The United States is currently urging China to help bring about a ceasefire with the Houthi armed forces and prevent further attacks on ships in the Red Sea. In the past three months, the U.S. military has faced over 150 attacks. However, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan seem to prefer mere symbolic flights of U.S. fighter jets in the Red Sea, as if once this act is accomplished, they would consider their job done. Such an action of these two representatives of U.S. political elites is far from being the only one that is uninspiring in the Biden administration; they exhibit other even more disappointing works as well.
Let us recall their actions in Afghanistan, where they allowed the U.S. military to flee in disgrace from Kabul, leaving behind billions of dollars in military supplies. This resulted in the loss of U.S. military influence in Central Asia and, consequently, a direct impact on the Middle East and Iran, sinking to an unprecedented low.
Sullivan and Blinken too turned a blind eye to the brutality against the women's rights movement in Iran, unwilling to provide any direct support. Of course, they reaped the consequences, as Iran's influence expanded significantly from Syria to Yemen and from Lebanon to Gaza. Their approach to countering Iran is so perplexing that they even decided to urgently provide USD 6 billion in assistance to Iran.
Upon taking office, President Joe Biden declared he would immediately end Trumpism, and that he would develop and rely on the Atlantic partnership. Has Biden succeeded? Zelenskyy's current pleas for aid speak volumes. In reality, no one in Europe appreciates the U.S. approach; they have long been prepared to work with Russia rather than with Ukraine. EU countries exploited Hungary under the leadership of Orbán Viktor, where they delayed and did not fulfill their initial promises of military aid to Ukraine. France, one of the key countries in Europe, has only provided USD 500 million in aid to Ukraine so far, an amount that one might expect to be provided by a small northern country like Lithuania. Such a "partnership" is perhaps only conceivable by Sullivan and Blinken.
Certainly, for Blinken and Sullivan, these may be considered "minor issues".
The attacks by the Houthi forces on the Red Sea waterway should be considered a significant matter, but what can Sullivan and Blinken do to stop it? The Red Sea waterway is one of the world's most important international passages. The Houthi forces openly use pirate-style attacks to block this international passage, essentially making the Red Sea their own. Faced with such a critical change, what are the options of Sullivan and Blinken? Perhaps they will merely send a few planes as a gesture. I believe Professor John Mearsheimer from the University of Chicago would remind Blinken that China could do the same in the Taiwan Strait too.
There are numerous hostages in Gaza, including Israelis and Americans. However, it is hard to hear from Biden to Sullivan and Blinken making efforts for the release of American hostages. Their frequent visits to Israel are aimed at achieving an immediate ceasefire, with an unspoken message that the hostages are unimportant, and instead, the so-called "civilians" in Gaza are of utmost importance to them. Such "civilians" in Gaza are in reality all fighters, whether children or women. From the past to the present, are the scenes on American television all fake? Blinken and Sullivan ignore all this, anxiously desiring and vigorously pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza, protecting civilians, and safeguarding Hamas. This confuses many: are they officials of the United States, or Gaza?
After the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war on October 7, a major hospital in Gaza appeared to be hit by a bomb. According to reports from Gaza, claiming that 700 people died on the spot. U.S. news organizations, such as the "authoritative" ones like CNN, immediately concluded that this was the work of the Israeli Air Force. Simultaneously, the U.S. White House issued a strongly-worded "statement", expressing clear and intense condemnation, and they, too, immediately attributed the incident to the Israeli government. As we now know, this was completely fake news. Those news organizations and the White House were deceived by Hamas personnel who were actually on the scene. Common sense would tell that the perfect number "700 people", an immediately countable death toll, could not possibly be true. The problem is, that the White House believed it.
The same goes for the issue in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine is far more intense and brutal than that in Israel and involves a fierce war on the European continent. How many times have Sullivan and Blinken been to Ukraine? Not that many. The initial support for Ukraine and opposition to Russia was based on realism; now, applying pressure and demanding Ukraine to negotiate on Russia's terms is also based on realism. Whether then or now, it is all based on realism, as demonstrated by the level of elite education of Sullivan and Blinken. Seeing such a situation, I think Henry Kissinger, who is acclaimed as a master of realism, must be rolling over in his grave.
When Argentina's newly elected President Javier Milei, who believes in the free-market economy, visited the U.S. first after his election, he expected that Argentina, as a South American country, would be warmly welcomed by the U.S. for its transformation. Nothing is further from the truth. Sullivan and Blinken were very indifferent to Milei; they had no understanding of the significance of South America to the U.S. in the era of deglobalization. They still believe in the globalization theory that was popular when they were in school, so they believe that Milei will not succeed. In fact, although Sullivan and Blinken live in the U.S., they do not even believe in the theory of the free market. They embrace the Keynesian doctrine instead, believing that spending lavishly not only can win hearts but also support the economy.
During military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, for whatever reason, Taiwan, as an island, finds itself surrounded by the People's Liberation Army's ships and aircraft. What is the U.S. reaction? None. Sullivan and Blinken are merely repeating their "opposition to changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait".
What is the U.S. reaction to North Korea, a nuclear-armed country more threatening than Russia? None. Sullivan and Blinken have no response at all; they seem to forget the existence of the Korean Armistice Agreement and the substantial presence of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea.
When war takes place in Ukraine, leaders like India's Narendra Modi and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan maintain contacts and trade with Russia, pursuing a Russian policy different from that of the U.S. What is the U.S. reaction? None. Sullivan and Blinken acknowledge this as a reality they cannot change; the U.S. cannot lead Turkey or India. Instead, it has become a large backdrop for India and Turkey, providing a unique political background for Erdoğan and Modi in their respective countries. Both are authoritarian regimes, yet they are the kind of authoritarian regimes recognized and accepted by Western democratic countries.
One of the first actions Biden took after winning the election and assuming office was to sign, in front of the cameras, the repeal of the border control measures in place during the Trump era. Subsequently, there was a massive influx of illegal immigrants from South America and around the world into the U.S., significantly altering the country's security and social environment. What was Sullivan and Blinken's response? None. They did not oppose the Biden administration's decision. Due to the severe and obvious consequences of this matter, I shall not dwell on it further.
Supporters of the Democratic Party are often individuals born and living in the consumption era. They freely spend their money, consider everything as a matter of course, and seldom consider the issue of earning money. They primarily focus on the global sharing of the American Dream. In contrast, the Republican Party lives in the production era, primarily concerned with the wealth and earnings of Americans, i.e., the realization of the American Dream for the American people. These are two entirely different groups of people. For me, I neither support the Democratic Party and the Biden administration nor do I support the Republican Party or Trump. My concern lies solely in specific international relations and policies. Not long ago, during the election campaign, Biden confidently asked the said he was done yet. This is truly ironic, but I shall not blame an old man for it. However, I must say that the team led by Sullivan and Blinken is historically one of the worst.
