FOR THE MIDDLE EAST IT'S OBAMA'S THIRD TERM

A bleak future awaits Middle East during Biden's term: With each speech, President Joe Biden makes it more evident that his administration is determined to follow in the footsteps of Barack Obama: forging new alliances with Iran and the Palestinians and disregarding America's longtime allies in the Middle East

 

By Eldad Beck 

 

Israel Hayom

February 9, 2021

 

Three Democratic presidents have caused damage of historic proportions in the Middle East: Jimmy Carter, when he helped dispose of the Shah of Iran, which resulted in the 1979 Islamic Revolution; Bill Clinton, when did not realize in time the emerging threat of al-Qaida; and Barack Obama, whose Iraq policy enabled the resurgence of the Islamic State, and whose attitude towards the Arab Spring undermined the entire Middle East. Will President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris follow in the footsteps of these destructive Democratic administrations?

Ever since he entered the White House, Biden's statements clearly reflect the continuation of this ruinous pattern. The submissive courtesy of Palestinians without any political demands in return, the placatory signals he sends Iran and its allies, the distancing from the traditional US allies in the Middle East all point to America's inevitable crash in our region.

Instead of learning from the Trump administration's success in breaking the diplomatic axioms that have until then defined the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Biden administration is trying to destroy these achievements in return for a political doctrine that has benefitted neither the US nor the world.  

During his first foreign policy speech, Biden spoke of his aspirations to "repair" democratic alliances, which had been destroyed by his predecessor. We can understand based on his speech that he identifies three such alliances: the immediate neighbors of the United States – Canada and Mexico; Washington's European allies – Britain, Germany, France, and NATO; and US allies in Asia – Japan, South Korea, and Australia. It is with these countries that Biden intends to "repair democratic alliances."

The most disturbing fact is that Biden did not find it appropriate to mention America's only democratic ally in the Middle East: Israel. This is no coincidence: the Biden administration seems determined to adopt the attitude that prevailed during Obama's presidency, i.e., forge alliances with Iran and the Palestinians, most likely with the Muslim Brotherhood as well. 

Speaking of his plans to combat authoritarianism, Biden only mentioned China and Russia. He did not mention Iran, not even Venezuela, Cuba, or North Korea. 

In the same speech, Biden spoke of the need to unite in order to protect freedom and uphold universal rights but ignored the countries that pose a direct threat to US security, no less than the regimes in Moscow and Beijing. 

What is worse is that when Biden was speaking to the staff of the Washington State Department, he completely omitted the Iranian nuclear issue, as if it did not exist. Most importantly: he did not utter a word regarding the Iranian threat to Israel. In fact, he did not mention Israel at all. 

This is the tragedy of the Middle East: whenever hope emerges that conflict will cease, someone, emerges to take that away. During the Trump administration, it seemed that what took us off the destructive path to which we had grown accustomed was the ability to think outside the box. A responsible initiative is the only way to prevent this region from returning to that terrible path.