{"id":2195771,"date":"2024-03-10T05:18:12","date_gmt":"2024-03-10T09:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/neither-the-best-nor-the-brightest\/"},"modified":"2024-03-10T05:22:21","modified_gmt":"2024-03-10T09:22:21","slug":"neither-the-best-nor-the-brightest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/neither-the-best-nor-the-brightest\/","title":{"rendered":"Not the Best, Not the Brightest"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fneither-the-best-nor-the-brightest%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2195771&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>REVIEW: \u2018The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump\u2019 by \u200dAlexander Ward<\/h2>\n<figure><figcaption>Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser \u200cJake Sullivan \u2062(Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>When the 2020\u200c Democratic primary was underway, an\u2064 activist group founded\u200d by current \u2064national security adviser Jake Sullivan convened some of \u200cthe party\u2019s top foreign policy \u200bthinkers. At the first session of their conference, Sullivan asked what \u2063the\u200c country\u2019s\u200b main challenge was. One participant offered political polarization,\u2064 former Obama speechwriter\u2062 Ben Rhodes illustrated the point by retorting that the Republicans were America\u2019s biggest problem, and others listed a range of concerns from\u2064 climate change\u200d to America\u2019s dwindling advantage in \u2062high technology.<\/p>\n<p>When a party\u2019s foreign policy elite downplays China\u2019s rise, \u2063Russia\u2019s rampage across the Middle East and Eastern\u2062 Europe, \u2063and Iran\u2019s steady progress toward the \u200cbomb, something big has gone awry. The Democratic Party\u2019s inward turn is a major story that will be\u2062 an important factor\u200b in global\u2063 politics for years to come. <i>Politico<\/i>\u2019s Alexander Ward touches on this development in <i>The Internationalists<\/i>, though it follows \u2064a different narrative arc for Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<p>As he describes it, <i>The Internationalists<\/i> is &#8220;a story of a\u200b team\u200d that came \u2064in with immense confidence, lost it during the withdrawal of Afghanistan, and found their mojo again with the defense of Ukraine.&#8221; With the \u200dfailure of last year\u2019s \u2064counteroffensive, \u200bUkraine\u2019s hard slog on the battlefield, and the aid\u200d bill stalled \u200don Capitol Hill, the mojo \u200cseems to have\u200b gone missing again.<\/p>\n<p>Observers might disagree with the book\u2019s premise, but <i>The Internationalists<\/i> still reveals how much of the Democratic Party thinks about global\u2064 affairs. Ward \u2064describes Sullivan\u2019s &#8220;foreign policy for the middle class&#8221; as a major departure in Democratic foreign policy and a key component of Bidenism. Essentially, Sullivan repackaged the Obama-era emphasis \u2064on \u200binfrastructure and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-fisker-automotives-lost-taxpayers-tens-of-millions-top-investors-turn-to-proterra\/\" title=\"After Fisker Automotives Lost Taxpayers Tens of Millions, Top Investors Turn to Proterra\">green energy spending<\/a>, added some subsidies for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-launches-tsunami-of-anger-at-olympics-sponsor-intel-for-leaving-uyghur-slave-region\/\" title=\"China Launches 'Tsunami of Anger' at Olympics Sponsor Intel for Leaving Uyghur Slave Region\">high-tech manufacturing<\/a>, and embraced \u2062Donald Trump\u2019s trade policies. Not exactly revolutionary, but the strategy has mostly appeased the party\u2019s activists and \u2063labor \u2063unions\u2062 and created\u2063 some consensus within the \u200bparty about how to confront China.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b rest of\u2062 Biden\u2019s priorities are less\u200b clear: Climate change is the &#8220;top national security\u2062 priority,&#8221; but the administration is also &#8220;laser focused&#8221; on\u2064 &#8220;Russia,\u2064 Russia, Russia, \u200dand China, China, China.&#8221; &#8220;Bidenism&#8221; is &#8220;a new muscular, Democratic approach to foreign policy,&#8221; in\u2064 which &#8220;the guns would be holstered if \u200dthe\u200b cause of the moment was not clearly\u200b and directly in the American interest.&#8221; This is largely \u200cpablum\u2014what president uses force when he does not think American interests are \u200cat stake?\u2014and is neither new nor muscular. Many of\u200d Biden\u2019s policies, virtually all \u2062of his senior officials, and much of his rhetorical framing come straight from the Obama administration.<\/p>\n<p>According to Ward,\u200b some administration officials refer to\u200d themselves\u200b as the A-Team, and they seem to \u2064enjoy comparisons to Abraham Lincoln\u2019s &#8220;team \u2062of rivals&#8221; cabinet and John \u2064F. Kennedy\u2019s &#8220;whiz kids&#8221; \u2063that David Halberstam depicted in <i>The Best and the Brightest.<\/i> Of course, Halberstam lamented how few \u2064readers understood that his book\u2019s title was ironic. Much like the Kennedy administration, the gap between the Biden team\u2019s self-regard and achievement is immense. Secretary\u200c of State Antony Blinken believed that he\u2064 was restoring American diplomacy\u2062 and\u2062 international leadership, but he did not follow through on \u2064his promises to consult the NATO allies \u2063who had deployed troops in Afghanistan before the final decision to pull out, nor to take care of the State Department team that returned from Kabul after the collapse. Ward notes that Defense\u2064 Secretary Lloyd Austin\u2019s main qualifications were \u2063his loyalty to the Biden\u200b family and his\u200b unwillingness to defend the Pentagon\u2019s interests \u200cin interagency battles.<\/p>\n<p>The Afghanistan\u200d debacle is \u200ctough reading, although Ward captures the\u2063 administration\u2019s internal battles well. The military knew that the withdrawal would doom our Afghan allies, but Biden made \u2064clear during the policy review that he would only countermand Trump\u2019s planned withdrawal \u200dif some miracle stabilized Afghanistan. While the State \u2063Department lectured the military \u2062about having &#8220;a much higher risk tolerance than you guys&#8221; and planned to maintain \u2063the\u2062 Kabul embassy, Sullivan\u2064 questioned the wisdom of closing the Bagram airbase early.\u2062 Biden\u2019s strict troop\u200b limits made holding Bagram impossible though, and 13 Americans died defending \u2064the vulnerable Kabul airport\u2062 during the evacuation.<\/p>\n<p>It is not clear why the Biden team gives \u200citself such high marks\u200b for its maneuvers before Russia invaded\u200b Ukraine. In the year\u2062 preceding the attack,\u200d Biden and his team repeatedly delayed or \u200bsuspended weapons deliveries to Ukraine, at some\u2064 points driving the frustrated Ukrainians to long for \u200dthe days of the Trump administration. Biden\u2064 and his \u200bsubordinates repeatedly called \u2062President Zelensky to demand that he take\u2064 the Russian invasion \u2062threat more seriously, only for him to ask why they would not send him\u2062 more weapons if they were so sure that war was coming. State\u2019s Wendy \u2062Sherman gave beautiful speeches to her Russian counterparts about NATO resolve and unity, only for Biden to undercut her days later by saying that a &#8220;minor incursion&#8221; \u200bwould\u2063 divide the alliance. One Biden official complained to Ward, &#8220;we\u2019re doing everything right\u200d and the Russians are probably going to invade anyway&#8221;\u2014which is to say, they were not doing everything \u2064right.<\/p>\n<p>According to Ward, Biden went to Kyiv after the invasion \u200dbecause he &#8220;wanted to show that America\u2019s commitment to allies and democracy\u200d didn\u2019t \u200cneed to be demonstrated with force. It could be underscored with physical presence, engagement, and assistance.&#8221; But Ukraine did not need visits and \u2062kind words, \u200bit needed Biden \u2063to speed up weapons deliveries and training instead of dragging his feet.<\/p>\n<p>Ward points out that the Afghanistan humiliation was &#8220;Bidenism in action.&#8221; He\u2019s\u200b right.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump<\/em><br \/>  by\u200c Alexander Ward<br \/> Portfolio, 368 pp.,\u2064 $32<\/p>\n<p><em>Mike Watson is the associate director \u200cof Hudson Institute&#8217;s Center \u200bfor the Future of \u200cLiberal Society<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What challenges and\u200d contradictions does the Biden administration face in crafting a coherent and effective foreign policy strategy, as depicted in &#8220;The Internationalists<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ul embassy for several \u200cyears, Biden rejected every\u200d plan\u200d that was proposed. Instead, he set an \u200carbitrary deadline \u2062for withdrawal, which ultimately led to \u200cthe \u2064chaotic scenes at the Kabul \u2063airport and the abandonment of thousands of Afghans\u2062 who had worked with and supported the \u2063United States.<\/p>\n<p>One of the key takeaways from <i>The Internationalists<\/i> is the lack of a coherent strategy towards China. While the Biden administration has made confronting China a priority, its approach is \u2064inconsistent and contradictory. On one hand, there is a focus on addressing China&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/just-like-the-good-old-days-joe-biden-invades-syria-with-convoy-of-us-troops-and-choppers-on-first-full-day-as-president\/\" title=\"Just Like the Good Old Days: Joe Biden Invades Syria with Convoy of US Troops and Choppers on First Full Day as President\">human rights abuses<\/a>, cyberattacks, and economic coercion. On the other hand, there\u2064 is a desire for cooperation on issues such as climate change and global health. This ambivalence is \u2062reflected in the administration&#8217;s reluctance to fully\u2064 embrace the Quad, \u2062a strategic alliance of the United States, Japan, Australia, and India aimed at\u2064 countering\u200b China&#8217;s influence in the Indo-Pacific\u2064 region. As Ward points out, this\u2064 hesitancy may \u200dbe due to the\u2063 administration&#8217;s concern about disturbing China and jeopardizing the possibility of future cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, <i>The Internationalists<\/i> provides\u200c a valuable insight into\u200d the mindset and approach of the Biden administration when it comes to foreign policy. It highlights the challenges and\u200c contradictions \u200dthat the administration faces in crafting a coherent and effective strategy. While \u2062it\u200b is too early to \u200bjudge the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minority-employees-slam-house-dem-plan-to-boost-diversity-at-state-department\/\" title=\"Minority Employees Slam House Dem Plan To Boost Diversity at State Department\">long-term impact<\/a> of Biden&#8217;s foreign policy, this \u2062book serves as a reminder that restoring \u200dAmerican leadership and credibility on the global stage is a complex and difficult\u2062 task.<\/p>\n<p>As\u200c the world continues to grapple with the consequences of the Trump era, it is necessary to critically analyze and evaluate the efforts to \u200drestore American foreign\u2064 policy. <i>The Internationalists<\/i> contributes to this \u2064ongoing discussion and provides a\u2062 nuanced perspective on the current \u2063state of affairs. Whether one agrees\u2063 or disagrees with the author&#8217;s assessment, this book is \u2064a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the challenges and opportunities facing\u2064 American foreign policy after Trump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><figcaption><i>This article is a formal review of the book &#8220;The Internationalists: The \u2064Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump&#8221; by Alexander Ward. The review discusses the book&#8217;s main arguments and insights about the Biden administration&#8217;s approach to foreign policy.<\/i><\/figcaption><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Experts to discuss restoring American foreign policy after Trump. In &#8220;The Internationalists,&#8221; Alexander Ward reviews this crucial fight, highlighting the efforts of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Sullivan. This book offers valuable insights into the challenges faced and the strategies employed to rebuild America&#8217;s global standing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":235,"featured_media":2195772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/president-biden-holds-summit-with-japanese-and-korean-premiers-at-camp-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2195771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/president-biden-holds-summit-with-japanese-and-korean-premiers-at-camp-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2195771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/235"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2195771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2195771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2195772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2195771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2195771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2195771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}