The U.S.-Israeli Honeymoon Ends: Joseph Puder, Front Page Magazine, Apr. 14, 2021
“it is unlikely that Iran would be flexible enough to agree to the US requests for modifications to the 2015 nuclear deal, such as extending the expiration time.”
It seems that the Trump era ‘honeymoon’ in US – Israeli relations is over under the new administration of Joe Biden. The US is now prepared to go back to previous policies of so-called ‘evenhandedness’ between Israel and the Palestinians. Furthermore, the Biden administration appears to return to the Obama administration policy of appeasing the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken briefed Israel’s Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi about the Biden administration’s plan for the indirect talks with the Iranians in Vienna. He said that he did not believe the meeting would bear fruit. The New York Times reported (April 6, 2021) that, “The United States and Iran agreed through intermediaries on Tuesday to establish two working groups to try to get both countries back into compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.” At the moment there is a battle of wills. The Iranian officials claim that they can return to compliance fairly quickly, but demand that the US must first lift the sanctions. The US wants the Iranians to move first to return to compliance before sanctions are eased. The Iranians, it should be said, refused to deal directly with the Americans.
The Iranian economy is in shambles as the result of the Trump administration sanctions, and it would seem that the Iranians are in a weak position in the upcoming bargaining. In the meantime, however, US officials estimated that Iran’s ‘breakout time’ to a nuclear bomb is down to a few months. That might be the ostensible reason why the Biden administration is so eager to engage with Iran’s radical regime. The Iranian’s, on their part, know how eager Biden is to reverse Trump’s actions vis-à-vis Iran. The operative question is simply this: are US officials wrong about the ‘breakout time,’ and are the Iranians, in order to strengthen their bargaining position, exaggerating their progress. Conversely, the Iranians may already have the bomb, and have most certainly the ‘know how’ to assemble a bomb. In whatever the case may be, it is unlikely that Iran would be flexible enough to agree to the US requests for modifications to the 2015 nuclear deal, such as extending the expiration time. The Ayatollahs have already announced that they are opposed to any change. That means that the US and the western powers would have to relent on Iran’s development of long-range missiles that could carry nuclear payloads. Tehran would certainly oppose the US demand that it ends its nefarious terrorist behavior in the Middle East region and beyond.
Navigating Israel’s Ship of State through the Storm of Biden: Caroline B. Glick, JNS, Feb. 15, 2021
“Neither Israel nor the U.S.’s Arab allies in the Persian Gulf can partner with Biden and his team in advancing this policy. It puts them all in danger.”
In a media briefing on Friday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki refused to say whether the Biden administration views Israel as an ally.
Psaki’s behavior was easy to understand. Although Israel is America’s strongest and most reliable ally in the Middle East, Israel cannot follow where the Biden administration is now leading. President Joe Biden’s policy steps and foreign-policy appointments since taking office have made it abundantly clear that his first priority is to return the United States to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
The so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that was negotiated by Biden’s top advisers when they served with him in the Obama administration is not a non-proliferation agreement. It is a blueprint for Iran to achieve independent military nuclear capability and regional hegemony.
Neither Israel nor the U.S.’s Arab allies in the Persian Gulf can partner with Biden and his team in advancing this policy. It puts them all in danger. This is the simple explanation for Biden’s refusal to date to speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to other regional leaders. Quite simply, given his commitment to a policy that places their countries in jeopardy, Biden would prefer not to hear what they have to say.
Ghosts that Haunt President Biden: Amir Taheri, Gatestone Institute, Feb. 14, 2021
“Biden says “America is back” but does not specify which America.”
Even before Joe Biden was sworn in as President, speculation was rife regarding the direction that US foreign policy might take under his command. Some observers speculated that he would simply return to the path traced and tested by his former boss, President Barack Obama.
Others, reminding us that as a lifelong foreign policy wonk, Biden wouldn’t be satisfied with doing an Obama, that is to say dodging issues, leading from behind, and, as Hillary Clinton once observed, making a speech each time there was a crisis.
One thing everyone agreed upon, however, was that Biden would do his utmost to show that he intends to distance the US from the path traced by his predecessor, President Donald Trump.
Democracy Promotion in a World Growing More Dangerous: William A. Galston, WSJ, Apr. 13, 2021
“the underlying analysis offers no reason to believe that a more democratic world is the most likely outcome.”
The latest “Global Trends” report from the National Intelligence Council, updated every four years and released in March, is bracing content. The document is an analytical framework, not a crystal ball, but it is difficult to read without a sense of foreboding. “In coming years and decades,” the council writes, “the world will face more intense and cascading global challenges ranging from disease to climate change to the disruptions from new technologies and financial crises. These challenges will repeatedly test the resilience and adaptability of communities, states, and the international system, often exceeding the capacity of existing systems and models.”
For Further Reference:
Biden Suspending Saudi Arms Sales, Raises Travel Warning Levels to Kingdom: Jewish Press, Apr. 15, 2021 — The US State Department escalated travel warnings for Saudi Arabia to a Level 3 on Tuesday, in light of the ongoing missile and drone attacks on the Saudi’s civilian structures by Yemen’s Houthi Rebels, as well as Covid-19. The Houthis act as military proxies for the Islamic regime in Iran, and the Saudis and Houthis have been fighting one another.
Minnesota Democrat Sponsors Bill To Restrict Aid To Israel: Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News, Apr. 15, 2021 — Betsy McCollum (D-Minnesota) announced Wednesday that she is introducing a bill to prevent Israel from using American military aid against Palestinians.
Secretary Blinken Is Wrong on Israel’s Demography: Yoram Ettinger, The Ettinger Report. Apr. 14, 2021 — Secretary of State Antony Blinken keeps advising Israel to retreat from the mountain ridges of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), lest it lose its Jewish majority.
Biden Torpedoes Abraham Accords Summit: Lee Smith, Tablet, Mar. 21, 2021 — Media reports on March 18 revealed that the United Arab Emirates has suspended its plans for an Abraham Accords summit in Abu Dhabi with Israel, the United States, and other Arab signatories to the historic peace agreements brokered by the Donald Trump administration. Supposedly, the Emiratis are angry with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for using the UAE’s de facto leader Mohammed bin Zayed as a “prop in his election.
Biden and Intelligence: The Limitations of Going Back to Basics: Tomer Barnett, Itai Brun, INSS Insight No. 1453, April 11, 2021 — Former President Trump’s relations with the American intelligence community reflected a severe crisis in the relations between intelligence agencies and decision makers, which in any case are inherently difficult.
Additional reading
Lessons for Politicians at Passover: William A. Galston, WSJ, Mar. 30, 2021
