In addition to President Joe Biden’s various domestic crises — inflation, an overrun border, etc. — his ballooning portfolio of international missteps and willfully foolish decisions continues to make the world less safe and America weaker. Both at home and abroad, Biden and his administration have foolishly relied on one word — “don’t” — to stem the flow of illegal aliens across the border, dissuade Russia from invading Ukraine, and prevent Iran from launching an unprecedented direct strike on Israel. In all three instances, Biden said “don’t” and then the recipient of the feeble warning did anyway. On Thursday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army completely surrounded Taiwan for live-fire drills simulating an invasion of the free Republic of China. So what will Biden say to President Xi?
If Biden repeats his tried and failed approach and tells the Chinese Communist Party “don’t” invade Taiwan — a fearsome specter that Xi has told his military to prepare for “by 2027” and recent questionable reporting claims could come as early as this June — there’s no reason for the ROC to believe Xi will heed Biden’s supposed warning. Due to Biden’s weakness on the world stage, there’s no reason for Xi to take Biden seriously.
Have there been any repercussions for the illegal aliens who ignore Biden’s warnings and illegally enter the U.S.? No, just benefits. Has Russia been dissuaded from continuing to wage its war on Ukraine by Biden’s warnings? Not a bit. Did Iran face any real penalties for launching hundreds of missiles and kamikaze drones at Israel? Nope, and Biden even tried to talk Israel out of launching an entirely justified response. What are China, Taiwan, and the rest of the world to expect the consequences of a PRC invasion of the ROC? Nothing.
Making matters worse is another of President Biden’s liabilities: his inability to communicate beyond the single word “don’t.” After supposedly accidentally calling for regime change in Russia during a speech in Poland — “for God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power” — Biden has repeatedly failed to correctly define the U.S. policy toward Taiwan in the event of a, God forbid, PRC invasion of Taiwan.
In a May 2022 press conference in Japan, Biden was asked if the United States would defend Taiwan against a PRC invasion, the president said yes, “That’s the commitment we made.” This came as a surprise to Biden’s White House aides who, according to The New York Times, “quickly tried to deny that the president meant what he seemed to be saying.”
Further cleanup on aisle Biden by his staff brought a clarification from the White House that the U.S. is still committed to its “One China Policy” and the Taiwan Relations Act to “provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself.”
Following that apparent slip-up by Biden, the president told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in September 2022 that “yes, if, in fact, there was an unprecedented attack” on Taiwan by the PRC, the United States military would defend Taiwan. When asked if that’s really what he meant by interviewer Scott Pelley, Biden confirmed that was America’s position.
Biden has demonstrated weakness, a lack of interest in holding anyone accountable for ignoring America’s wishes, and an inability to maintain a clear position on key threats to free nations and world peace. Quite the opposite, Biden has emboldened and pushed closer together the enemies of freedom and liberalized democracies who can generally depend on the United States to stand firmly in their corner.
With his botched foreign policy — purposely reminiscent of the Obama-Biden administration’s inanity — Biden has allowed and even helped give rise to a new axis of evil consisting primarily of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Biden relaxed the Trump-era “Maximum Pressure” campaign against Iran, allowing Tehran to profit handsomely from illicit oil sales and enjoy access to billions of dollars in previously frozen cash. Iran has in turn been able to finance more terrorism in the region and even help Russia in its war effort with kamikaze drones.
North Korea now regularly sends weapons to Russia as well. Meanwhile, China continues to do a significant volume of business with Iran and Russia, allowing the whole axis to profit, coordinate, and mount greater threats around the world.
“Don’t” do that, Biden says — and bloodthirsty tyrants in Tehran, Moscow, Beijing, and Pyongyang laugh while they count their cash and plot their next attack on freedom.
