Foreign Policy Fluff – Dangerous

President Biden just went to the G-7 meeting, concluding with a communique softer than a boiled carrot – pushing vaccines (extras) to the world, climate change pablum, a nod to human rights violations in China, which he would not have done without Trump declaring China guilty of genocide.  Meantime, he quietly lifted sanctions on Iran, as his vice president giggled through meetings in Guatemala and Mexico.  All this is foreign policy fluff – transparent weakness – and it has consequences. See, e.g., Biden pressed on whether G-7 response to China human rights violations strong enough;  U.S. Lifts Some Iran Sanctions Amid Stalled Nuclear Talks; KAMALA Harris laughed again when she was asked whether she will visit the border and said there’s no “quick fix” to stem the migrant surge..

Yes, China was mentioned in the G-7 read-out, but the thing is all gums, no teeth.  The G-7 document wants a “timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based” review of COVID-19 origins.  Now there is an idea – one that Trump was pushing a year ago, Biden derided and will go nowhere.

Then it calls for “infrastructure” investments in places China is giving away infrastructure and debt, specifically countries China is pressuring, buying, bribing, and gaming.  Of course, Biden cannot even get orthodox infrastructure done in America, but now will do it for the world – on your nickel.  Not likely.

Finally, the G-7 takes issue with China’s “non-market economic practices” and stutters through “human rights” because they cannot say Communist command, control, coercion, and slavery.  Reagan and Thatcher called out the Soviets, as Trump did Communist China.  Biden claims he just could not get allies to pony up.  Oh yeah, but he “tried.”  Funny how he had more luck getting his son a job in China and a Ukraine prosecutor to back off.  It seems the shine is off his diplomacy.  See, e.g.,  Biden Pushes G-7 Allies To Take A Tougher Stance On China.

Some of the G-7 antics were genuinely laughable, again telegraphing weakness.  To meet China on a global infrastructure, they invented an initiative that will compete with China’s “Belt and Road.”  They called it “Build Back Better World,” which seems to mean nothing, but then quickly gave it a catchy acronym – “The B3W Initiative.” See, G7 rivals China with grand infrastructure plan.

Oh yeah, this will apparently “narrow the 40 trillion dollars needed by developing nations,” at a time when the US is almost $30 trillion in debt, and Biden proposes trillions more in federal spending at home. Sure, this is all quite believable – not.  China is surely shivering – not. See, e.g., US Debt Clock.

To all this, add the fluff of weak press conferences, meeting Putin with little on the agenda, a vice president avoiding the US border to skip across Central America, delivering fairy dust (a fraction of what the Trump Administration delivered in security and economic assistance), aimed at “root causes” of the border crisis – which regional leaders bluntly blame on Biden-Harris.  Harris responded that it was due to “climate change.”  Not to interrupt your concentration – but can you hear China, Russia, and half the world laughing?  See, e.g., Guatemalan president blames Biden immigration policy for border crisis; Harris blames climate change for border crisis in response to Guatemalan president blaming Biden administration.

Bottom line:  Biden and Harris are dishing foreign policy fluff – and it fools no one.  China, Russia, governments to our south – and frankly, every point on the compass rose – see this Administration for what it is, incompetent, incoherent, weak, and out of tune with times.

These are not easy, debt-free, risk-free, violence-free times.  They are fraught, risky, disquieting, and consequential times.  Adversaries are leaning in.  Adults left in the Democratic Party should huddle with Biden and Harris. Let them know:  Message is not selling.  Fluff is a poor substitute for substance – and dangerous.  As the Irish say, “you cannot bolt a door with a boiled carrot.”