Will the New Administration Warm Up to American Imperialism: A Look at Myanmar, Venezuela, Syria, and Saudi Arabia
For all the grief that former President Trump received for being this unprecedented leader bent on destroying democracy and usurping power (I should not have to remind anyone that he could have easily become a dictator in a COVID-19 environment of constant public fear, but he refrained), is the new president shaping up to be a beacon of hope in a sea of status quo leaders? I hope the answer is clear, but if not, below is a review of his first month in the realm of foreign policy.
After a coup left a military junta in control of the government in Myanmar (or Burma), President Biden was quick to reinstate economic sanctions against the country. Since sanctions rarely do anything to deter a targeted regime and cause extreme detriment to the average people, it is safe to say that the new administration’s actions are a symbolic way to act like it is doing something to punish evil officials in far off lands. In reality, however, freezing assets or prohibiting the free access of certain goods or services into or out of a country constitutes economic terrorism and are acts of war. Blockades and other such economic measures have been utilized throughout history during invasions to cut off supplies to the enemy. Even based strictly on American history, sanctions have often given way to bombing campaigns and other violent actions (think Iraq or Syria).
A relative rookie in the American sanctions game will likely not get relief from economic terrorism either, and the Biden administration has thus stayed on course in recognizing the illegitimate Venezuelan leader, Juan Guaido. President Trump was far too eager to confront Nicolas Maduro, but it appears that not much will change in the United States’ approach to Venezuela. More sanctions on the oil-rich nation will continue to harm the people already devastated by socialist policies.
Reading news pertaining to President Biden’s first airstrike in Syria should not shock anyone who has been paying attention to foreign policy over the last several years because the United States government has been involved in its own manifest destiny to dominate the Middle East and perpetuate war in the region for the military-industrial complex under the guise of bringing democracy to a savage land and cleansing the region of terrorism (yet, terrorism seems to be made worse wherever the United States military treads). The new president’s airstrikes, though claimed to be protective and retaliatory strikes in response to an attack on an American installation in Iraq by a group supported by Iran, have caused casualties and destruction of infrastructure and put further strain on the relationship with Iran (the president has since given it a warning) and Syria (a country that did not invite the United States, and thus, the American government has been violating the country’s territorial sovereignty for years). Tit for tat strikes just lead to increased violence, and status quo bombing and drone strike campaigns seem to be on the horizon.
After the release of an intelligence report showing that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman directed the assassination of dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it was not too surprising to hear that President Biden was soft on the de facto leader (sanctioning other officials in the Saudi government, but not the prince himself). Although Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally in securing American oil interests and making large sums of money for the military-industrial complex under the guise of being a partner in the global effort to combat terrorism, the symbolic move of intentionally excluding the prince from criticism and silently defending him show the continuity among American presidents in foreign policy. The Saudi Arabian government has been a terrible actor in the region by destroying lives in Yemen, violating human rights in its own territory, and funding radical jihadism, yet the Biden administration is seemingly warming up to its ally (it did announce an end to the military support for the war effort in Yemen, which is positive, but even this remains to be seen in the long-term).
President Biden is setting himself up to become the new face of the American Empire, but as a result, he has to act the part and appease elements within the deep state that will never allow for a non-interventionist (different from isolationist) policy to dominate the political scene. There is little hope that things will truly change around the world, and we can be certain that economic sanctions, drone warfare and airstrikes without congressional approval, troops stationed in roughly two-thirds of the world’s countries, covert operations, and overall bullying will all be part of the Biden administration’s “build back better” strategy.
Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website for further reading on these topics.
After a coup left a military junta in control of the government in Myanmar (or Burma), President Biden was quick to reinstate economic sanctions against the country. Since sanctions rarely do anything to deter a targeted regime and cause extreme detriment to the average people, it is safe to say that the new administration’s actions are a symbolic way to act like it is doing something to punish evil officials in far off lands. In reality, however, freezing assets or prohibiting the free access of certain goods or services into or out of a country constitutes economic terrorism and are acts of war. Blockades and other such economic measures have been utilized throughout history during invasions to cut off supplies to the enemy. Even based strictly on American history, sanctions have often given way to bombing campaigns and other violent actions (think Iraq or Syria).
A relative rookie in the American sanctions game will likely not get relief from economic terrorism either, and the Biden administration has thus stayed on course in recognizing the illegitimate Venezuelan leader, Juan Guaido. President Trump was far too eager to confront Nicolas Maduro, but it appears that not much will change in the United States’ approach to Venezuela. More sanctions on the oil-rich nation will continue to harm the people already devastated by socialist policies.
Reading news pertaining to President Biden’s first airstrike in Syria should not shock anyone who has been paying attention to foreign policy over the last several years because the United States government has been involved in its own manifest destiny to dominate the Middle East and perpetuate war in the region for the military-industrial complex under the guise of bringing democracy to a savage land and cleansing the region of terrorism (yet, terrorism seems to be made worse wherever the United States military treads). The new president’s airstrikes, though claimed to be protective and retaliatory strikes in response to an attack on an American installation in Iraq by a group supported by Iran, have caused casualties and destruction of infrastructure and put further strain on the relationship with Iran (the president has since given it a warning) and Syria (a country that did not invite the United States, and thus, the American government has been violating the country’s territorial sovereignty for years). Tit for tat strikes just lead to increased violence, and status quo bombing and drone strike campaigns seem to be on the horizon.
After the release of an intelligence report showing that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman directed the assassination of dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it was not too surprising to hear that President Biden was soft on the de facto leader (sanctioning other officials in the Saudi government, but not the prince himself). Although Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally in securing American oil interests and making large sums of money for the military-industrial complex under the guise of being a partner in the global effort to combat terrorism, the symbolic move of intentionally excluding the prince from criticism and silently defending him show the continuity among American presidents in foreign policy. The Saudi Arabian government has been a terrible actor in the region by destroying lives in Yemen, violating human rights in its own territory, and funding radical jihadism, yet the Biden administration is seemingly warming up to its ally (it did announce an end to the military support for the war effort in Yemen, which is positive, but even this remains to be seen in the long-term).
President Biden is setting himself up to become the new face of the American Empire, but as a result, he has to act the part and appease elements within the deep state that will never allow for a non-interventionist (different from isolationist) policy to dominate the political scene. There is little hope that things will truly change around the world, and we can be certain that economic sanctions, drone warfare and airstrikes without congressional approval, troops stationed in roughly two-thirds of the world’s countries, covert operations, and overall bullying will all be part of the Biden administration’s “build back better” strategy.
Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website for further reading on these topics.
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