John Chuckman
COMMENT – THE PROMISE OF CHANGE FROM BIDEN HAS QUICKLY ASSUMED
THE SHAPE OF “MORE OF THE SAME”
Biden hasn’t even begun to undo all the damage inflicted by Trump,
both at home and abroad, let alone launching any new, imaginative initiatives.
Yet we have constant press coverage of him as though he were FDR lifting up a broken-down nation. The American mainstream press has been cloyingly dishonest.
Biden is lifting up nothing, and he certainly is no FDR. Both in domestic and foreign affairs his efforts are paltry, although the press coverage is in CinemaScope and Technicolor.
The work of the press just brings home once again a basic truth of American government. The people are being conditioned to believe their wonderful democracy has delivered big changes for them, but there is not the slightest truth in that daydream fantasy when it comes to matters of any importance, especially, as we will see, in foreign affairs.
Bolstering the notion of “American democracy” is a constant and demanding task, almost like the effort the CIA puts into the stream of manufactured publicity it generates for one of its many coups, so that the real work of the nation may proceed unhindered, serving its plutocracy and the global empire by which it enriches itself.
In just one vital area of foreign affairs, the Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA) Trump ignorantly destroyed, Biden has made absolutely no real effort. It should be a relatively simple thing – and in agreement with what Iran, the aggrieved party here, expects – to return to what was a working agreement, but, no, we see no honest effort that way.
Biden’s advisors insist on putting the cart before the horse – that is, holding talks about an agreement of which America is no longer a part and while punishing, unwarranted sanctions remain in place, The sanctions are illegal and were laid by Trump when Iran had done nothing wrong and had abided by all its obligations in the nuclear agreement. He wanted to strong-arm a new and different agreement.
I’ll remind readers that the original agreement was about removing then-existing harsh sanctions on Iran in return for its compliance with restrictions designed to allow it to do needed scientific work – Iran has a sizable and growing nuclear power industry - while blocking any work towards creating weapons, Although there has never been any credible evidence that Iran worked towards nuclear weapons and the country stands committed to a policy of never developing them, Iran gladly accepted the restrictions, and the agreement worked smoothly for almost four years.
Biden’s people appear determined to change an agreement of which they are no longer part, although every kind of roundabout and dishonest language is used to camouflage the intent. That was Trump’s very goal. Iran has always said it is willing to talk to the United States about any concern, once the US rejoins the agreement and assumes obligations it has ignored.
Truly, what is the point of discussing new terms for an agreement when the United States has not even fulfilled its obligations under the original terms?
Judging by the fact that some other co-signers (there were a total of six alongside the US and Iran) to the original agreement have intervened – Germany and France – and in ways that are quite revealing, it is clear Israel is behind Biden’s ineffectual efforts.
What Israel has always wanted is literally to disarm Iran by destroying its highly successful, pinpoint-accurate missile program, its major element of defense against two relentlessly hostile states, the United States and Israel.
Israel hates Iran because it is so large (more than 80 million people) and stands in the way of Israel’s dominating the region. It has nothing to do with nuclear weapons, but that makes a good, fear-filled excuse. We know from the best authorities that Israel has about 90 nuclear warheads and fissile material for maybe 60 more. Iran has none. By the way, Israel’s bomb-making factory, the Dimona reactor, is undergoing expansion, as captured in independent satellite images. Our mainline press does not discuss it, nor are we given any explanation for a very disturbing matter.
Iran will not agree to change what was a working agreement it never violated. It certainly will never sacrifice its national defense to please two hostile states, both of which have committed major terrorist acts against it. And if the United States does not agree to end its illegal sanctions – and they are illegal, having no authority other than America’s own say-so - that agreement isn’t worth the paper it is written on. It will almost certainly wither on the vine. How’s that for successful diplomacy?
Iran has been taking very gradual steps away from the pattern it previously followed under the agreement in order to pressure the United States. It has said clearly, many times, these steps will all be reversed if the US just rejoins the agreement and meets its obligations. Iran remains part of the agreement. The steps it has taken are actually permitted as remedial measures under the agreement.
There are other worrying moves by Biden’s people in the Middle East, despite Biden’s promise to end “forever wars.“ The unwanted American occupation in Eastern Iraq is now to be heavily reinforced with four times the number of troops. The illegal occupation in Eastern Syria was just reinforced with weapons and supplies. The evacuation of Afghanistan, after twenty years of killing peasants, it now appears may not take place. Remember, many of the “forever wars” were the work of Obama with Joe Biden serving as vice President.
There are serious new signs of hostility towards Russia, too. Biden has made several totally unwarranted statements about a peaceful Russia. America’s Charlie McCarthy NATO ventriloquist dummy, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, has been making noises about new measures against Russia.
The hopeless, blundering words of the EU’s Josep Borrell around a visit to Russia were met by Russia’s incomparable Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, telling him that if Europe laid any truly damaging new sanctions on Russia’s vital interests, Russia could end relations with the EU, regarding it as an undependable partner.
New attacks on Russia have been made over the Navalny Affair, an obviously stage-managed stunt by Western security services. It has been so clumsily handled; it should be more of an embarrassment than anything else. But nothing is too low a farce when it comes to attacking Russia. Russia is peaceful and willing to cooperate, but it is not willing to bend the knee to America’s self-proclaimed indispensable status and authority. Carthago delenda est remains America’s secret working goal for Russia.
See for background on the Navalny nonsense, see:
It is reported that new sanctions against Russia’s work on construction of the Nord Stream II gas pipeline (Russia to Germany and about 95% complete) are being prepared in Washington.
NATO – and please note, whenever you read “NATO,” it really Is just the Pentagon in geopolitical drag – Is making new noises in the Black Sea, Russia’s backyard. It is to build naval facilities in Ukraine, which shares the coast of the Black Sea. America’s coup in Ukraine, 2014, against an elected government – a coup now rebaptized in CIA outlets like Wikipedia as “the Revolution of Dignity” – is proving its value (an American State Department official, Victoria Nuland, was overheard some years ago saying that it cost five billion dollars) by providing new opportunities to threaten Russia.
The current elected government in Ukraine – under the ever-watchful eyes of outfits like the Azov Battalion and Right Sector, genuine 1930s-style fascist street gangs covertly supported by the US to keep elected post-coup Ukrainian governments on the path of righteousness – is making no effort to solve the mess the coup created In Eastern Ukraine, the Donbass. Europe makes no effort to push it either, even though Germany and France were part of creating the Minsk Accords, the accepted formula for Eastern Ukraine to be reincorporated into post-coup Ukraine. All the focus seems to be on what Ukraine can contribute to irritating Russia.
What I really fear about relations with China is a move away from the violent economic acts of Trump towards greater militarization. Biden appointed several people who sound like General Ripper in “Doctor Strangelove” when talking about China. The effort to form blocs of nations against China begins to resemble the formation of military alliances, although it Is not at all clear this will be successful.
And there is no letting up on the destructive American nonsense about Taiwan and the South China Sea. America conveniently forgets that it recognized Taiwan as part of China in 1972. It keeps toying with the idea of encouraging Taiwan’s independence, a guaranteed path to war.
China has assumed a role in the South China Sea because that is such a vital pathway for its massive global trade. There are also some historical documents supporting its claims. There is free passage for all countries with no hostile intentions. China even provides services such as search and rescue. China is ready to settle any dispute amicably.
There is no need for naval fleets from a country 8,000 miles away to guarantee anything, much less free passage. Sending them only communicates hostility and creates opportunities for deadly error.
Despite the silly Valentine’s photos of Joe and Jill Biden kissing, I’m afraid there is not a lot to feel good about. Indeed, quite the opposite.
