“Weak men create hard times.” That quote from a post-apocalyptic novel by G. Michael Hopf has become an oft-repeated political axiom in recent years. Whether or not the warning hold true in all cases at all times, it certainly has in the case of America’s foreign policy under Joe Biden’s so-called “leadership.” Gone are the days of “America First.” Under the Biden’s administration, U.S. foreign and domestic policy has been more like “America Last, China First.” And when this country puts her people and her interests last, everybody suffers but the bad guys.
To begin, President Biden has turned a blind eye toward Iran and cleared the path to ever-increasing oil sales to China. Biden isn’t just attacking American energy; his carelessness is now funding a war against our allies and ourselves. The Biden administration has reportedly engaged in “a series of understandings with Tehran” to keep the Iran issue at arm’s reach before Biden’s re-election campaign. The Iranians have cashed in on American weakness, selling millions of barrels of oil to China every month.
If the United States continues to look the other way on Iranian oil sales, Iran stands to gain billions more in profit from China. There are two reasons this is disastrous for the entire free world.
First, Iran is the world’s biggest state sponsor of terrorism, including being the primary financial backer of Hezbollah and Hamas, both of which are attacking Israel as well as American interests on multiple fronts. As the world watches utter devastation unfold in Israel, there can be no question that Iran is pulling the strings Crying uncle to Iran will only perpetuate terror around the world.
Second, Iran primarily sells its oil to China. While China is the world’s largest consumer of energy, the Red Dragon is also expanding its power over global exports. In 2022, Chinese oil played a critical role in filling in the gaps when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine destabilized the market. If Iran continues to funnel oil to China, their combined power over global markets — and prices — will only grow. Given our appalling dependence on China for everything from pharmaceuticals to technology to funding for budget deficits, we do not want to cede oil power as well.
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Contrast the current state of affairs to just a few years ago: America was energy independent, dethroning OPEC+ and Russia and restoring the balance of power to the free world. Families struggling to put food on the table may not find those mean tweets quite so distasteful now as they wistfully recall the Trump-era policies that saved the average family $2,500 a year. Gas and home energy prices were low, taxes were lower, and overall cost of living was cheaper.
At the same time, the United States was, for the first time in years, in a position of power globally. With strong national security, a booming economy, a growing hold over the energy market, and a powerful voice in global negotiations, communist and totalitarian nations no longer drowned out the cause of freedom. There was “something suspiciously resembling peace” in the Middle East. This was no coincidence.
Biden, however, has reversed all that progress, and not just through his energy policies, although his relentless barrage of draconian fees and regulations has decimated many of America’s energy producers. His incessant appeasement of hostile and unstable nations like Iran and China has all but destroyed America’s economy and leadership role.
Now, with winter approaching in the northern hemisphere, becoming dependent on China for imported diesel, jet fuel, and home heating oil — something unfathomable just years ago — is a likely reality for America. As Reuters reports, “China is the world's top oil importer and largest energy consumer. Typically, energy has flowed into China, not out of it..”
It may look bleak, but we have everything we need to change course as a country right at our fingertips.
If the global chaos of the last three years has taught us anything, it’s that the world needs America to lead. When America fails to lead — when its figureheads are incoherent doormats for the totalitarian world — the cause of freedom around the world suffers.
Enough. Our leaders should prioritize our national security and economy by putting the American people first; that means cracking down on Iran and China and unleashing the power of America’s responsible energy producers to lead the world to freedom.
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