President Biden needs to ensure that his legacy should be defined in terms of the social welfare measures he initiated rather than remain trapped in the quagmire of the war in Ukraine.
On November 6, it became clear that the next occupant of the White House would not be Kamala Harris but Donald J. Trump. The imminent exit on January 20 of the power of the Presidency appears to have created an acceleration of the reckless behaviour of the Biden White House. It may not be justified to place the blame except in a formal sense on a President Biden for the recklessness shown by the delivery of ATACMs to an increasingly desperate Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The high-performance missile has the capability of striking targets well beyond the reach of less advanced weaponry, and handing over such a system together with its US support staff is akin to handing a loaded revolver to a disturbed teenager. The use of an ATACM against Russian forces means that US support staff have been involved in the strike, as the system is too advanced for Ukrainians to operate on their own, for doing so requires substantial training.
The Russian military responded with a strike on a Ukrainian facility using the Oreshnik, a newly developed hypersonic missile almost impossible to detect and bring down before it hits the intended target. Instead of understanding the implications of the use of such a missile for the first time in combat, those who are in thrall to a hostile lobby seeking an intensification of the US-Russia conflict “assisted” Ukraine in assassinating Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian chemical and biological defence forces, that too in Moscow just miles away from the Kremlin. What elements of the Sino-Wahhabi lobby in the Biden administration are working towards is reaching an irreversible stage in the now open US-Russia conflict such that incoming President Trump will not be able to put out the flames of war, and will begin his new term in office faced with a strategic disaster. That Ukraine, or indeed the US and the rest of the world, would pay a steep price for the Biden administration unleashing such a conflict does not seem to matter to those in Washington responsible for greenlighting actions such as the supply of ATACMs to Ukraine accompanied by a removal of restraints on their use, and the killing of a Russian General in the capital of the Russian Federation. What more reckless actions concerning Russia by the White House are to follow may be left to the imagination.
Should Donald Trump overcome the resistance of the Sino-Wahhabi lobby that pervades the establishment in Washington, attention needs to be paid on fixing accountability for the reckless measures designed to supercharge a conflict that are being taken by a Presidency that became a lame duck one on November 6. According to those who may be known as “insiders”, President Biden has been given the belief that measures such as the supply and use of ATACMs accompanied by US personnel or the killing of Kirillov “would strengthen the hand of Zelenskyy when holding peace talks with Putin”. The fact is that President Putin is unlikely to hold such talks with Zelenskyy, knowing that the Ukrainian leader would remain tethered to “benefactors” such as Prime Minister Starmer of the UK and President Macron of France, among the greatest champions of the “go finish Russia” school of thought in parts of Europe. Without US participation, such talks would be inconclusive. Nearer home, there is the soap opera being played out in Ottawa concerning the fate of Justin Trudeau.
Apparently aware that the course that has been followed by him could lead to his facing charges related to abetment to acts of terror, Trudeau seems to have dialled back on measures such as giving sponsored visas to young Indians who subsequently get recruited and trained by the K Group to carry out acts of terror in India, and who may launch terror attacks in Canada as well. Such reticence appears to have annoyed some of those who had hitherto backed his government, and who are known facilitators of the K Group. An ambitious Chrystia Freeland, who had till now been content to be Deputy PM, has made her move, as has Jagmeet Singh of a supporting party, both of whom have expressed a lack of confidence in Trudeau. Should the energetic Deputy PM of Canada send Trudeau into retirement and assume the post herself with an assist from Jagmeet Singh, it remains to be seen whether she would drink from the poisoned chalice or understand that what she is being asked to do is to be an overt facilitator of terror against India, and that a day may come when she is made legally accountable for such a policy, and desist, thereby causing anger in those legislators who have long been sponsors of terror groups seeking to be active in parts of India. What is needed is for information to be collected about such individuals, such that dossiers could be prepared about their activities.
Once the Trump administration takes over, departments within it may join in such an inquiry, rather than blocking it, as appears to be the case in elements of the outgoing US administration.
President Biden as well as his devoted spouse Jill Biden need to ensure that the legacy of the Biden Presidency should be defined in terms of the social welfare measures he initiated rather than remain trapped in the quagmire of the war in Ukraine. Rather than seek to make the conflict with Russia even deadlier than it already has been, he needs to shift focus to the Indo-Pacific. Secretary of State Antony Blinken may continue his shuttle diplomacy, the effectiveness of which has been terminally affected by the loss of Kamala Harris to Donald Trump in November.
Homeland Secretary Mayorkas may continue in his efforts at seeking to demonstrate that the immigration policies he has set in place are working, even while Kamala Harris lost the Presidential elections because voters overwhelmingly disagreed with him. It is time for the White House to come upfront and douse the flames of conflict rather than add fuel to them. It is time to double down on sensible policies, such as a rationalisation of H-1B visas to ensure talent remains in the US rather than gets sent away. It is time to try and improve relations with India. President Biden has a final chance to ensure that history remembers him more kindly than the media does these days.