Biden’s bluster: Strategy, vanity or gamble

"To revive US alliances with Europe and Asia, Biden has framed the US rivalry with Russia and China as a global clash between democracy and autocracy, all the while enlisting the support of various autocrats on America’s side. Not only is he rehashing Cold War mantras, but Biden is also borrowing more than a few pages from President Ronald Reagan’s 1980s playbook – the same playbook he condemned back in 1987 as an utter failure. Like Reagan, who understood that Americans needed to recover their pride without making more sacrifices after their humiliation in Vietnam, Biden hopes to restore the pride Americans lost in Afghanistan, without further sacrifices in faraway military entanglements. Towards that end, like Reagan, Biden is supporting US allies in Europe and expanding its military bases, while arming clients fighting proxy wars in the Middle East and beyond.

Biden, like Reagan, is projecting toughness and increasing the defence budget to a whopping $782bn, while avoiding any moves that may lead to a showdown with Russia or Iran. Just as Reagan supported the mujahideen against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Biden is supporting Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invaders – he is helping them fight so that Americans do not have to. He even promised to shield Americans from the energy and economic costs of the war. But unlike Reagan, who pursued diplomacy and arms control in his dealings with Moscow rather successfully, despite its invasion of Afghanistan, intervention in Poland and its massive military and nuclear buildup, Biden seems to have all but abandoned diplomacy and arms control. And unlike Reagan, who only waged a single 36-hour war against the tiny island of Grenada during his entire eight-year presidency, Biden seems to be seriously considering war with China over a hypothetical invasion of Taiwan.

It is a dangerous game of brinkmanship. It may have worked in the past for the likes of Reagan and John F Kennedy, but getting to the brink without getting into war is an utterly reckless gamble when it involves nuclear states defending their national security."

more in the analysis by Marwan Bishara​

Biden’s bluster: Strategy, vanity or gamble | Joe Biden | Al Jazeera