THROWING TRUMP’S ‘America First’ economic policy out the window, the new US administration under President Biden is reinstating the interventionist policies which dominated during the Obama administration. Obama organised three wars simultaneously, on Syria, Afghanistan and Libya. Biden has set his sights on tackling both China and Russia.
Trump sought to restore the US’ economic domination through trade war policies. Biden considers the economic struggle to be already lost. He is seeking to assure US domination by military means.
In his first foreign policy speech delivered on Thursday night, Biden said that the ‘message I want the world to hear today is America is back. America is back. Diplomacy is back at the centre of our foreign policy.
‘… American leadership must meet this new moment of advancing authoritarianism, including the growing ambitions of China to rival the United States and the determination of Russia to damage and disrupt our democracy.’
Biden said: ‘… I made it clear to President Putin, in a manner very different from my predecessor, that the days of the United States rolling over in the face of Russia’s aggressive actions, interfering with our elections, cyberattacks, poisoning its citizens, are over. We will not hesitate to raise the cost on Russia and defend our vital interests and our people. And we will be more effective in dealing with Russia when we work in coalition and coordination with other like-minded partners.
‘… And we’ll also take on directly the challenges posed by our prosperity, security, and democratic values by our most serious competitor, China. We’ll confront China’s economic abuses; counter its aggressive, coercive action; to push back on China’s attack on human rights, intellectual property, and global governance.’
Biden then outlined plans to export ‘American values’ and impose them on countries through interventions. We have all witnessed how the US, under the guise of bringing democracy to Iraq, bombed the country flat, invaded it, had its leader Saddam Hussein murdered, stirring up all manner of terrorist forces, sending the country back hundreds of years and killing over a million Iraqi men, women and children in the process.
These are the cherished interventionist policies now being promoted by Biden to bomb countries into ‘democracy’. In Afghanistan for 20 years the US have tried to control the country. Trump wanted to withdraw. Biden will keep US troops in Afghanistan.
In 2011, war was launched on Libya, when Obama was US President. His administration led a NATO coalition, backing terrorists, mercenaries and IS-affiliated groups, armed them, financed them and trained them. They destroyed Libya and had its leader Gadaffi murdered.
So which country will be the first to get the American treatment that has already been dished out to Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya in last period? Biden is clear – he said: ‘Over the past few days, we’ve been in close cooperation with our allies and partners to bring together the international community to address the military coup in Burma … As I said earlier this week, we will work with our partners to support restoration of democracy and the rule of law, and impose consequences on those responsible.’
The Burmese military have connections with China, so this is the perfect opportunity for Biden to start his anti-Russia, anti-China campaign. Intervening in Burma will create the conditions for war on China.
For this foreign policy Biden needs imperialist allies. Trump’s decision to withdraw 12,000 US troops out of Germany has been ‘put on freeze’ by the Biden administration.
However, the US has irretrievably lost its position in the world as ‘top dog’. Its economy is in ruins; it is drowning in $27 trillion of debt; has millions of unemployed, millions infected with Covid, millions about to lose their homes. The world capitalist markets are in a state of free fall.
On the other hand, the nationalised industrial economy of China is booming. While China has dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic, the US is drowning in millions of victims, and is unable to protect its people.
With Biden now preaching stand up to Russia and China, and intervention in Burma, the only way forward for the American working class is to break with the Democrats and form a Labour party to fight for a socialist USA.
Workers of the world must take action to defeat the US and the other imperialist powers by organising the victory of the world socialist revolution.
