Iran, North Korea, and China are making threats. Expecting to escape Trump’s sanctions, accountability, and trade policies, they anticipate Biden’s team will be unwilling to deter or respond. Biden’s national security team must quickly disabuse our malefactors of this idea.
Start with facts. Iran has not only accelerated uranium enrichment to 20 percent purity, one step from weapons-grade, but undertaken sobering threats. A week ago, they swore vengeance on the US and Trump for targeting terrorist Qassem Soleimani, and for Israel’s reported targeting of a nuclear weapons scientist, Mohsen Fakrizadeh. This triggered Trump keeping the USS Nimitz in the Gulf – signaling that threats have consequences. See, e.g., https://www.wsj.com/articles/iran-begins-enriching-uranium-to-20-purity-11609760613?mod=politics_lead_pos3; https://www.wsj.com/articles/uss-nimitz-to-stay-in-middle-east-to-counter-iran-threat-on-anniversary-11609731629?mod=politics_featst_pos2.
Similarly, when Iran rattled sabers in December, the US deployed an Ohio-class nuclear submarine, USS Georgia to surface near Iran, flanked by cruisers. These submarines rarely surface. The message was clear. With 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, the sub was all business. Threats are answered. See, e.g., https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38326/message-to-iran-navy-sends-guided-missile-submarine-on-rare-trip-into-the-persian-gulf.
Similarly, as other belligerence has surfaced – including Iran’s seizure of an allied South Korean tanker and an anonymous threat on the US Capitol coinciding with the anniversary of Soleimani’s death – assets were repositioned. In early January, two nuclear-capable B-52H aircraft were sent to the Middle East. Message again was clear – Trump does not abide threats. See, e.g., https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/533081-the-iranian-and-internal-threat-to-america; https://www.reuters.com/article/iran-tanker/update-2-south-korean-flagged-tanker-seized-by-iran-media-reports-idUSL1N2JF0L8.
Facts tied to North Korea are similar. In short, after Trump is gone, expect rules to change. Laughably, when Biden dared to call Kim Jung Un a “thug” and criticized his dealings with Trump, Kim immediately threatened more nuclear tests and missile launches – which have been non-existent since Trump confronted the Communist dictator and China’s ally. See, e.g., https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-threatens-to-build-more-nukes-cites-us-hostility.
China, of course, is the big dog – and the adversary Biden is most likely to accommodate, one with greatest motive and means for doing immediate and long-term harm to American economic and security interests. The Biden family history of coddling – and being coddled by – China is rich. That said, it is threats China is now issuing – just as Trump departs – that give new pause.
Last week, China issued new rules creating higher legal vulnerability for US companies, in part responding to US restriction of Communist Chinese access to US capital markets. See, e.g., https://www.barrons.com/articles/china-issues-new-rules-in-response-to-u-s-sanctions-what-could-come-next-51610227881.
Meantime, as Chinese-origin COVID ravages the world, China suddenly clamped down on scientific access to Wuhan and multilateral efforts to understand the deadly virus’s origin – which many scientists suspect is the Communist virology institute in Wuhan. A coalition of 137 countries, coordinated by WHO, was perfunctorily denied access to the country. See, e.g., https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/china-blocks-who-investigators-access-to-wuhan-20210106-p56rzu.html.
In late 2020, John Ratcliffe, US Director of National Intelligence, bluntly noted: “China poses a greater national security threat to the US than any other nation – economically, militarily, and technologically.” See, e.g., https://nypost.com/2020/09/19/why-china-is-a-threat-to-the-us-and-the-entire-free-world/. Many recognize the threat includes infiltration of the US educational system, corporate operations, government labs and agencies via cyberattack, and even the electoral process. See, e.g., https://townhall.com/columnists/dwwilber/2021/01/02/the-china-threat-is-real-and-upon-us-n2582442; https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-is-national-security-threat-no-1-11607019599; https://nationalinterest.org/feature/understanding-china-threat-37502.
Even so, the Biden team seems unmoved – ready to accommodate. China is wasting no time courting Biden, even as they continue to press a perceived advantage in trade, security, space, impinging on Hong Kong, and eyeing Taiwan. See, e.g., https://nypost.com/2020/09/05/joe-biden-once-joked-about-china-helping-him-become-president/; https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1379698/Joe-biden-China-news-Donald-trump-world-war-3-foreign-policy-ont; https://nypost.com/2020/10/27/facing-down-chinas-threat-to-invade-taiwan/; https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/china-outraged-as-u-s-to-send-its-u-n-ambassador-to-taiwan/ar-BB1czksZ?ocid=uxbndlbing.
Old China fans, like Richard Nixon’s China-opening Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, strongly urge Biden to accommodate China, not continue Trump’s insistence on accountability in trade, security, and human rights. See, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/kissinger-warns-biden-of-us-china-catastrophe-on-scale-of-wwi/ar-BB1b3OiF.
Where do these facts lead? They lead inexorably to one conclusion – Iran, North Korea, and China, not to mention non-state actors like remnants of ISIS and Taliban terrorists, will test Biden’s national security team. Put differently, they will test America – expecting Biden blinks.
Bottom line: Whatever else Biden does, America cannot blink – not in the face of aggressive, proven adversaries. Trump’s foreign policy taught deterrence works. Adversaries either respect or revile the United States, sometimes both. Whatever their disposition, Biden should follow Trump’s emphasis on international accountability. Threats cannot go unanswered. To appease or accommodate hostile, testing powers emboldens them. We cannot afford that.
Well when both Biden and Harris have stated numerous times that they intend to re-join the Iranian Nuclear Deal, don’t consider China a threat or even competition and have basically adopted the appeasement stance of the Obama administration to all foreign adversaries, what do you expect?
Just yesterday, President Xi gave a speech where he boasted that China will be surpassing the United States both economically and militarily in a few short years and that the United States is a declining power. He certainly doesn’t think Biden or Harris will stand up to China for good reason. Biden has been bought and paid for.
Over the weekend, the Iranian leader tweeted another overt threat to the incoming administration, knowing full well the Biden / Harris State Department will soon be crawling back to Tehran to beg to re-institute the Obama / Biden Iranian Nuclear Deal. The only real question is how many billions in new cash will it cost us?
The idea that the Biden / Harris administration will retain any of the tough stances that President Trump enacted against the many foreign threats to the United States out there is cute. The rest of the world, and certainly our adversaries, know exactly what to expect from the Biden / Harris administration and it certainly isn’t going to be preserving President Trump’s tough foreign policy deterrence strategy. Biden’s choice of nominee to head the State Department tells you that.
Now America will continue to be destroyed by the inside out only accelerated even more than during the Obama 8 years. Our Communist enemies know this and are now feeling embolden to where they don’t fear retaliation from us now that we have Progressively Communist leadership at the highest levels. Because of this, I have no optimism in waiting for the next Presidential election. That’s why President Xi can boast that China will replace America as the strongest nation in the world! This “stolen” election guarantees that will happen!!!
This article is a compendium of unproven speculation. Fact: pulling out of the Iranian Nuclear deal has emboldened Iran to accelerate its nuclear ambitions. Fact: pulling out of the TPP trade pact has provided China with the opportunity to cut U.S. influence in SE Asia. Fact: tRump’s love affair with Kim Jong-un has provided Kim with the space he needed to continue if not accelerate North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile research and development. The idea that the Biden Administration will weaken our relations with these countries does not help make things better Instead of supporting policies that Biden might consider, this already sets up opposition rather than support for policies that might work. Same-o. same-o political positioning rather than thinking about what should be done. Shame, shame.
Pretender President ???? Biden as “Commander-in-Chief” will more likely turn out as “WIMP-in-Chief” when all is said and done. Don’t expect much of this Feckless Leader of the Demshevik Cartel, assuming the Demshevik hordes don’t 25th Amendment him in short order. Then we will have Harris (excuse me while I throw up), which would be politically like jumping from an unflushed toilet deep into the cesspool.
A Man for All Seasons? No, more likely “A Man for All Treasons!” This Denizen-in-Chief of the Swamp will end up giving away our country and allow all the rogue states and stateless terrorist groups that President Trump has been fighting for four years to regroup, expand and prosper at our expense.
It is so unfortunate for America that our recent presidential election was rife with obvious massive and systematic fraud in a number of states. It is even worse that this issue was not appropriately or effectively addressed by either Congress, the Federal Courts or the Supreme Court. What we are left with is the tragedy of Biden, who will shortly become Resident of the “Dark House” on Pennsylvania Avenue. Welcome to George Orwell’s 1984!
“Biden’s national security team must quickly disabuse our malefactors of this idea”. Unfortunately, he WON’T!
“Defund the National Security Team!”
“Spend the Savings on extra helpings of gruel!”
(Just beating Bideniks to the punch.)
Americans must become united again , as these countries will likely consider a divided country easier to beat up on. The Capitol riots of Jan 6th were a terrible message to send to the rest of the world & made our security look very weak. Pray that USA comes together as one nation again, like after 911.
If I was a foreign bad actor(like Xi, Putin, N.K.Kim, Ayatollahs, etc.) looking at Clown Biden and the Ho, I would be absolutely giddy at the coming prospects of taking down America.