American Leadership

BEYOND AFGHANISTAN

American leadership beyond Afghanistan is necessary for global stability, security and progress. Moreover, President Joseph Biden and his administration must demonstrate competence to restore public trust and respect among allies and adversaries. Firstly, as reported in my recent column The Biden Doctrine, America has arrived at a decisive and dangerous moment. Meanwhile, the president and his chain of command are compounding a mismanaged retreat with vague and misleading assurances. Clear policy and decisive leadership are immediately necessary. But a compliant media continues to deceitfully cocoon Mr. Biden from responsibility or objective examination, changing the subject to domestic priorities and issues. However, nervous allies and opportunistic adversaries are taking true stock of the president and his milquetoast ministers. While Mr. Biden wishfully observes public opinion polls, allies and adversaries are pragmatically calculating American leadership and planning accordingly.

CHAOTIC COLLAPSE

Moreover, on the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, reinvigorated terrorists and enemies of America and democracy across the globe, encouraged by weakness, have reason to celebrate. The Biden Doctrine collapsed in chaos on August 26, 2021, when the president deliberately gave in to the medieval Taliban. But dutiful press secretary Jen Psaki and the corporate media enablers cannot spin or deflect the evident and alarming reality. Firstly, with Americans and Afghan allies abandoned behind enemy lines, hostage and ransom scenarios clearly exist. Likewise, China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are emboldened. Despite Psaki’s attempts to divert and dissemble, Al Qaeda exists in Afghanistan. Furthermore, withdrawal or escalation were not the only options available. Likewise, Mr. Biden’s foreign policy has collapsed with a dishonorable retreat, dishonest explanation and disorganized policy. However, only bold and credible action can mitigate the dire consequences the free world now confronts.

HONEST APPRAISAL

Furthermore, Mr. Biden and his government must level with the American people. However, this requires an honest self-appraisal rather than presentations containing condescending cliques, disrespectful buzzwords and arrogant lectures. The reality is that the liberal internationalist establishment has exposed itself to be no more credible and competent than the America First conservatives.  But Washington, Silicon Valley and Wall Street collaborated to remove Mr. Biden’s unconventional predecessor by promoting an apparently prudent successor. Americans, allies and adversaries now see through the façade.  An honest appraisal, as undertaken by President John F. Kennedy following the 1961 Bay of Pigs fiasco, includes housecleaning of a risk-averse, failed and politically correct diplomatic, military and intelligence chain-of-command. The Biden administration allegedly promised to return American foreign policy to reliability and leadership. But mismanagement of Afghanistan has shattered American credibility. Heavily scripted or question less press conferences compound the disaster.

RESTORE ALLIANCES

America and Britain are historic guarantors of world stability and democracy. But even the oldest and closest alliance is compromised by Mr. Biden’s decision to not consult NATO regarding his disastrous Afghan retreat. Downing Street and even leftists in Parliament are appalled at how America abandoned Afghanistan. The Washington establishment and liberal democratic allies feared President Donald Trump as an ignorant unilateralist. But nothing the Trump administration ever did compares to the unilateral arrogance of Mr. Biden’s dismissal of the NATO allies, who staunchly rallied to America’s side following 9/11. As the Afghan chaos unfolded, an impotent Mr. Biden avoided contact with America’s closest allies until shamed into calling British prime minister Boris Johnson. But the repercussions within NATO and worldwide are profound. Mr. Biden has become the unilateralist that critics believed of Mr. Trump. The Biden administration must immediately prove its genuine intentions and restore America’s broken alliances.

CONFRONT ADVERSARIES

Meanwhile, a rational argument can be made in principal that the Afghan retreat was necessary to build an Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China. But in strategic practice, Mr. Biden has forfeited Bagram, America’s one major military airbase between Europe and Asia, and given up a forward intelligence center next door to a grateful China. Furthermore, the Taliban takeover has empowered India’s adversary, Pakistan. With no apparent alternative strategy, the Biden Doctrine resembles appeasement. America does not appear to have the nerve or ability to confront adversaries. Xi Jinping’s amoral China has embraced the medieval Taliban and determined that Mr. Biden will abandon Taiwan. An invasion may commence at a time of Beijing’s convenience. Vladimir Putin’s Russia is calculating which exposed NATO member or former Soviet republic might be dismembered. Iran’s theocracy can now go nuclear and unleash Hezbollah.  Kim Jong-un’s North Korea has already resumed nuclear missile development.

LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS

Firstly, as a co-equal branch of government, Congress, particularly members of the the Democratic Party, must genuinely step up to determine what has happened and partner with Republicans to find a possibly uncomfortable solution. Given his departure from all other policies of his predecessor, why did Mr. Biden continue a supposedly flawed Taliban deal? Likewise, bequeathed a stalemate and conditioned withdrawal, why did the Biden administration commit an unforced error and flee? Why did America abandon the critical Bagram Air Base and withdraw troops before consulting NATO, evacuating civilians and either removing or destroying $70 to $90 billion worth of modern military equipment? President Biden’s Pentagon has deposited into Taliban hands almost 80 percent of all the military aid that America has ever given to Israel since its founding. Therefore, the Taliban and its colleagues are now outfitted to conduct jihadist asymmetrical warfare on an effective and lethal level.

REALISM AND RESOLVE

The Washington establishment and corporate media remain complicit in denial about both a flawed twenty-year bipartisan Afghan commitment and the recently avoidable disaster. A politically correct chain-of-command is compliant. But the United States desperately requires leadership with the integrity, courage and vision to reassert American leadership. The Biden Administration was supposed to repair European relations, prioritize human rights and counter China. Moreover. allies may no longer join America to confront terror because they are always just one election from a flip-flop in American foreign policy. There is no traditional bipartisan consensus such as won World War II or prevailed in the Cold War. Therefore, realism and resolve are necessary for America to move forward from the Afghan debacle. But Mr. Biden must also grapple with other self-inflicted wounds, including deliberately forfeiting energy independence and triggering inflation. The president must also double down on vaccinating all Americans against a resurgent COVID-19.

INSPIRE AND LEAD

In conclusion, it is President Joseph Robinette Biden who is ultimately responsible for American security and global stability. Therefore, the career politician must courageously rein in the leftist domestic impulses of divisive and illiberal identity politics to build an emergency foreign policy coalition and stabilize the economy. America’s allies and adversaries see the United States as not a bastion of sobriety and careful deliberation that takes its leadership of the free world seriously, but rather a diminished democracy divided and immobilized by media-driven self-loathing. A paralyzed America is in the best interest of an aggressive People’s Republic of China, which is all too eager to inflame disharmony within and toward America. A competent and enlightened America can and should inspire and lead a broad coalition of free nations. President Biden must come to be an exceptional American, unite his nation and rally allies. Confident American leadership is imperative beyond Afghanistan.

Dennis M. Spragg is the author of America Ascendant, the Rise of American Exceptionalism and Glenn Miller Declassified. He is currently preparing his new book The Oldest Alliance, America and Britain. His recent commentaries include The Biden Doctrine and America and Britain.