An outspoken progressive Democrat is wary of President Biden’s approach to the Middle East, arguing that it is like “admitting the aspiration has been defeated” to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
Why it mattersSome members of Biden’s own party hate his strategy for the Middle East, as his administration indicates that the region is no longer the priority it had for President Obama and his predecessors.
- “Obama was striving for greatness,” California Democrat Ro Khanna told Axios. “At least he tried.”
- Khanna, 44, supported Senator Bernie Sanders as president and, along with Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Has pursued a non-interventionist foreign policy.
Khanna has criticized Biden for failing to impose sanctions on the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, after intelligence revealed that he was responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
- In a five-point plan shared exclusively with Axios, he proposes that the government withdraw all remaining US forces in Iraq. He is in favor of concluding a multilateral agreement with regional partners to prevent ISIS from retaking territory.
- He has also joined Democrats in criticizing the government for a recent airstrike on facilities in Syria linked to Iranian-backed militias.
- Khanna suggests announcing additional resources for security and stability, including aid and development.
- And Khanna’s plan is effectively prompting other regional players to increase their presence in the region as the United States pulls out.
But, but, but: Other major players in the region often have very different views on how to maintain stability.
- When the US withdrew from Syria under Donald Trump, it was Russia and Turkey – two countries with whom the US has difficult relations – that filled the void.
FlashbackObama withdrew US forces from Iraq by 2011, after which sectarian tensions and a weak Iraqi state created a mature climate for the formation of ISIS.
- This necessitated another US-led intervention in the region in 2014 – a move Khanna supported.
- Biden told Congress leaders in a letter on Saturday that his strike in Syria last week was consistent with the US’s right to self-defense.
- The White House declined to comment on Khanna’s suggestions.
Biden’s administration has made this clear in recent moves, it plans to refocus on what it sees as more pressing issues.
- In his first foreign policy speech, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the United States’ relationship with China the “greatest geopolitical test of the 21st century.”
- While acknowledging that other countries present their own challenges, Blinken noted that China can destabilize the international system.
- Biden did not call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until nearly a month after his term in office.
It comes down to: As Barak Ravid of Axios reported from Tel Aviv, US presidents have been in office for decades in hopes of reaching a historic peace agreement.
- Biden does not think this is feasible under the current circumstances.