President Biden returned to the White House Monday afternoon after a long weekend at the beach in Delaware, just long enough to receive his daily briefing before heading to New York where he'll address the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
As Biden prepares to speak at the UN for the first time as President, this surely isn't the way he wanted to address an audience of both America's allies and foes. His words will be received through a different lens than they would have been even two months ago after his actions sent friendly nations reeling and inspired new boldness from our enemies.
First and foremost, there's Biden's disastrous and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan. The president's unilateral actions angered our brothers in arms over the last two decades in the country so much that British Parliament formally censured Biden.
In the recent history of Anglo-American relations (noting how intimate the “special relationship” is in defence, security & intelligence matters), I cannot recall anything quite as stark as the US just upping & leaving Afghanistan without working with its closest military allies pic.twitter.com/ualm0oGAtM
— Gray Connolly (@GrayConnolly) August 20, 2021
Then there's the Biden administration's botched drone attack on what was allegedly ISIS-K suicide bombers but turned out to be an innocent aid worker and nine of his relatives, including seven children. Not only is the massacre of civilians a humiliating and devastating error, it calls into question Biden's assertion that "over the horizon" capabilities will allow the United States to keep extremists in Afghanistan from mounting new attacks on the West.
The side effect of Biden's humiliating withdrawal is new posturing by hostile nations, including China. Biden's weakness means China is now more threatening toward Taiwan than the communist nation has been in recent years as CCP officials bet the United States will be less firm in its defense of Taiwan.
Taiwan is part of China. China must and will be reunified. This historical trend cannot be stopped by any force. We warn the Taiwan authorities that any attempt to seek independence and reject unification is doomed to fail. pic.twitter.com/qiOzHiCUa3
— Lijian Zhao ??? (@zlj517) September 16, 2021
China has good reason to think that, as Biden's Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently tweeted a pro-Hong Kong statement, quickly deleted the post, and then subsequently posted a significantly watered-down version of it that jives with the CCP's standard of censorship.
Seems to have been replaced by this tweet moments later which seems a little bit weaker in tone:https://t.co/9aQEYrTQlJ
— FreddieRaynolds (@FreddieRaynolds) September 17, 2021
And just last Friday, Biden managed to anger France so much that President Macron recalled his ambassador to the United States after a deal was announced between the U.S. and Australia for nuclear powered submarines. France is calling the situation with the United States a "crisis," but the development did not stop Biden from spending his long weekend at the beach in Delaware.
Can’t quite believe I’m writing this, but:
— Jon Sopel (@BBCJonSopel) September 17, 2021
France is recalling its ambassador to the US and to Australia over submarine deal and #AUKUS agreement.
For such close allies, this is an extraordinary step
The White House is telegraphing that Biden will use his first United Nations address to talk about at least one of these crises, his withdrawal from Afghanistan. While he's called his Afghan exit an "extraordinary success" in statements at home, that assertion would fly in the face of the UK and other NATO allies' reactions to the withdrawal. Biden is also expected to talk about "a chapter of intensive diplomacy" he seeks to begin.
NEW: President Biden will use his first address to the UN General Assembly tomorrow to discuss the closing of 20-year chapter of war and opening "a chapter of intensive diplomacy," a senior administration official says.
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) September 20, 2021
Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in Monday's White House briefing that Biden will tell the United Nations that "the next decade will determine our future" and focus on "the importance of reestablishing our alliances after the last several years."
Perhaps Biden should start with working to repair our alliances after just the last several weeks.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member