Biden's blunder
Bret Stephens in The New York Times ...
President Biden Just Made His Biggest Blunder
In announcing that the United States will pause delivery of 3,500 bombs to Israel, President Biden has the laudable motive of wanting to spare innocent Palestinians from the military consequences of Hamas using Rafah as its last stronghold in Gaza. Less laudably, but no less understandably, he also needs to shore up support among progressive voters who think that Israel’s use of American weapons implicates us in war crimes.
But motives are not results. And the consequences of Biden’s decision, if not soon reversed, will be the opposite of what he intends. How so? Let me count the ways ...
I wish I could put all the essay here for those who can't read the Times, but here are a few of the "ways' he mentions ... The munitions cutoff helps Hamas ... It doesn’t end the war. It prolongs it ... It diminishes Israel’s deterrent power and is a recipe for a wider war.
I agree!
President Biden Just Made His Biggest Blunder
In announcing that the United States will pause delivery of 3,500 bombs to Israel, President Biden has the laudable motive of wanting to spare innocent Palestinians from the military consequences of Hamas using Rafah as its last stronghold in Gaza. Less laudably, but no less understandably, he also needs to shore up support among progressive voters who think that Israel’s use of American weapons implicates us in war crimes.
But motives are not results. And the consequences of Biden’s decision, if not soon reversed, will be the opposite of what he intends. How so? Let me count the ways ...
I wish I could put all the essay here for those who can't read the Times, but here are a few of the "ways' he mentions ... The munitions cutoff helps Hamas ... It doesn’t end the war. It prolongs it ... It diminishes Israel’s deterrent power and is a recipe for a wider war.
I agree!
posted by crystal | 12:03 AM
2 Comments:
I don't know if you ever read The Bulwark, but this is a little more encouraging for Israel, basically that their need for US aid is diminishing due to better intelligence on their part, and a more focused war (and also reduced civilian casualties):
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/biden-hasnt-abandoned-anybody?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=87281&post_id=144503242&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1mpwi5&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
Thanks for the link. I haven't read the Bulwark but I have often seen Charlie Sykes, who was the editor, on MSNBC news shows. I like him. I have heard on the Times of Israel daily briefings too the same thing - that they have learned a lot since the early part of the war through intelligence and experience, and that going into Rafah will be less brute force.
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