US Foreign Policy and Diplomacy under Joe Biden

KT McFarland: Biden's Afghanistan speech was a chance to speak to a nation in pain. It utterly failed

We needed our president to rise above petty politics and speak directly to those who fought and bled in Afghanistan
President Biden may not have intended to, but his remarks personified the failures of 20 years of the war in Afghanistan. Our leaders made mistakes that cost people their lives, but those leaders were never held accountable.
They were never straight with us. They cared more about their legacies, their reputations, their personal popularity, than they cared about the American people.

The men and women who served in Afghanistan deserved better than this. So did the American people.

May the Good Lord bless the sacrifices of our men and women who fought, bled and died in Afghanistan—because our president did not.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/biden-afghanistan-speech-kt-mcfarland

The truth is Biden abandoned Afghanistan and the Afghanistan people and was not honest with the American people. Why was Afghanistan begging for money for their troops, and for money, when their money, billions, was being controlled by the United States? and why did Biden leave Bagram, and remove air support? It's despicable!!! Joe Biden has lied to the American people!



Biden repeats claim that ‘nobody could have known’ Afghan Army would collapse, bombshell transcript from July reveals he pressured Afghan President Ghani to create 'perception' Taliban wasn't winning ‘WHETHER IT'S TRUE OR NOT’
Reuters on Tuesday released excerpts from last call between Biden and Ghani before the Afghan president fled

They talked for about 14 minutes on July 23 as the Taliban advanced rapidly

Biden told his counterpart of a perception that the fight against the Taliban was not going well

'There is a need, whether it is true or not ... to project a different picture,' he said

Comments are indication Biden knew it was matter of time before Taliban won

In months leading up to withdrawal, Biden predicted pullout would go smoothly

Neither appeared to realize just how badly things would go

Less than four weeks later the Taliban had captured Kabu

President Joe Biden wanted the now-departed Afghan president to create the 'perception' that his government was capable of holding off the Taliban - an indication he knew it was only a matter of time before the US ally fell to the Islamic group even while reassuring Americans at home that it would not happen.

In the last phone call between Biden and his Afghan then-counterpart Ashraf Ghani, the American president said they needed to change perceptions of the Taliban's rapid advance 'whether it is true or not,' according to excerpts published on Tuesday.

Four weeks before Kabul collapsed, Ghani pleaded for more air support and money for soldiers who had not had a pay rise in a decade.

A transcript obtained by Reuters reveals two leaders oblivious to the impending disaster and an American president focused on spinning the message.

'I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things are not going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban,' Biden said.

'And there is a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture.'

Ghani responded by saying Afghanistan was facing not just the Taliban, but their foreign backers.

'We are facing a full-scale invasion, composed of Taliban, full Pakistani planning and logistical support, and at least 10-15,000 international terrorists, predominantly Pakistanis thrown into this,' he said.

But he also asked that American close air support be 'frontloaded' to help with the challenges faced by the Afghan army immediately.


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9945031/Biden-told-Afghan-President-needed-change-perception-Talibans-rapid-advance.html

My educated family members believe the Biden administration is working with the Taliban under the table, corrupt US government...

Retired Brig Gen demands U.S. military leaders resign
Bolduc: Austin, Milley and Mckenzie weakened us and our geo-political position is also weakened

https://www.foxnews.com/

Joe Biden risks causing civil unrest in Northern Ireland by siding with the EU against Britain in post-Brexit border negotiations, warns Lord Trimble

Lord Trimble has written to Joe Biden to urge him to drop support for NI Protocol
He said White House 'contributed to the damage' to Good Friday Agreement
The architect of GFA said the protocol has caused 'political unrest and violence'
Lord Trimble has urged Joe Biden to drop his support for the Northern Ireland Protocol, warning the post-Brexit border rules 'risk a return to sectarian strife'.

The architect of the Good Friday Agreement accused the White House of 'contributing to the damage being caused' to the peace treaty by siding with the European Union on the issue.

He said in a letter to the US President that the 'political promises of the Belfast Agreement have been flippantly dismissed' because of the protocol.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9961975/Lord-Trimble-issues-Northern-Ireland-Brexit-warning-Joe-Biden.html

Son of 9/11 victim to Biden: Do not come to Ground Zero memorials

Nic Haros Jr. slams Biden's 'shameful' conduct after Afghanistan pullout

Nic Haros Jr., the son of a 9/11 victim, urged President Biden to avoid attending 20-year memorials during an interview on "Fox & Friends" on Monday. Haros Jr. called Biden the "killer-in-chief" saying he showed a lack of compassion for the families of the 13 service members killed in Kabul. Haros Jr.'s motNIC HAROS JR.: I am demanding that President Biden do not show his face at Ground Zero on 9/11.

It is now holy ground and I really don't think he has a place there. her, Frances, was killed in the attack on the World Trade Center.

It's shameful for him, I think, to use the dead bodies as a political prop for his so-called victory lap. He is insensitive and he shows no compassion to the families. No Joe, no victory, we are now in the Afghanistan War 2.0. Those resurrected victims kept America safe from harm all those years. Biden must not dishonor their grace and patriotism. He has none. Interesting because on Saturday Judge Jeanine called the president a liar-in-chief. Today I call out Biden as the killer-in-chief. It's not just 13 killed or the thousands of Americans and Afghanistan supporters left to die. I believe he is complicit in a coming genocide of Americans and Afghans.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/son-9-11-victim-urges-biden-avoid-ground-zero-memorial

US upsets France and China : https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-made-pact-counter-china-150400860.html

Biden names Colombia ‘major non-NATO ally,’ countering Putin’s influence in Latin America. Colombia has long been a close ally for both Democratic and Republican administrations; it is championed as a relatively stable and prosperous nation in a region with numerous corrupt or pro-Russia leaders. source Yahoo news.

The Colombian government is quite repugnant and evil. The Democrats support an ultra right wing government that is hostile to land and economic reform. It shows you they are no different if not worse than the Republicans.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/biden-announces-major-non-nato-203138224.html

https://www.telesurenglish.net/analysis/Is-Colombia-Doomed-To-Remain-A-Right-Wing-Country-20180614-0015.html

Has anyone seen the video of a young Bernie Sanders literally telling some Chilean students why America invades other countries and overthrow their government?

If mods think it is better to put this somewhere else, be my guest...

The moment of truth for Pakistan, surely the whole global South is going to be put under extreme stress by the empire in their attempts to isolate China and Russia.

Imran Khan takes on America

The government in Pakistan has alleged that Sunday's no-confidence motion to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan from power was masterminded in Washington
By Ejaz Akram
April 02 2022

After a humiliating defeat in Afghanistan and loss of credibility over Ukraine, the era of US unipolarity seems to be entering its terminal phase, marked by lashing out ferociously in all directions. The most recent of these offensives occurred last week when the government of Pakistan alleged that Washington was trying to engineer regime change in Islamabad.

This time the US was caught red handed. The claim was not made via a leak or a fringe observer, but by the prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, himself. While the US State Department has denied any involvement, the political drama has only just begun.

Emerging from a crucial meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbors, China’s top diplomat took a public whack at Washington’s behavior. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China will not allow the US to drag smaller nations into conflict and sharply rebuked the ‘US Cold War mentality.’ Beijing is determined not to allow the US to steal Pakistan from its inner circle of vital Asian partners that today include Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, and others.

On Wednesday, when a coalition partner of the governing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) announced its seven members would switch to the opposition, Khan essentially lost his majority in the National Assembly, consisting of 342 parliamentarians. More than a dozen of his party members also threatened to cross the political aisle.

But the Pakistani opposition had mistakenly believed that as soon as they showed their required numerical majority in the parliament, the prime minister would either step down or resign. But that is not what appears to be happening.

Instead, in the next 24 hours, the voting will begin in parliament to count the actual numbers. Many analysts see this as the end of the Khan government in Pakistan; others believe the prime minister’s hold on power will be consolidated and the opposition and their foreign underwriters will suffer a permanent blow.

If the courts entertain the government’s petition to look into the foreign meddling and bribery cases, then Khan may have more time to develop a full court reaction. In just a few days, Khan has already displayed a modest demonstration of his street power. The mood and sentiment across the social media spectrum, as of now, is lopsidedly in favor of the prime minister. Large segments of the public has loudly rallied around him as the spokesman of their aspirations, while opposition party leaders are being characterized as corrupt individuals who want to topple an elected government.

The country’s main opposition parties are the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), both dynastic groups that ruled for decades until Khan came along with his campaign promises to root out the rampant corruption and cronyism that has plagued Pakistani politics for years.

The letter

Millions of Pakistanis poured out to see PM Khan speak on 27 March, when he alleged that “foreign powers are engineering a regime change in Pakistan.” Waving a letter drawn from his coat pocket, Khan threatened to reveal direct, written threats to Pakistan and himself.

Top cabinet members [Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives] Asad Umar and [Minister of Information] Fawad Chaudhry held a joint press conference where they revealed further details of this controversial letter. Khan then invited several members of his cabinet, media and the Pakistani security community to view the document first hand.

Government opponents dismissed Khan’s allegations outright, amidst an enormous amount of hubris and posturing soon to follow. Pakistani opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif (an aspirant for the prime minister position) proclaimed that he will jump ship and join Imran Khan if the letter is real and the PM was speaking truthfully. Similarly, prominent anti-establishment TV anchor Saleem Safi said that if the letter were real, he would retire from his position and drop out of media altogether.

But within hours, a mysterious petition was filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) with the Chief Justice Islamabad Athar Minallah issuing a legal opinion that Imran Khan may not share this letter in public because of his secrecy oath. Such a swift ruling could not have come from Pakistan’s highest judicial authority about a fake letter, surely?

The next day, the country’s National Security Committee (NSC) convened for a meeting. In attendance were Pakistan’s prime minister, the army chief, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and naval chiefs, the National Security Advisor (NSA), and several other important officials.

Opposition members boycotted the meeting, but participants took a unanimous decision to reprimand the United States for its actions and ensure that Pakistan would not allow US authorities off the hook so easily. Subsequently, the Foreign Office called the acting US ambassador and reprimanded him – none of which could have conceivably been done on the pretext of a false letter.

What’s in the letter?

According to statements made by Khan during the NSC meeting, senior officials from the US State Department (believed to be an Undersecretary of State) sent the letter on 7 March via Asad Majeed Khan, the Pakistani ambassador in Washington.

The document reportedly states that there will be a no-confidence motion (NCM) against the prime minister soon, that Khan should know that it is coming and that he should not resist the NCM but go down with it. If he tries to resist it, the letter allegedly continues, Khan and Pakistan will face horrible consequences.

The letter mentions the NCM about eight times. The next day, on 8 March, a no-confidence vote was indeed announced. According to Khan, he has security agency information on how the illegal buying and selling of votes took place among Pakistan’s parliamentarians during this time. Then, on 9 March, the nation’s military leadership declared itself ‘neutral’ between the opposition parties and the prime minister.

Khan criticized the military for taking a neutral stance, saying a vital institution of the state should not show “neutrality” to those openly and willfully being used as tools of regime change, orchestrated by the adversaries of Pakistan. But after Foreign Minister Shah Qureshi’s return from Beijing, the military now appears to be favoring Khan’s position. It seems that either a phone call or a message must have come directly from Beijing.

Consequences of US involvement

If the foreign meddling case is a priori to the no-confidence motion, then it is possible that Khan will have legal relief and those accused of collaborating, aiding and assisting an external regime-change conspiracy will be indicted. This would include opposition political party members and Pakistani media personalities who have purportedly been traipsing to and from the US embassy in the days, weeks and months preceding the motion – now set for a seat-gripping vote on Sunday. If this can be proven in a court of law, many opposition leaders may end up behind bars.

According to Pakistan’s highest national security office and judging from the IHC notice, it appears clear that the letter was legitimate and the US is guilty of meddling in Pakistan’s internal affairs. But this is not 2001 when former Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf, capitulated to the Americans upon receiving a single phone call. Today’s Pakistan has a stronger self-identity after two decades of grueling and unrecognized sacrifices for Washington’s unsuccessful war on terror. Equally, they now also understand that the US is a declining power.

Most Pakistanis do not care about US sanctions any longer, especially as they watch other nations circumvent them with new allies. The public mood and sentiment is to dismiss sanctions threats, recognizing that there will be consequences from the Pakistani side which could lead to the expulsion of American diktats from the Af-Pak-Iran region.

During his 1 April interview on national television (PTV), Imran Khan exhorted the Pakistani nation to reject the alliance of corrupt parties and western-backed media. He believed that the west’s next step will be to take his life. Pakistan’s information minister had said the same only a day earlier.

If Khan didn’t have the ability to rally the street, they could have spared him, but his current popularity and obstinate resistance to US bullying tactics make him a prime target for assassination. Most Pakistanis have long considered the killing of leaders such as Liaquat Ali Khan, Z.A. Bhutto, Zia al Haq and Benazir Bhutto to be the work of US intelligence. To those citizens, any perceived threat to PM Imran Khan’s life is a real and imminent danger. Very rapidly, the security around him has been reshuffled and new measures have been taken to provide him with extra protection.

Khan’s narrative about US interference has gained heavy momentum in the past week. The storyline is one of two sides butting heads at a critical juncture in the country’s history: on one side, an Indo-US alliance, corrupt Pakistani opposition parties, the country’s corporate media, and a handful of western-styled liberals. On the other side, a legally elected, popular and feisty prime minister, supported by the Russo-China alliance and an overwhelming majority of Pakistanis.

With those odds, it may be politically and legally impossible for Pakistan’s military to maintain its ostensible posture of neutrality no matter how much US pressure comes at it. Time may be on Khan’s side.

https://thecradle.co/Article/analysis/8673

Imran Khan has been deposed by a no-confidence vote

The US succeeded in turning the military and the constitutional court against him, the later of which rejected early elections and put the no-confidence measures back on the table

He attempted to delay the no-confidence vote for a bit to lead peaceful protests of his supporters in the capital, but to no avail.
He did manage to buy time with this early election move to call for said protests. To expose the US role in the no-confidence measures publicly. And to praise India a few times even, for which he was attacked by the main opposition leader to 'go to India if he likes it so much'.

Khan's cabinet looks like its moving towards mass resignations, in a manuever to provoke early elections after all. And the protest movement is still on, it's going to get started now.

But overall Khan's position looks weak. A genuinely popular and democratically elected leader has been coup'd by undemocratic methods. Nevertheless the levers of state power are in the hands of his opponents
We saw a similar story in Bolivia with the deposition of Morales. Morales's party and agenda would eventually return and get rid of the coupists in turn, but it took a couple of years. And no mass protests there were able to change the situation immediately.

flamming_python wrote:Imran Khan has been deposed by a no-confidence vote

The US succeeded in turning the military and the constitutional court against him, the later of which rejected early elections and put the no-confidence measures back on the table.

Traditionally, the Punjabi Sunni dominated military has never trusted the Pashtuns. Instead the Pashtuns were used as cannon fodder in their purported war on terror. And now with a Pashtun leadership firmly in place in Afghanistan it was only a matter of time before the Pakistani military pulled the plug on Imran Khan. Imran Khan's replacement is a Punjabi Sunni.

flamming_python wrote:And to praise India a few times even, for which he was attacked by the main opposition leader to 'go to India if he likes it so much'.

Basically he is asking for India's support in order to stay in office. Though it was him, who in order to prove his loyalty to the Army stepped up terrorist activities against India.

GarryB wrote:He is charasmatic, and will be a formidable enemy of the US if they do kick him out of office like this.

He is an idiot, first and last who grabs headlines only because of his numerous gaffes.

This includes - Germany & Japan share  a border, Chinese trains travel faster than the speed of light. Pakistan's economy is in the doldrums and local polls show most Pakistanis hold him responsible for this mess.

https://www.firstpost.com/world/imran-khans-many-gaffes-from-saying-taliban-broke-shackles-of-slavery-to-aloo-and-tamatar-remarks-10458931.html