Joe Biden’s foreign policy as president has two signature declamations:
America is back – as the leader of NATO and as the leader of the Free World. In his first address to a global audience, Biden said:
“America is back, the transatlantic alliance is back I know the past few years have strained and tested the transatlantic relationship. The United States is determined to reengage with Europe, to consult with you, to earn back our position of trusted leadership.”
At the Munich security conference a year ago – the same conference where, over the weekend, Ukraine’s President Zelensky, pleaded for his country’s freedom and independence from Russia – Biden said:
“We are in the midst of a fundamental debate about the future and direction of our world. We’re at an inflection point between those who argue that, given all the challenges we face – from the fourth industrial revolution to a global pandemic – that autocracy is the best way forward, they argue, and those who understand that democracy is essential – essential to meeting those challenges.”
Biden has been true to these bedrock principles as he faces the prospects for war to return to Europe after 75 years.
President Joe Biden says he is ‘convinced’ Russia will invade Ukraine (AP)
In meeting this crisis, NATO has never been stronger – or more united.
NATO’s military forces have stepped up. Arms are flowing into Ukraine to help repel a Russian invasion.
Differences over the scope and stringency of sanctions if Russia invades have been bridged. All of NATL is all in on protecting Ukraine’s rights to determine its future – including a future with NATO in the years ahead.
The heart of this crisis indeed is perched on the fault-line between authoritarianism versus democracy.
Putin is not exporting Soviet communism; he is projecting power. So of course he would witness a nuclear weapons test exercise on Saturday with the president of Belarus – who stayed in power by crushing the movement supporting three women whose movement won the presidency in an election last year.
The Cold War is back thirty years after the Soviet Union died.
We are reliving its brinkmanship. The most frightening Cold War crisis was over the Soviet Union’s placement of nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles off Florida.
President Kennedy’s UN Ambassador, Adlai Stevenson, showed the U2 spy plane photos to the world in the UN Security Council. There was no doubt even as the USSR’s leaders lied about what they had done.
As we reach an era where private companies launch people into space, so private satellite imaging companies, such as Maxar Technologies, have replaced CIA satellites and Air Force spy planes.
The stationing of 150,000 Russian troops around Ukraine, the building of pontoon bridges for tanks, are all there is living colour.
Authoritarian Russia can hide at home, but nowhere else. In the Security Council last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken showed the evidence and coalesced world opinion.
Twenty years ago, US Secretary of State Colin Powell also went to the Security Council, with intelligence that was devastatingly wrong. Saddam Hussein was not building and did not have weapons of mass destruction – which was the justification for the US (and allied, including Australia) invasion of Iraq.
Years later, Powell acknowledged the tragic mistake that he contributed to.
“It turned out, as we discovered later, that a lot of sources that had been attested to by the intelligence community were wrong. It has blotted my record, but you know, there’s nothing I can do to change that blot. All I can say is that I gave it the best analysis that I could.”
Memories are long, and Blinken understood this perfectly in the UN last week as he presented the evidence against Russia:
“Now, I am mindful that some have called into question our information, recalling previous instances where intelligence ultimately did not bear out. But let me be clear: I am here today, not to start a war, but to prevent one. The information I’ve presented here is validated by what we’ve seen unfolding in plain sight before our eyes for months.”
Biden said over the weekend: “We’re calling out Russia’s plans loudly, repeatedly, not because we want a conflict, but because we’re doing everything in our power to remove any reason that Russia may give to justify invading Ukraine, and prevent them from moving”
But it is likely not enough.
In the 60s and 70s, the Cold War embraced China too. Today’s Cold War is no different.
SHANGHAI, CHINA – MAY 20: Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jingping (R) attend a welcoming ceremony on May 20, 2014 in Shanghai, China. Putin is on a two day visit to China (Photo by Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images)
For Putin and China’s Xi, they see a weak America and a weak American president. One of Australia’s great defence and intelligence scholars, Hugh White of ANU, had these words last week on China and Taiwan:
“It was always a little hard to believe either America or China would really risk a war over the rocks and reefs of the South China Sea… To repeat, neither side wants a war.
So, as the next Taiwan crisis unfolds, both sides will have a big incentive to talk and act as if they are prepared to fight, hoping and expecting that this will deliver them a costless victory by making the other side back down.
But there is a fair chance they will both be wrong about this. Both will face a disastrous choice between humiliation and war. In such situations, leaders in the past have often chosen war. This is how wars happen despite neither side wanting or intending them.”
Substitute “Ukraine” for “Taiwan” and “Russia” for “China” and it is crystal clear that the Cold War strikes back.
Bruce Wolpe is a Ticker News US political contributor. He’s a Senior Fellow at the US Studies Centre and has worked with Democrats in Congress during President Barack Obama's first term, and on the staff of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. He has also served as the former PM's chief of staff.
Musk-Led Department slashes DEI grants while Transportation Secretary seeks tech innovation.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded by Elon Musk, has eliminated over $370 million in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) grants at the Department of Education within just 48 hours.
In a post on X, DOGE revealed that 70 DEI training grants were terminated, marking the latest move in its effort to cut federal spending.
This follows another major budget reduction last week when DOGE slashed $881 million in Department of Energy contracts, including more than $100 million allocated to DEI programs.
The sweeping cuts signal a broader initiative under the Trump administration to curb what it considers excessive government spending.
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced that SpaceX workers will visit the Air Traffic Control System Command Center on Monday as part of an effort to modernize U.S. air travel.
Duffy, who has been vocal about the need for infrastructure reform, stated that President Trump has tasked him with developing a world-class air traffic control system.
He has also called on American tech developers and businesses to contribute their expertise to the initiative.
With DOGE rapidly restructuring federal expenditures and the administration emphasizing private-sector partnerships in public services, the coming months could see further policy shifts.
Critics argue that these moves may reduce funding for key programs, while supporters praise them as necessary steps toward fiscal responsibility.
Oz Sultan, the Chief Strategist with the Sultan Interactive Group joins Veronica Dudo to discuss.
Delta flight crashes at Toronto airport, injuring eight – all passengers and crew accounted for, one in critical condition.
In Short
A Delta flight crashed at Toronto Pearson International Airport, leaving eight people injured, with one in critical condition. All passengers and crew have been accounted for.
The incident occurred on Monday as the plane arrived at the airport.
Images show the aircraft upside-down on the snow.
The flight had originated from Minneapolis.
Peel Regional Police report that eight people were injured in the crash.
One person is listed as critical with non-life-threatening injuries, while seven others have moderate to mild injuries.
Authorities stated that all passengers and crew members have been accounted for.
The flight had originated from Minneapolis.
Further details are not currently available.
This is an ongoing story, and updates will be provided as more information comes in.
China criticises Trump officials for removing U.S. statement opposing Taiwan independence, calling it a detrimental signal to independence advocates.
In Short
The Trump State Department removed a key phrase about Taiwan relations from its website, causing outrage in China. Despite this, a spokesperson reaffirmed the U.S. position on Taiwan remains unchanged and underscored the commitment to peace in the region.
This phrase was deleted last week, prompting Chinese officials to demand an immediate correction, asserting it sends the wrong signal to pro-independence forces in Taiwan.
In response, a State Department spokesperson clarified that the U.S. stance on Taiwan remains unchanged.
The U.S. is dedicated to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side.
The spokesperson also emphasised support for cross-Strait dialogue, with an expectation that differences should be resolved peacefully.
Chinese President Xi Jinping – Reuters
Sole government
The relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan has long been complex, as the U.S. adheres to the “One China” policy. This policy acknowledges Beijing as the sole government of China while not explicitly affirming its claim to Taiwan.
Due to this understanding, the U.S. does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which is reflected in the absence of a U.S. embassy on the island.
China’s response highlights the ongoing tensions over Taiwan’s status and the delicate nature of U.S.-China relations. Overall, the situation underscores the challenges that arise from differing perspectives on Taiwan’s future.