given to lay the ground for increased global coverage. White House pointed out that it aims to share 80 million doses globally by June-end, mostly through Covax. It added that 25% of the nation’s excess will be kept in reserve for emergencies and for the US to share directly with allies and partners.

President Biden added in the statement that as long as the pandemic is raging anywhere in the world, American people will still be vulnerable. He further added that US is committed to bringing the same urgency to international vaccination efforts that has been demonstrated inside US.

Also Read: The plausible link between the Abraham Accords & the Afghan peace process

NSA Jake Sullivan added that US will retain the say on where the doses distributed through Covax ultimately go.

Sullivan said, “We are not seeking to extract concessions, we are not extorting, we are not imposing conditions the way that other countries who are providing doses are doing; we are doing none of those things.”

He further added, “These are doses that are being given, donated free and clear to these countries, for the sole purpose of improving the public health situation and helping end the pandemic.”

Statement given by Biden also stressed that his administration supports temporary waiving of intellectual property rights for Covid19 vaccines.

Also Read: After he leaves the office Trump may be missed in the Middle-East-the testing ground for Biden’s foreign policy

In separate calls with Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador, President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago, US Vice President Kamala Harris informed that the countries will be receiving vaccine doses, beginning June-end. In the coming week, Vice president Harris would be visiting Guatemala and Mexico.

Many countries have requested vaccine doses from the United States. But till now, only Mexico and Canada have received a combined 4.5 million doses.

US administration also announced plans to share enough vaccine shots with South Korea to vaccinate its 550000 troops who are serving alongside American service members on the peninsula. One million shots of Jansen vaccine manufactured by Johnson & Johnson have been shipped to South Korea, on Thursday, said White House Covid19 coordinator Jeff Zients.

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Assurances from Biden and Harris to provide assistance to India in tackling the pandemic

Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris

After a chat between the NSAs of India and US, the US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have assured India and its people of providing all assistance, including urgently sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment, to help the country combat the deadly coronavirus crisis. India has been witnessing more than 300,000 daily cases of infection for the fifth straight day.  Many observed that the decision from Biden and Harris came after they were slammed across the social, political, and business spectrum for perceived indifference to India’s situation of the pandemic.

Joe Biden said in a tweet, “Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need.”

The US President was spending his weekend at his home in Delaware but is believed to be following up the developments in India.

Vice President Kamala Harris said in a tweet, “The US is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming COVID-19 outbreak. As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of India -including its courageous healthcare workers.”

Also See: New mutants of Coronavirus

In February, the United States had invoked the Defense Production Act, which gives the power to control the distribution of products, to curb the export of raw materials critical for vaccine production.

India’s EAM had raised the matter with secretary of state Antony Blinken when they spoke on April 19. The same was also taken up in Washington by Indian envoy Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

However, the US defended the curbs saying that the Biden Administration’s priority is to meet the vaccine requirements of the American people.

At that time, US state department spokesperson Ned Price had pointed to arrangements between the US and the members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad on vaccine production, including increasing production capacity in India, but did not say whether or when the US would ease curbs on export of vaccine raw materials.

Also Read: Issues faced by India in dealing with Covid 19 resurge- Is it too late to contain the Second Wave

American pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc., in November last year had cut short its vaccine production target by half, citing a shortage of raw material. Pfizer, which is producing mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, had earlier planned to roll out over 1.2 billion shots in 2021 but reduced the target by half due to raw material shortage in the United States and Europe.

The revised target was a major hindrance to Biden’s poll promise of administering 100 million vaccination shots in his first 100 days in office. The US government has purchased 600 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from both Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc., which will be delivered in regular increments through the end of July 2021. In order to accelerate vaccine production, the Biden administration decided to invoke the Defense Production Act for the short term.

Indian Appeal

The matter of provision of vaccines was taken up by Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu soon after the Defense Production Act was invoked by President Joe Biden in February. EAM also raised it with secretary of state Antony Blinken when they spoke last week. The US side has promised to “give the matter due consideration” and to work with India to “find appropriate solutions”, according to the people cited above.

The decision by Biden and Harris comes close on heels to the call between the NSAs of the two countries and a request from the CEO of SII to the US President.

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Ahead of Tokyo Olympics, North Korea test-fires missiles raising tensions

north korea

North Korea test-fired its first ballistic missiles since President Joe Biden took office on Thursday, as it expands its military capabilities and increases pressure on Washington while nuclear negotiations remain stalled.

The projectiles were launched on North Korea’s east coast and are believed to have landed in the sea outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, officials in Tokyo said.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the launches threaten “peace and safety in Japan and the region,” and that Tokyo will closely coordinate with Washington and Seoul on the North’s testing activities.

The launches came a day after US and South Korean officials said the North fired short-range weapons presumed to be cruise missiles into its western sea over the weekend.

North Korea is banned from developing any ballistic missiles under UN Security Council resolutions, and is under multiple international sanctions over its weapons programmes.

The United States pulled back on some joint military exercises with South Korea while the North froze intercontinental ballistic missile tests.

“North Korea appears to be returning to a familiar pattern of using provocations to raise tensions and garner attention,” said Jean Lee of the Wilson Center in Washington.

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US-China relations: Secretary of State Antony Blinken presented a stronger posture with China

US-China-flags

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that China will be held accountable by the US for its abuses of the international system. The point was made as he was speaking to his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. Blinken also raised with Jiechi the issue of human rights violations in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong. This reflects the bold foreign policy posture taken by US under Joe Biden.

Also Read: Australian Strategic Policy Institute finds out about detention camps in China

The two leaders, Blinken & Jiechi spoke, in what was the first conversation between the top officials since President Joe Biden took office on January 20.

US countering China

Secretary Blinken stressed that the United States will continue to stand up for human rights and democratic values, including in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong. This is reflective of the Wilsonian spirit in the Foreign Policy stance under Biden. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a readout of the call, that Blinken also pressed China to join the international community in condemning the military coup in Burma (Myanmar).

China has faced severe criticism, in recent years from western countries over human rights violations in Tibet. Persistent reports of the mass detention of Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang have cornered China over the issue, and attracted scathing criticisms from multiple parties.

China has also ramped up a crackdown in Hong Kong after imposing a new law against subversion following major protests in the city.

Ned Price added that during the call, Blinken reaffirmed that the United States will work together with its allies and partners in defence of their shared values and interests to hold China accountable for its efforts to threaten stability in the Indo-Pacific , including across the Taiwan Strait, and its undermining of the rules-based international system.

Blinken tweeted, “In my call with my counterpart in Beijing, I made clear the US will defend our national interests, stand up for our democratic values, and hold Beijing accountable for its abuses of the international system.”

Apart from human rights issues, US is seeking to involve and engage China in talks that can result in bringing the latter in a Nuclear treaty aimed at limiting and reducing the nuclear armaments. The New START treaty is being considered as the platform on which China can be integrated into the disarmament and arms limitation talks. Robert Wood is the US ambassador to the UN in Geneva, & the US Commissioner for the New START treaty’s bilateral consultative Commission. Few days back, Wood, in a speech to the Conference on Disarmament, a body sponsored by the UN, with Russian & Chinese ambassadors in attendance, called for a treaty which would “cover more weapons, and eventually more countries.”

In another geographical theatre, almost all of the 1.3 million square-mile South China Sea is claimed by China as its sovereign territory and the Red Dragon has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Especially during and after the Covid19 outbreak, the tensions in the South China Sea have increased between China & US, with navies of both the countries carrying out exercises in the disputed region. The SCS region also stands as testing bed for the defence angle of Biden’s foreign policy given it has close links with rivals of China in the region.

Chinese challenge for US in the Middle-East

Gradual increase in the involvement of China in the middle-east is also a cause of concern for the West, especially the US under the leadership of Biden and Blinken.  US has managed to keep China at bay in the context of the deepening relation between Israel and UAE after the signing of the Abraham Accords. It has been able to distance China from the development of the Haifa and Ashdod ports or Israel’s 5G network.

This does not mean a complete absence of China from the port development works in Israel or ME in general. The vaccine diplomacy by China through the placement of its Covid19 vaccine Sinopharm is also a cause of concern for the Biden-led US coming out of the cocoon Trump had put around the American diplomacy. Pfizer vaccine requires -70 degree Celsius while the Sinopharm vaccine needs 2-8 Degrees Celsius for cold storage, which gives an advantage to China to place its vaccine in the ME. And, the outgoing & aggressive health diplomacy adopted by China when Trump cut-off US from the world vaccine efforts & the WHO, had made the vaccine game tougher for US. China had prioritized UAE over others in giving away doses of Sinopharm vaccine. Choosing of UAE by China is unsurprising as the Arab state is now getting cold-shoulders from US especially in the context of the conflicts in the region like the Yemeni Civil War.

Certainly, all of these might be playing on the minds of the policy wonks in the current WH under Biden.

Also Read: After he leaves the office Trump may be missed in the Middle-East-the testing ground for Biden’s foreign policy

US withdrawal of support from Yemeni War

Biden administration in its stance to protect human rights has recently withdrawn its support in the Yemen war, in the Arabian Peninsula, including relevant arms sales. In this regard, the WH has suspended arms sale to Saudi Arabia and has put the arms-sales to the UAE under review. Biden had also stated that the USAID would ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the Yemenis who are on the brink of starvation in the worst man-made humanitarian crisis.

As a part of diplomatic rapport building, Antony Blinken, after being sworn in as the Secretary of State, has spoken over the phone with nearly 30 of his counterparts from various parts of the world. He also spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on January 29, during which the two leaders reaffirmed the growing bilateral partnership between the two countries.

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Antony Blinken, a long term Biden confidant confirmed as the Secretary of the State by the US Senate

Antony Blinken

The US Senate, on Tuesday, confirmed Antony Blinken as America’s top diplomat, tasked with carrying out President Joe Biden’s commitment to reverse the Trump administration’s “America First” doctrine that weakened international alliances.

Senators voted 78-22 to approve Blinken, a longtime Biden confidant, as the nation’s 71st secretary of State, succeeding Mike Pompeo. The position is the most senior Cabinet position, with the secretary fourth in the line of presidential succession.

Blinken, 58, served as deputy secretary of State and deputy national security advisor during the Obama administration. He has pledged to be a leading force in the administration’s bid to reframe the U.S. relationship with the rest of the world after four years in which President Trump questioned longtime alliances. Blinken is expected to start work on Wednesday after being sworn in, according to State Department officials.

“American leadership still matters,” Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at his January 19 confirmation hearing. He further added, “The reality is, the world simply does not organize itself. When we are not engaged, when we are not leading, then one of two things is likely to happen. Either some other country tries to take our place, but not in a way that is likely to advance our interests and values, or maybe just as bad, no one does and then you have chaos.”

Also Read: Trends in US foreign policy- which archetype might Biden fit in

Blinken vowed that the Biden administration would approach the world with both humility and confidence, saying, “We have a great deal of work to do at home to enhance our standing abroad.” Despite promising renewed American leadership and an emphasis on shoring up strained ties with allies in Europe and Asia, Blinken told lawmakers that he agreed with many of Trump’s foreign policy initiatives. He backed the so-called Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states, and a tough stance on China over human rights and its assertiveness in the South China Sea. He did, however, signal that the Biden administration was interested in bringing Iran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal from which Trump withdrew  in 2018.

Also Read: The plausible link between the Abraham Accords & the Afghan peace process

Trump’s secretaries of State nominees met with significant opposition from Democrats. Trump’s first nominee for the job, former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, was approved by a 56 to 43 vote and served only 13 months before Trump fired him by tweet. His successor, Pompeo, was confirmed in a 57-42 vote. Opposition to Blinken centred on Iran policy and concerns among conservatives that he would abandon Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.

Blinken inherits a deeply demoralized and depleted career workforce at the State Department. Neither Tillerson nor Pompeo offered strong resistance to the Trump administration’s attempts to gut the agency, which were thwarted only by congressional intervention. Although the department escaped proposed cuts of more than 30% of its budget for three consecutive years, it has seen a significant number of departures from its senior and rising midlevel ranks. Many diplomats opted to retire or leave the Foreign Service given limited prospects for advancement under an administration that they believed did not value their expertise.

A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School and a longtime Democratic foreign policy presence, Blinken has aligned himself with numerous former senior national security officials who have called for a major reinvestment in American diplomacy and renewed emphasis on global engagement.

Blinken has served on the National Security Council during the Clinton administration before becoming staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when Biden was chair of the panel. In the early years of the Obama administration, Blinken returned to the NSC and was then-Vice President Biden’s national security advisor before he moved to the State Department to serve as deputy to the then Secretary of State John Kerry, who is now serving as special envoy for climate change.

(Associated Press)

 

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Biden takes over as the 46th President of the USA and begins the end of Trump’s legacy

President-elect Joe Biden

After all the storm created by the insurrection at the US capitol on January 06, the world witnessed the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-president Kamala Harris.

Senior US senator from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar began the inauguration ceremony. The function of the inauguration was carried out following full measures of social distancing, using masks, and regular applying of sanitizers at the podium in the context of the pandemic. In the function, the US National Anthem was performed by Lady Gaga.

Joe Biden, apart from being the oldest President, is also the second Roman catholic President of the US after JFK. Kamala Harris is the first woman of colour, and the first South-Asian American to hold the office of Vice President.

As a fallout of the insurrection, the departure ceremony of Trump was unceremonious at best, where he was described as looking small (in terms of his actions as President) by speakers at CNN, while he was leaving the WH for the last time on Marine One. The CNN also highlighted that Trump was leaving in disgrace after two impeachments.

Inauguration highlights

The inauguration speech of the 46th President Joe Biden set the tone for his tenure. Biden, at the beginning of his empathic speech, stated that it was a time for history, a time for hope, for rejoice, & for healing. He, in clear words, called out for unity among all Americans.  In his speech, he also stated that it is okay to have disagreements and stressed that people cannot have hatred based on the differences of race, colour, ethnicity, or in the ways in which people worship. He specifically underlined what is American, that is opportunity. He said that it is necessary to counter the domestic issues, pointing to the insurrection of January 06 by Trump supporters and the White supremacists. Biden also stressed that it is okay to have disagreements and differences and that disagreements should not lead to disunion. He stated that he would be the President for all the Americans irrespective of whether they supported him or opposed him. He also underlined that America has never ever failed when it has worked united. On the front of the foreign policy, he stated that alliances would be rebuilt and that America will not lead by the example of its power but by the power of its example.

Also Read: Which archetype of US foreign policy might Biden follow

Immediately after taking over the office of the POTUS, Biden began a swift reversal of the legacy of Trump through executive orders.  He began undoing the pandemic response, the environmental agenda, the immigration policies, the economic policies, and many other actions of Trump which had drawn criticisms from observers across the board in the US & around the world.

Actions taken by Biden on Day 01 & other plans

Biden signed the order for the US to rejoin the Paris climate accord. The new administration is not interested in compromise but in the erasure of the works by Trump which had caused lots of damage on the domestic and international fronts. Seventeen executive orders were on the desk for Biden to work on in a blitz move directed to reverse the Trump-time actions. Biden also ended Trump’s travel ban on the predominantly Muslim and African countries. Highlighting the urgency of immediate actions, Biden said, “I thought with the state of the nation today, there is no time to waste. Get to work immediately. There is no time to start like today.” Biden also signed an order for the US to rejoin the WHO and become a part of the global vaccine efforts.

The newly inaugurated president moved to reverse four years of harsh restrictions and mass deportation with a plan for sweeping legislation on citizenship. Biden has also issued executive orders reversing some of former President Trump’s immigration policies, such as halting the work on a U.S.-Mexico border wall. He also ordered his Cabinet to work to keep deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of people brought to the U.S. as children. Many undocumented immigrants (around 11 million), are pinning hopes with enhanced optimism on Biden’s plan to provide a path to US citizenship.

The recently inaugurated President also issued an executive order on a range of environmental concerns including halting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. In another step acting as a relief to countless students, Biden directed the Department of Education to extend the suspension of federal student loan payment and interests till October 01.

According to the policy that Biden had laid out during his campaign, his administration aims to restore the full federal tax credit for electric vehicle purchases. In addition to giving automakers like General Motors and Tesla tax credits once again, (the two exhausted theirs at the start of 2020) the Biden administration will also pursue direct-consumer rebates to encourage American car buyers to swap out fossil-fuel-powered cars for zero-emission vehicles.

Joe Biden, however, wants the federal government to set an example. As part of the administration’s Buy American campaign, Biden plans to include new government fleet vehicle purchases in a $400 billion procurement investment for American-made goods. This should encourage US businesses to adopt electric fleet vehicles, as well, and will include a proposal to convert all 500,000 US school buses to battery power by the end of this decade.

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After he leaves the office Trump may be missed in the Middle-East-the testing ground for Biden’s foreign policy

In the aftermath of the US capitol storming, Trump became the first President in the history of the US to be impeached twice after the House of Representatives accused him of inciting violence based on false claim of election fraud. Though his trial remains to be completed in Senate, he will be replaced by Joe Biden on January 20, after inauguration. In this backdrop, some regional players in the Middle-East would miss him or rather his transactional attitude to international relations. In contrast to other Presidents of US, his approach has been identified as Trumpism by many scholars, who identify it by it’s chaotic nature and unpredictable ways. Many a times, his team at the Press meets would be caught off guard during his announcements which would take the world of diplomacy by storm.

Developments in Middle-East

Since the year 2011, the Middle East had seen a resurgence of the Political Islam. Over the past four years, the US had withdrawn itself from the theatre in the Middle-East, driven by an inward looking & deal-making approach of Trump. Israel had tied up with most of the Arab world. It had opened diplomatic relations with the UAE through the Abraham Accords. The Egypt and the Gulf Arabs are trying to be done with the Political Islam, while Russia is trying to increase its influence in the region due to the relative withdrawal of the US from the role of a mediator. Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had his own way in dealing with his rivals in the Middle-East. The Oil rich region of Marib in Yemen currently in the control of the Saudi-led coalition, is being looked on by the Houthis. The UAE has been pushing the Houthis from the South of Yemen. The civil war in Yemen has resulted in a hunger of catastrophic scale, but is providing leverage to Saudi-Arabia and the UAE, and with no interference from US, it stands to benefit the other regional players like UAE in terms of military stronghold.

Also Read: Link between Abraham Accords and Afghan Peace Process

Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey got rid of the Kurds, who had helped in the defeat of ISIS, but was dumped by US under Trump and Turkey. The only involvement of the US in the region has been with respect to provision of arms.

Weapon-deals & the case of Khashoggi

In 2017, a $ 110 billion deal was sealed between the Saudi-Arabia and the US by the involvement of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. As part of the Abraham Accords, the UAE had purchased $23 billion worth of advanced drones & F-35fighter jets from US. Apart from these, Trump had not allowed for justice efforts to investigate the death of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate at Istanbul.  That Khashoggi was opposed to and critical of the Saudi involvement in the Yemeni civil war is widely known. In November 2018, the CIA had concluded that the journalist was assassinated on the order of Mohammed Bin Salman, the King of Saudi Arabia. Even while, Turkey had criticized the attack on Khashoggi, Trump administration left the region in a chaos with each player including Turkey to fend for itself.

Other crises in the ME

The transactional nature of Trump has left Middle-east with new problems, with Russia, Turkey and UAE looking to increase influence over Africa. On a slightly brighter side, the Syrian Civil war came to an endpoint with a ceasefire deal between Turkey and Russia. But another impeding problem in the region is whether Lebanon or Iraq would go broke first.

In 2019, the public debt-to-gross domestic product of Lebanon was the third highest in the world and the unemployment stood at 25% with a nearly a third of the population living below the poverty line. In 2020, it was observed, that in Lebanon, the central bank was running a Ponzi scheme of sorts, by borrowing from the commercial banks at above the market interest rates in order to pay back its debt. Things have gone worse after the Beirut explosion. Oil & gas industry which was hugely hit by the pandemic forms an important source of Iraqi revenue. Currently, Iraq is finding it difficult to pay its bills or salaries. More problematic in the case of Iraq is that majority of its leaders are from the party backed by Iran, which had recently witnessed killing of its nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

Also Read: Iranian Nuclear scientist assassinated-changing of Iran’s equation with West

All of this would definitely place the new administration in US at discomfort, especially after the chaos and confusion left in the Middle East. The exclusively transactional nature of Trump’s Presidency, which has given the players in Middle-East arms, ammunitions, and drones, at the cost of peace, has thrown the region into a simmering disorder which would be a testing ground for the foreign policy of the incoming President-Joe Biden.