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July 29th, 2021
Biden's Foreign Policy Failures Joe Biden's foreign policy record as president in his first six months has been as bad as his non-interventionist and antiwar critics feared it would be. Biden has made one significant and correct decision that he appears to be following through on, and that is the withdrawal of the last remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but even here there is reason to worry that US forces may be relocated to other nearby countries and the war against the Taliban will continue from afar. On almost every other front, Biden has not only failed to undo some of his predecessor's worst and most destructive policies, but in many cases he has entrenched and reinforced them.
If Trump imposed "maximum pressure" sanctions on another country, Biden has kept all those sanctions in place. Even on those few issues where Biden seemed willing to make meaningful changes to Trump's policies for the better, such as ending US support for the war on Yemen, Biden has offered either lip service or he has moved so slowly that it is difficult to see any change at all. No one expected Biden to oversee a radical overhaul of the foreign policy status quo that he has defended for decades, but even on his own terms he has failed to deliver. By Daniel Larison Read the full story >
Top US General Won't Commit to Ending Afghanistan Airstrikes CENTCOM Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie is refusing all comment on whether the US will stop carrying out airstrikes in Afghanistan, saying he's "concentrating on the here and now." By Jason Ditz
Biden Announces Change of Role in Iraq, But Troops Will Remain On Monday, President Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi agreed that the US "combat" mission in Iraq will be over by the end of the year, but US troops will remain in the country in an advisory role.
"I think things are going well. Our role in Iraq will be -- to be available to continue to train, to assist, to help, and to deal with ISIS -- as it arrives. But we're not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission," Biden told reporters alongside Kadhimi.
There are currently 2,500 US troops in Iraq under the umbrella of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition. It's not clear if any troops will be pulled out of the country when the US formally switches roles. A drawdown is possible, but the announcement is being interpreted as a symbolic one by most US media outlets. By Dave DeCamp After 18 Years, Bring Home America's Troops from Iraq President Joe Biden plans to keep U.S. forces in Iraq but out of combat, he hopes. At least that is what he said after representatives of the two governments met Monday in the latest "strategic dialogue." Americans and Iraqis alike are still paying the price for George W. Bush's disastrous invasion of Iraq.
The Islamic State, which overran much of the country only a few years ago, has been defeated. It remains a threat, but one that Iraqis can contain. The continuing divisions within Iraqi society pose a greater challenge to Baghdad. Although nominally at peace, Iraq is riven by sectarianism, violence, and corruption, which have inflamed popular frustration and anger, especially among the young, who are desperate for a better future. By Doug Bandow Biden Says Cyberattacks Could Lead to a 'Real Shooting War' With a Major Power The US is constantly accusing countries like Russia and China of carrying out cyberattacks, and comments from President Biden on Tuesday suggest he could use these claims as a pretext for military intervention. He warned that if Washington ended up in a "real shooting war with a major power," it could be the result of a cyberattack on the US. By Dave DeCamp Joe Biden and Press Freedoms: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly In early June 2021, the Biden Justice Department issued a new order prohibiting government officials from spying on or obtaining warrants to seize the records of journalists to identify sources who might be providing leaked classified information. White House press secretary Jen Psaski released a statement that "the issuing of subpoenas for the records of reporters in leak investigations is not consistent with the President's policy direction to the Department." The Justice Department separately told reporters: "in a change to its longstanding practice, [the DOJ] will not seek compulsory legal process in leak investigations to obtain source information from members of the news media doing their jobs." A few weeks later, the DOJ made the ban on seizing records official. By Ted Galen Carpenter
Senate Committee Adds $25 Billion to Biden's 2022 Military Budget Mark Curtis on Britain's Secret Role in Syria and Yemen Israel Screams for Ice Cream: The Minutiae and Madness of a Toxic Relationship Do you want more news? Keep your finger on the pulse of US foreign policy. Subscribe to our Daily Digest and each evening, the day's top news stories and editorials are delivered straight to your email. Please support our work by signing up. Subscribe now >Antiwar.com, 1017 El Camino Real #306, Redwood City, CA 94063 | 323 512 7095 | www.antiwar.com
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