In one week the term of Joe Biden as President of the United States will end at Noon on January 20,2025. A few hours ago President Biden addressed the staff at the State Department in remarks that have been described as the first part of his farewell address.
One line from his remarks both stands out and also requires deeper analysis. The President stated that after 4 years he has restored respect and dignity to the country and has left the country in a stronger position for the incoming and in some instances the returning Trump Administration.
That begs to answer is that the case? If so, how can this claim be rebutted? We all know the major foreign policy blunders that took place in the first two years of his term. All of the chaos around the world is a result of the poorly executed withdrawal from Afghanistan. That move gave the impression to certain actors that if they made any hostile moves then the Biden team would not intervene militarily. This strategy would come back and haunt the world.
Within a year Russian forces would launch their latest strike into Ukraine. This operation which was launched shortly after the conclusion of the 2022 winter olympics was promised to be a “Three Day Operation.” More than a thousand days later the conflict rages on with no visible end in sight. Supporting Ukraine will be seen as some as a positive for the Biden team at this time.
Another issue that proved to be damaging for the Democrats in the recent elections was the October 7th attack and the subsequent offensive by Israel. The reprisals by Israel which still continue to this day not only in Gaza but also in Lebanon did more to change the calculus in the Middle East than any previous peace initiative to originate from Washington since the signing of the Camp David Accords. The damage to Iranian proxies not only in Gaza and Lebanon and including the ouster of Syrian President Bashir Assad in December has left Tehran in a vulnurable positon.
The United States has also taken a huge hit in Africa also. Supporting the French led Operation Barkhane in the Sahel which was the security mission in the region before a series of coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger replaced struggling civilian led governments with Military regimes. After these regimes demanded the withdrawal of French troops in January 2025 they would take the additional step of withdrawing from ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States). This is a situation that is expected to fester throughout the upcoming year as well.
One thing is for certain change is coming to the horn. Advocates for an independent Somaliland have already been lobbying the Trump Transition Team to support independence. Already a known Trump ally Scott Perry a Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania has already introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives that will call upon the US Government to recgonize the Independence of Somaliland.
The question now becomes what other interests will change once there is a new administration in Washington? Clearly there will be some change. If one watches cable news some outlets are shuddering at the very idea of change.
It will be an interesting next four years.
