cover image: Joe Biden Said He Was against Endless Wars: But His Defense Secretary Is for Endless Entanglement

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Joe Biden Said He Was against Endless Wars: But His Defense Secretary Is for Endless Entanglement

22 Nov 2021

Can’t America ever walk away? Like an abused spouse, Washington keeps returning to the Middle East and prostrating itself before vicious dictatorships, antediluvian monarchies, sectarian oppressors, lazy looters, and selfish aggressors.Washington’s latest kowtow to all came from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin when he spoke on Saturday before the Manama Dialogue, a security conference in Bahrain. The host government is one of the most brutal oppressors in a region in which even nominal democracies – Israel and Lebanon – leave large sections of their populations disenfranchised and oppressed.Bahrain is an authoritarian Sunni monarchy which rules over a majority Shia population. The military is meant for internal control, not foreign defense. When the Arab Spring erupted in 2011 Hamid bin Isa Salman al‐​Khalifa – who had promoted himself from emir to king in 2002 – relied on Saudi and Emirati money and troops to crush pro‐​democracy protests. Ironically, the only potential outside security threat facing Bahrain is also posed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, should Manama decide to liberalize. In 2017 Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, detained Lebanon’s prime minister, a nominal ally, on an official visit, over anger at Iran’s role in that country, and threatened to invade neighboring Qatar because of the latter’s independent foreign policy.After warmly addressing Bahrain’s King Hamad and Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, Austin promised to sacrifice American lives and resources on their behalf. After all, that’s what Americans do in the Middle East. No need for the region’s governments to do anything on their own behalf or improve their human rights records. Washington has their back, no payment required!Indeed, he improbably made the US into the supplicant, supposedly benefiting from its association with the local military behemoths: “Our network of allies and partners in the Middle East and beyond is a huge force multiplier. It’s a vast strategic advantage. It is unmatched. It is unparalleled. And it is unrivaled. And we are deeply grateful.”

Authors

Doug Bandow

Published in
United States of America