OPINION:
It’s a fast-moving scene in and near Ukraine, but no matter the advance of Russian troops, the theme doesn’t change: A weak America emboldens the world’s hostile players.
It’s largely President Biden’s fault that Ukrainians are living in fear and fleeing their country. It’s largely due to President Joe Biden’s weak leadership that Russia’s Vladimir Putin is also showing an aggressive posture toward the Baltic States.
Putin, the former KGB agent Putin who’s never lost his lust for a reunited Soviet Union, is taking full advantage of a White House that sends mixed messaging, that by all appearances seems bowed and cowed to Russia’s recent moves, and that has actually buoyed Russian offensive action with feckless decisions regarding the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline.
As The Associated Press wrote in early February: “Biden waived sanctions against the pipeline’s operator when it was almost complete in return for an agreement from Germany to take action against Russia if [Russia] used gas as a weapon or attacks Ukraine.”
Well, here we are.
And Germany?
In January, “Germany was widely criticized for offering no military aid to Ukraine despite repeated pleas from Kyiv, all the while Putin amassed more than 150,000 troops at the Ukrainian border,” Business Insider wrote just this week.
Germany finally tossed its pipeline project plans with Russia — but only after Putin sent in the troops to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, America’s response under feckless Biden has been similarly lead-from-behind.
Biden finally imposed sanctions on the pipeline — but too little, too late. Ukrainians are already fleeing. Tens of thousands of Russian troops are already advancing. The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are wondering what’s in store for them.
“Baltic states worry they could be Russia’s next target,” CBC wrote in a headline.
“Ukraine attack leaves Baltics wondering: Are we next?” ABC wrote in another headline.
NATO and U.S. troops right down the road are wondering, too — wondering whether they’ll have to jump to militarily protect the Baltics from a Russia incursion, wondering how far this war could expand, wondering how many other players around the world could be drawn to assist partners and allies and enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend alliances.
China’s watching.
Iran’s watching.
North Korea’s watching.
And they’re all strategizing, waiting for opportunities to strike, opportunities to exploit, opportunities to set their countries and governments at best political advantage for the coming years.
“Many of Biden’s own aides didn’t think his Russia sanctions plan would work,” Fortune just wrote.
That’s because even Biden doesn’t think they’ll work.
“Biden told reporters [this week], ‘No one expected the sanctions to prevent anything from happening,’” Fox News wrote.
Oh.
OK then.
And yet Biden’s own foreign policy experts insisted just days earlier that the sanctions would indeed stop Putin from stormtrooping Ukraine.
Does this White House have a clue?
Sadly, no.
World War Three practically whispers and Team Biden is assuming the JV role.
It’s always perilous when America is seen as weak. Half of foreign policy is to put to rest any hostilities before they even take shape.
As soon as the world knew Trump wasn’t coming back to the White House, and the mentally compromised Biden was to be commander-in-chief, that half of the battle — the peace through strength message — was lost. And the only way to regain it is through a change in U.S. leadership.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “Socialists Don’t Sleep: Christians Must Rise Or America Will Fall,” is available by clicking HERE.
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