Biden Would Undermine Military Deterrence Against Major Enemies

Originally published by the Epoch Times

A Biden administration likely would mean an unwise reversal of the Trump administration’s efforts to restore deterrence against America’s main foes: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

Biden plans to de-emphasize the role of the military in favor of diplomacy without any acknowledgement that high-stakes diplomacy with adversaries seldom works without the tangible threat of overwhelming military force.

Biden prefers to focus on other methods such as diplomacy and trade as means of national power.

“There has always been the intent to signal from Day One that this is not an administration that is going to put the Pentagon at the center of things,” an anonymous source told Axios.

Biden represents a return to the weak-kneed diplomacy and hollow military of the Obama years. As far back as 1975 Biden condemned what he called the idea that the United States should “police the world” by opposing communism. He has never comprehended the value of deterrence as a diplomatic tool.

He prefers consensus building with “our allies” instead of decisive action by the United States, as was the case with the disastrous Iran nuclear deal—a return to leading from behind.

Aggressive foes such as Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Kim Jong Un pocket every concession they receive.

Biden notoriously promoted closer trade relations with Vladimir Putin’s Russia in 2011.

“Mr. Prime Minister, in case you haven’t noticed, there’s a real difference between being President and Vice President. The very good news is the President and I agree 100 percent on the need to continue to establish a closer and closer relationship,” Biden said during his 2011 meeting with Putin. “That’s why the very first foreign policy annunciation our administration made was when I made the speech in Munich that it was time to push the reset button and change the atmosphere.

“I would view the previous eight years—did not take advantage of the opportunities that exist for both our countries. It does not really matter how—it’s in our self-interest and I hope in the self-interest of Russia to have our relationship grow.”

This didn’t keep Russia from invading Ukraine three years later.

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Joe Biden by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0