The US Secretary of State Tony Blinken got 10 minutes with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week, sidelines of the G-20. The first meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine, Blinken raised Ukraine, Russia rejoining the New START Nuclear Arms Treaty – which they just quit, and Russia holding a US Marine. What did Blinken get? Nothing. Why? The Biden team is negotiating from weakness.
Ronald Reagan, who brought the Soviet Union down, stood by “Peace through Strength.” By this he meant you do not beg, borrow, overpromise, underdeliver, cower, or courtesy to an adversary. You do not beg for meetings as Blinken did in China, Biden did with Saudis, and now Blinken did with Lavrov.
The formula is clear, simple, effective. As Reagan said in 1986: “We know that peace is the condition under which mankind was meant to flourish. Yet peace does not exist of its own will. It depends on us, on our courage to build it and guard it and pass it on to future generations. George Washington’s words may seem hard and cold today, but history has proven him right again and again. ‘To be prepared for war,’ he said, ‘is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.’”
Not only has the Biden team disparaged US defense, homeland security, and law enforcement budgets, morale, readiness, recruiting, retention, ship building, carrier aircraft replenishment, and strategic planning, they have signaled a lack of political will, awareness of real threats.
Specifically, while they push money at Ukraine – for which there is no oversight – they signal no intent to bring Russia to terms by demanding of China they back off support for Russia. As China dumps direct and indirect aid on Russia, including drones, Biden does nothing. Russia sees that.
Instead, Biden increases trade with China, increases US dependence on the country, refusing to demand accountability for what even his own FBI and Energy Departments admit was COVID’s “likely” China origins, blithely excusing China.
Biden failed to punish China for supporting Russia’s war Ukraine, including at the UN. But that is just the latest. Biden has been China’s doormat, excusing egregious human rights violations as cultural differences, allowing trade distortions, currency manipulation, intellectual property theft, illegal militarization of shipping lanes and space, military operations to intimidate Taiwan (and our regional allies), and last week nearly downing a US surveillance plane in international waters.
In short, Biden – and Blinken – have offered little or no genuine pushback against China for supporting Russia, or for offending countless international law provisions, from release, inaction, deception, and suppression of critical information tied to spread of the Wuhan virus, and China’s “likely” responsibility for continuing global devastation via COVID-19, to military violations.
So, when Blinken “asks” Lavrov to please – with a cherry – consider negotiating peace with Ukraine, rejoining the dead New Start treaty – which is useless as a limitation on ICBMs if China does not also join it, which is why Trump pushed the three-way option and refused to extend it – and return of a US Marine held by Russia – Lavrov gave him nothing.
In the end, geopolitics and diplomacy are just human nature, human interactions taken to another level. If your leaders say what they mean and mean what they say, they are heard. If they are true word, insist you be the same, and deliver consequences for bad acts, including hammering your allies for supporting your bad acts, things start to change.
The principle is elementary – but apparently too much for Biden’s team to process, accept, or act upon with conviction: Negotiation from strength wins, from weakness fails, period. If we want action from Russia, we need to bring China around with consequences.
Truthfully, chances of this are narrow since the other shoe has fallen. Biden negotiates from weakness with China about China, not just about supporting Russia. The other Reagan principle is this: Stand for something, or you stand for nothing.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC.
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What I don’t understand about the American people is there willingness to extend billions to Ukraine when we are nearly insolvent. Why they welcome people across our southern border that will be taking the food out of American babies mouths. I’m talking about the American mothers who have protected their little babies by not letting them play football, or join the military, working a job, ect. because they might have to actually do something with their lives and be productive, When food gets short, all these migrants we have let in will be getting food from the Biden administration, and stealing and looting from you mom’s that won’t be able to protect your babies. They can’t put their cell phones down long enough to secure food for themselves. When China takes over and puts your kids in work camps how are you going to feel then? This nation can not even fathom the reduced standard of living we are headed for because of the idiots that think they are trying to save the planet. Our imaginations can’t even comprehend how bad life will be when the U.S. falls. There won’t be one country come to our aid as we have done for so many others. These are the circumstances we are leaving our children, so,so, sad. But at least the democrats will be in charge when we go down. That is all that matters to them. They want to be in charge, no matter what the price.
It doesn’t take a genius to know what is wrong with America. Just take one look at Joe and Kamala and all the demo/socialist appointees to positions in government. Brains, skill, or experience are the last things to consider. You have to click the right buttons. Are you black, gay, trans-sexual, or any other kind of LGBT pervert?
Disgusting!
AMAC – explains why we are at the threshold of War-as opposed to the position we would be in today if Trump were leading our Country—PEACE thru POWER and STRENGTH
They have an agenda to destroy the country the world economic forum Klaus Schwab is the Puppet Master. Biden wants to turn our sovereignty over to the United Nations. The country is in the worst shape I’ve seen it in in my 63 years of life. Biden and the Democrat Party must go or there won’t be America anymore it will be something completely different that none of us recognize not the country we grew up in and the country that we hope to leave for our children and grandchildren.
Dear God! Let us survive these idiots. None of Biden’s team has the sense God gave a goose. They are INSANE! He just gave the international women’s day award to a MAN!
BIDEN HAS DONE WHAT ALL CAREER POLITICANS DO THE BEST. THEY TEAR EVERYTHING APART AND THEN AS ELECTIONS GET CLOSER THEY START THROWING US A BONE. HE IS AT THAT STAGE NOW WHERE HE POINTS OUT ALL THESE ISSUES AND SAYS HE DOESNT KNOW HOW WE GOT INTO A DEPRESSION, BUT HE WILL FIX IT!!!
Everyone on the puppets team is weak. Name one that has accomplished one thing. Garland and Maroki with their open borders haha All jokes
the day after the “2020 rig” C-span was taking caller reaction. a woman from Arizona called and said she voted for biden because fighting for our republic was stressing her out and needed a break. she went on to assert that socialism can’t happen overnight; it takes decades. i’ve often wondered since brandon’s inauguration if she remembers what she said on that call because people like her are responsible for the destruction of America since. people say they want our republic to continue but are unwilling wimps to fight like our founders did in order to keep it. we are losing our freedom every minute since 01/20/2021. welcome to the real world. the marxist-socialists haven’t taken a break yet. enjoy your socialism.
Said so well, Thank You????
When does the impeachment of the pretend president and his cabinet start? I will join the ‘war’
bidens’ are unsuccessful in every life endeavor except destroying America.
We should demand the federal government should replace all poll workers every election. to break
up the click. an demand an equal number of races be represnted
I’m really afraid America will not be able to survive another 20 months under this administration. The damage done in the in the last 26 months is unbelievable. Biden goes WOKE and America goes broke.
We have a right to impeach and deport him. And every socialist wack-job can go with him.
Biden has never been the sharpest pencil in the box, now he’s even more dull.
People of the United States surrender now to China or suffer more.
Oh yeah Biden & his buddies have already surrendered us, they know all our military secrets & our nuke codes.
DICTATOR Beijing biden’s team is the MOST PATHETIC and COWARDLY in U.S. History.
It’s DISGUSTING.
That’s a “team?” Can hardly wait to cleanse the barn.
As long as the govt. feeds these Minaorites they will be in Dems. pockets. Kyle L.
How sad, we have Winken (Harris), Blinken (Sec of State and Nod (Biden) as the top three people in government. ????????
Thanks for the clarification Phyl, I thought they were Larry, Mo, and Curley.
Brandon stands four destroying America. Period. No joke.
Biden and Obama before him set the stage for embarrassing and disparaging our own country to all others. Our adversaries, especially, must be laughing out loud and more importantly deciding next steps THEY can take against us. Blinken is a sap, Biden, a total failure at everything he’s done in his lifelong career (except he has back slapping and glad-handing down pat, the only reason he wasn’t kicked to the curb ages ago) and he’s perfected grifting with his Biden Family Syndicate — though one must recognize that he never was the brains of that operation.
This administration is a disgrace to this country, How the hell Biden got elected is beyond me, but I know I had the COMMON SENSE to vote for Donald Trump.
He didnt get elected. its called voter fraud. how the hell could Pres Trump be ahead in everything at 11PM, and suddenly after everyone goes to to sleep they find enough votes for O’Biden to make him the winner….
David. As long as the dems. feed the minorites the demsmwill get most of the votes. They dont have enough sence ton see the dems nre keeping them on the plantation. Kyle L.
They are lucky the Dems don’t resurrect the Ku Klux Klan again. Did people forget who ran the Klan???
Continue to back the Dems who provide us with this so-called free welfare. Buy into their lies.
Enjoy your life now, because when the Chinese and Russians take over this once great country, you will not enjoy what they have to offer.
Do you see these countries offering welfare? Food stamps, free medical care, subsidized housing, open borders, defunding their police. Why is that so hard for anyone with common sense to grasp?
It’s called cheating, depriving the American people of their choice of president. Evil prevailed in that election. God Will however have the final say.