Tag: Tony Blinken

Biden’s foreign policy: the return of American exceptionalism

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Biden’s foreign policy: the return of American exceptionalism

Karim Sadjadpour, a foreign policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said: “Tony and Jake still believe in the idea of American exceptionalism.”

However, Mr Sadjadpour, who knows both Mr Blinken and Mr Sullivan, said they would instinctually veer away from military adventurism in favour of diplomacy and de-escalation. He added they shared Mr Biden’s belief that America “must lead by the power of its example not only the example of its power”.

Martin Indyk, a former US ambassador now at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the duo had learned to be “very wary of regime change” and would steer away from overthrowing governments.

I’ll believe it, when I see it!

Right calls Biden a puppet of Xi as he packs his cabinet with China hawks

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Right calls Biden a puppet of Xi as he packs his cabinet with China hawks

‘Joe Biden is China’s puppet’ is a well-worn trope weaponized by the American right wing. In the real world, Biden is staffing his cabinet with rabid China war hawks – but since when do echo chambers care about the real world?

Prior to the US election I wrote a couple of articles saying that, if Biden wins, he will be attacked by the right as a Xi Jinping puppet even as he escalates dangerous cold war aggressions with China, in exactly the same way Trump was attacked by Democrats as a Putin puppet even as he escalated dangerous cold war aggressions with Russia. This extremely obvious prediction is, of course, already coming true.

‘People are pissed’: Tensions rise amid scramble for Biden jobs

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

‘People are pissed’: Tensions rise amid scramble for Biden jobs

Some of the grumbling dates back to one of the main divides in the Biden campaign: people who joined the campaign before Dillon was named campaign manager in March and those who came in after. Some in the old guard feel they were underappreciated — they won the Democratic nomination! — and were layered over by Dillon hires who are now being prioritized for White House jobs.

In tapping Blinken, Biden will be served by confidante with deep Jewish roots

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

In tapping Blinken, Biden will be served by confidante with deep Jewish roots

The disagreements referenced were largely over the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration in 2015 — while Blinken deputy secretary of state — and are likely to return to the forefront given Biden’s desire to re-enter the multilateral accord.

Blinken told ToI last month that a US re-entry would require Iran first returning to acquiescence with its obligations under the agreement: “compliance for compliance.”

How Biden’s Foreign-Policy Team Got Rich

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

How Biden’s Foreign-Policy Team Got Rich

Tasked by Obama to end the Iraq War, Biden supported Nouri El-Maliki, the leader he knew, and rescued the Iraqi prime minister’s career even though it ended up fracturing the country. When Maliki narrowly lost in 2010, Biden didn’t give Iraqi political parties time to broker a new coalition. With Biden’s endorsement, Maliki gained a second term; he grew more authoritarian, which is now widely believed to have led to the rise of ISIS. Biden ignored experts who were skeptical of Maliki and preferred to glad-hand. “He came to deal with Iraqi politicians like local political kingpins in Delaware or Pennsylvania,” said Robert Ford, who was deputy ambassador in Baghdad from 2008 to 2010.