A couple of months before Joe Biden was born, America decided to undertake major military operations to completely destroy those who had attacked it and, furthermore, to occupy those countries and force them to completely remake themselves. A similar commitment to protect allies and dislodge insurgents or invaders remained the policy of successive Presidents. True, some had to concede ground in one place but they always sought to improve their position elsewhere. No doubt, there were differences in the style of functioning of American leaders. Some used charm, others were crass. An idealistic President might prove rather hawkish while a tough talking 'cowboy' might turn out to be a very gentlemanly interlocutor. Obama combined eloquence with caution and attention to detail. Trump could be brusque but was always seeking or selling a deal. The two Bushes were notoriously gaffe prone- the elder claimed to had sexual relations with Reagan and vomited on the Japanese Prime Minister. The younger- but who can actually remember him? Still, the fact is, whatever problems some American Presidents have had with the English language, none have appeared as utterly dazed and confused as Biden, over the course of his three TV appearances with regards to Afghanistan, or have spoken in a manner so damaging to America's global standing.
It should be remembered that 9/11 was an attack on America. The Afghan war- which America's allies supported because they believed America would support them if they were attacked- was America's response to that attack. Afghans had little or no influence on American policy. Biden in his speech in April referred to Kamala Harris as 'the Vice President' but then referred to the Afghan President as Mr. Ghani. Strangely, the White House did not issue a note apologizing for this gaffe. It appears that the Americans did not understand that Biden had pulled the rug from under Ghani's feet and thus NATO would have to evacuate Kabul in an ignominious manner.
Biden has just told his people that it is time to end 'an era of major military operations to remake other countries'. He says Afghanistan had failed to be 'remade' and so it was right to leave it to its fate.
What of other countries where America has bases? Will countries which fail to stay 'remade' by their own efforts be abandoned? Biden says America's National Interest alone matters. But, clearly, it is a National Interest which won't sacrifice American blood or treasure in 'remade countries' which don't themselves kill those trying to undo that 'remaking'. Thus the presence of American troops or the existence of Treaties with America amount to little more than the feather Dumbo held in his trunk which, he believed, enabled him to fly. Either you can protect yourself- though to do so might mean getting rid of 'Human Rights' and 'Democracy' and so forth- or America will wave goodbye to you after a hasty air-lift.
Pakistan has been vindicated. It wore down first the Soviets and then the Americans on the battlefield. The first war brought in money, the second- oddly- imposed significant costs. But this was because it was officially on America's side.
Iran appears to have reached a deal with the Taliban- indeed, they may ignore the occasional massacre of Hazaras- because it wants Afghan Shias to fight in Syria, not at home. Russia is sponsoring the Taliban's demand to get access to the country's frozen bank accounts. China is having a good laugh while showcasing its harmonious, and potentially very profitable, relations with the new regime. The American President, by his own folly, has made himself vulnerable. Previously, he painted the Afghan Army as stronger than it was. Now he has painted America as weaker than it is. But whereas the former statement was wishful thinking, the latter statement is self-fulfilling. Still, America's Might has not yet crumbled. Hopefully, Iraqi militias will hold off from harassing the Americans as they prepare to evacuate combat troops by December. But this depends on Iran not Kazimi.
Those European leaders who reflexively back America have been left looking foolish and weak. The Biden doctrine is worse than the Trump doctrine- which was that Europe must pay much more for its own defense. Biden has gone further. He is saying he will evacuate American troops if European armies aren't ruthless enough to suppress any threat. But this means 'Human Rights' and 'Liberal Democracy' and so forth mustn't enter into National Security calculations. Either you defend yourself by all means necessary- in which case American troops will remain on their bases on your soil quietly eating cheeseburgers- or else they will run away.
America may still want allies against China but will no longer give anything at all in exchange. Defend yourself at your own cost and help us against China by sacrificing your own economic interests in favor of American tech companies. Of course, America will still get to lecture you on Democracy and Human Rights and so forth while insisting you implement various sorts of sanctions that Americans thinks are in their own interest.
The Biden doctrine is that the US is cool with regime change- provided it is the regime they imposed which is being changed. This does not mean that a wholly independent country which is targeted for a takeover by some anti-American group will be encouraged to accept new masters. The US will not forbid that country from fighting to preserve its sovereignty. But any deviation from democratic norms and International laws regarding Human Rights will be severely condemned by the State Department. Biden is hosting a virtual summit for Democracies in December just so the more stupid of America's allies get the message. But only if they bother to show-up.
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