Tag Archives: Joe Biden

Let the Presidential Debate on China Begin

The 1980 presidential election offered the American people a choice between Ronald Reagan’s clear-eyed and robust opposition to a dangerous Soviet Union or its appeasement and emboldening under Jimmy Carter’s policy of detente. Mr. Reagan drew heavily on the case for taking on the USSR – and for taking it down – made by the Committee on the Present Danger.

Yesterday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden signaled he intends to ignore the immense and growing threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party. Worse yet, he would have us continue to enable it.

A meeting of the new Committee on the Present Danger: China yesterday offered the latest evidence of why President Trump has been right to recognize that threat –and to reject business-as-usual with Beijing, from which Mr. Biden’s family has profited handsomely.

Let the debate begin on China.

Learn more at PresentDangerChina.org.

U.S. Navy Seal Killed In Iraq While Advising Peshmerga Forces

At 9:30 AM on Tuesday, May 3, 2016, a United States (US) serviceman, identified as a U.S. Navy Seal, was killed during a firefight with Islamic State (IS) militants. The serviceman was serving in an advisory capacity to Peshmerga forces in the Northern Iraq city of Irbil, which is about 20 miles north of the IS stronghold city of Mosul. The death of the servicemen is the third military fatality at the hands of the IS since 2014.

The unidentified servicemen was assigned to “advise and assist” the Peshmerga, but was forced to engage when IS penetrated Peshmerga forces front lines, according to reports.  The servicemen was stationed two miles behind the front lines and was probably killed by “direct fire” from small arms, most likely an Ak-47.

The news of the serviceman’s death comes just as the U.S. announced the deployment of 200-person special operations task force to Irbil, and last week President Obama deployed an additional 450 military personnel to Iraq and Syria.

There are 5,000 U.S. troops are still in Iraq with duties primarily focused on advising, assisting, and training Kurdish and Iraqi forces. Carter who was in Germany for the appointment of a new commander of U.S. European Command also noted, “It shows the serious fight we have to wage in Iraq.”

Despite calls from the Obama Administration to increase the tempo of offensive operations against IS, defense officials say they do not expect the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul to fall in 2016.

The two other American servicemen killed in combat with IS were U.S. Marine Sergeant Louis Cardin killed in a rocket attack on a fire base, used to provide artillery fire support, in Northern Iraq on March 20, 2016. Cardin oversaw a 100-man marine force was leading them to a bunker before he was killed.  Delta Force Master Sergeant Josh Wheeler who was killed during a rescue mission to free 70 hostages from Islamic State on October 22, 2015.

Vice President Joe Biden visited Iraq last week called for an end to internal political strife among its government leaders and to focus on defeating IS. Iraqi’s have turned on the government over the last since last August due to claims of rampant corruption and not addressing the Iraqi people’s grievances.

However, protests have gotten larger and confrontational due to the reemergence of  Muqtada al-Sadr, a cleric who holds strong anti-U.S. sentiment. Sadr called for his supporters to demand a new government. Sadrists reportedly flooded the heavily fortified “Green Zone” where Iraqi’s government and foreign embassies are located where they protested before withdrawing.

On Sunday, May 1, 2016, protestors broke through barricades and blast walls throughout the Green Zone stormed and ransacked parliament. Protestors departed the Green Zone following news of a car bombing in southern Iraqi city of Samawah killed 31 and injured 52.  IS claimed responsibility for the attack.

The fight against Islamic State in Iraq continues to be hampered by political turmoil and inadequate or politically compromised Iraqi military forces. As forces continue to push deeper into key Islamic State territory, the level and intensity of IS operations is likely to increase, which will in turn increase the risk to U.S. forces.

It is important that U.S. troops have sufficient numbers in the area of operations to complete the “advise and assist” mission, while maintaining adequate force protection measures.

U.S. Boat Seizure: Another Example of Iranian Naval Belligerence

On Tuesday, January 12, 2016, two U.S. Navy Riverine patrol boats carrying 10 sailors were captured and held captive by Iranian forces. The sailors were sailing from Kuwait to Bahrain.

The 10 sailors were held on Farsi Island, just off the Coast of Iran, which is also a home of an Islamic Revolution Guard Corp (IRGC). Early Wednesday morning, January 13, 2016, the sailors were released from Iranian custody.

According to the New York Times, unnamed State Department and Pentagon officials cited a mechanical malfunction as the primary reason for the boats going off course. Soon after, Administration officials claimed, the military had lost contact with the boat.

As more information came out Wednesday, Iranian Fars News Agency reported that the boats navigational systems led the U.S. sailors into Iranian waters. While the Iranians were the only ones to investigate the ships so far, it is likely the U.S. will also conduct its own investigation into the matter.

Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary John Kerry, and the New York Times label this incident as a simple misunderstanding between two nations trying to better relations, but Iranian sources paint a slightly different picture. Fars posted an article early Wednesday morning quoting the IRGC spokesman, Gen. Ramezan Sharif, stating, “If investigations show that there hasn’t been any purposeful action, they will be treated differently, but if the information taken through interrogations reveal that their trespassing has been done for intelligence work and irrelevant jobs, officials will definitely take the necessary actions.” This would suggest the Iranian response was far more aggressive than Vice President Biden and Secretary Kerry claim, as evidence would show.

The release of the U.S. sailors has been touted as an illustration of the warming relations between the U.S. and Iran, yet Iran has a history of targeting vessels open waters. In 2004 and 2007 Iranian IRGC forces captured British vessels and sailors in a similar situation. In both cases the Iranian forces claimed the ships were in Iranian territory, although facts point to the ships being in open waters.

In April of 2015, Iranians seized the Marshall Islands flagged cargo ship Maersk Tigris along the Strait of Hormuz. News reports called the seizure violent, and U.S. ships responded to the distress calls. After several days the ship was released, but it once again showed Iran’s hostilities in open water.

Iranian belligerence did not end at the Strait of Hormuz. Several weeks later the IRGC fired shots at a Singapore-flagged vessel after ordering the ship to enter Iranian waters. These examples illustrate how aggressive the Iranians are. The current Administration may hope that the new nuclear deal will create a more cooperative Iran, but it is unlikely any major changes will occur in the near future.

The Obama Administration has been reluctant to challenge the Iranians on their questionable behavior despite outcries from the Senate. Since the Nuclear Deal was announced in September, Iran has tested two long-range missiles, which directly breaks the nuclear agreement and UN Security Council Resolution 1929. The two missile launches, October 10, 2015 and November 21, 2015, illustrate that Iran is moving forward with its ballistic missile technology. The Obama administration’s standard on these “improved relations” must be reevaluated. Aggressively detaining American sailors and testing long-range ballistic missiles would seem less of a partnership than a show of strength.

Sec. Kerry, Vice President Biden, and even U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter should stop looking for reasons to praise U.S.-Iranian relations, and start seeing that the recent nuclear deal has created a more aggressive and empowered Iran.

Biden Joins White House Interference in Nigerian Democracy

[…] And this (Obama’s) administration goes to great lengths to ensure that we don’t give even the appearance of interfering or attempting to influence the outcomes of a democratically held election in another country. And for that reason the President will not be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu when he visits the U.S. in March.

“As a matter of long-standing practice and principle, we do not see heads of state or candidates in close proximity to their elections, so as to avoid the appearance of influencing a democratic election in a foreign country,” White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement. “Accordingly, the President will not be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu because of the proximity to the Israeli election, which is just two weeks after his planned address to the U.S. Congress.”

Josh Earnest’s press briefing on January 23rd 2015 outlined the parameters which the United States should take towards all democratically held elections, including the election taking place on March 28th in Nigeria. So John Kerry’s late January visit to Nigeria on its face should be chalked up to ensuring peaceful democratically held elections?

According to the Washington Free Beacon, David Axelrod’s AKPD lobbying firm has been found to be conducting work on General Muhammadu Buhari’s behalf. AKPD’s ties to the Obama Administration can give insightful reasoning into why John Kerry flew to Nigeria amid Boko Haram’s advancement into the northeastern town of Maiduguri at the time. The United States wants to show concern about post-election violence, but David Axelrod’s paycheck and some of Nigeria’s social policies seem to be shifting loyalties in United States political parties toward Buhari.

On Wednesday, the Vice President of the United States Joe Biden spoke with both incumbent Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari over the phone to discuss how the United States would like to see the outcome of the elections handled.

The Vice President applauded both gentlemen for their singing of the Abuja Accord in mid-January to condemn and avoid violence throughout the election. Unfortunately, the postponement of the democratic elections due to Boko Haram’s violence has given rise to desperate political attacks between both parties.

The work of the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct free, fair, and credible elections for sustainable democracy in Nigeria was affirmed by the Vice President as a step in the right direction. The INEC announced that as of the end of February, it has distributed 79% of the total Permanent Voter Cards for collection by voters in the country.

The Vice President also noted his concern over the recent violence in election related events and ensured to both candidates that violence does not belong in democratic elections. Recently, a policeman was killed and several supporters of the All Progressive Congress (APC) were injured at a rally at an Anglican Church in the state of Okirikia.

The mission of United States diplomacy at the moment in Nigeria should be to deepen democracy. Nigeria’s people acknowledge their own burden in the country with respect to Boko Haram, social injustice, and the challenges of a fair election. In particular, Secretary of State John Kerry is critical of the Nigerian government in rescheduling it’s election date even when the United States refuses to give military aid to Nigeria to try and have their elections take place February 14th.  Overall, Washington has stayed neutral in the fighting against Boko Haram yet insulted and halted Nigeria in its effort to hold a democratic election.