46th President of the United States, Joe Biden

[rscott]

silentbrown said:

andy_s said:

Afghanistan is a complex situation, even the media acknowledge the ambiguities...

Yes. Christina Lamb and Rory Stewart were interviewed on R4 on Wednesday. Both saying it's unlikely to end well for Afghanistan.

At least Biden is working with NATO on the withdrawal plan though. That's the massive difference between this and Trump's announcement.

[captain_cynic]

rscott said:

silentbrown said:

andy_s said:

Afghanistan is a complex situation, even the media acknowledge the ambiguities...

Yes. Christina Lamb and Rory Stewart were interviewed on R4 on Wednesday. Both saying it's unlikely to end well for Afghanistan.

At least Biden is working with NATO on the withdrawal plan though. That's the massive difference between this and Trump's announcement.

Realistically it's 12 years too late.

Afghanistan was lost the day Dubya decided to go galavanting around Iraq rather than consolidate the good will gained by toppling the Taliban.

So I'd lambaste former president Obama the same as Trump for not ending that boondoggle. The difference is, whilst Obama made a few bad decisions in his presidency... Trump made them by the hour.

[anonymous-user]

Yet more evidence Biden is no different. This time he backtracks on immigration to prevent losses in the midterms.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-5677872...

[JeffreyD]

RonaldMcDonaldAteMyCat said:

Yet more evidence Biden is no different. This time he backtracks on immigration to prevent losses in the midterms.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-5677872...

No different to what?

[Blib]

The most economically radical, left wing, anti- big business government since WW2.

This is going to a roller coaster. Hold on tight!!!

[166 MM Barchetta]

RonaldMcDonaldAteMyCat said:

Yet more evidence Biden is no different. This time he backtracks on immigration to prevent losses in the midterms.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-5677872...

Now you’ve done it, you’ll feel the wrath of the Bidets, can’t you give the poor lambs a Saturday off.......

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that no matter what colour you paint your fence, politicians will always be politicians.
It does seem to be a huge failure of his team though, at what point did signing off Trumps figures seem like a good idea?

[HM-2]

RonaldMcDonaldAteMyCat said:

Yet more evidence Biden is no different. This time he backtracks on immigration to prevent losses in the midterms.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-5677872...

To be fair, it does say retaining the cap is only temporary and that they're looking to extend it next month...which rather rebuts the notion that it has anything to do with the midterms, which aren't for 18 months.

In their own words: ...set a final, increased refugee cap for the remainder of this fiscal year by May 15

[paulguitar]

Sounds like it is a temporary measure to help clear up the glut that the anti-Biden crowd were previously bleating about. Not sure there is anything genuinely controversial going on here?

[captain_cynic]

paulguitar said:

Sounds like it is a temporary measure to help clear up the glut that the anti-Biden crowd were previously bleating about. Not sure there is anything genuinely controversial going on here?

Yep, the state Trump left ICE in needs to be sorted out before anything else can happen on that front... Biden is concentrating on the larger issue at the moment, namely a pandemic that has killed millions of Americans because the last President pretended that pandemic didn't exist.

Tell me again how Biden is "as bad" as Trump.

[JagLover]

rscott said:

At least Biden is working with NATO on the withdrawal plan though. That's the massive difference between this and Trump's announcement.

What difference does telling NATO make

The only significant military power in NATO (in terms of global force projection) is the US, which is the one withdrawing.

Not that I disagree with the decision to get out. There is no chance of building a stable state in Afghanistan. The most the US can ever hope to do is support factions which are less batsh*t crazy than other factions and less likely to export violence outside its borders. They can effectively do that through financial and military support without ever needing to put boots on the ground.

The whole fiasco, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, seemed to stem from the belief that what worked in post war Germany and Japan could also be made to work in very different, pre-modern in many ways, societies.

[rscott]

JagLover said:

rscott said:

At least Biden is working with NATO on the withdrawal plan though. That's the massive difference between this and Trump's announcement.

What difference does telling NATO make

The only significant military power in NATO (in terms of global force projection) is the US, which is the one withdrawing.

Not that I disagree with the decision to get out. There is no chance of building a stable state in Afghanistan. The most the US can ever hope to do is support factions which are less batsh*t crazy than other factions and less likely to export violence outside its borders. They can effectively do that through financial and military support without ever needing to put boots on the ground.

The whole fiasco, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, seemed to stem from the belief that what worked in post war Germany and Japan could also be made to work in very different, pre-modern in many ways, societies.

The simple fact he's not just pulling out US troops unilaterally. He's working with NATO to co-ordinate their withdrawal.
Almost as though he wants to maintain good relationships with the rest of the world, like most normal world leaders would.

[tangerine_sedge]

JagLover said:

What difference does telling NATO make

The only significant military power in NATO (in terms of global force projection) is the US, which is the one withdrawing.

When the caravan club hold a weekend rally, they turn up, hold the event, then tidy up after themselves leaving the field behind with just some slightly different coloured grass where their caravans and awnings were.

When the travellers hold an event, they leave a bunch of mess, human waste and general litter and detritus behind expecting someone else to tidy up behind them.

One of these is the Biden way, and the other is the Trump way. Hope that helps.

[Gameface]

JagLover said:

What difference does telling NATO make

Are you kidding?

[JagLover]

rscott said:

JagLover said:

rscott said:

At least Biden is working with NATO on the withdrawal plan though. That's the massive difference between this and Trump's announcement.

What difference does telling NATO make

The only significant military power in NATO (in terms of global force projection) is the US, which is the one withdrawing.

Not that I disagree with the decision to get out. There is no chance of building a stable state in Afghanistan. The most the US can ever hope to do is support factions which are less batsh*t crazy than other factions and less likely to export violence outside its borders. They can effectively do that through financial and military support without ever needing to put boots on the ground.

The whole fiasco, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, seemed to stem from the belief that what worked in post war Germany and Japan could also be made to work in very different, pre-modern in many ways, societies.

The simple fact he's not just pulling out US troops unilaterally. He's working with NATO to co-ordinate their withdrawal.
Almost as though he wants to maintain good relationships with the rest of the world, like most normal world leaders would.

That is simply good diplomacy it doesn't change any fundamental fact on the grounds in Afghanistan.

If it was a good idea to scale back American troop deployment in preparation for leaving the country, then it is a good idea regardless of whether NATO is consulted or not. NATO is an organisation of countries sheltering under the American security umbrella. Of its members, aside from the USA, only the UK and France contribute any meaningful deployable forces. The rest of its members range from those who can defend their own borders to those issuing their troops with broomsticks to perform military exercises with.

In military terms America "consulting with NATO" is for the most part consulting with itself.

Biden is following the same fundamental policy as Trump in this area.

[HM-2]

JagLover said:

The only significant military power in NATO (in terms of global force projection) is the US, which is the one withdrawing.

This only really holds true if you believe that there are only two-and-a-half significant military powered with global projection capability in existence.

Six of the top 15 global defence spenders are NATO member countries and at least two of them- the UK and France- possess global projection capability outweighing bigger spenders such as India or even China and both have proven themselves happy to conduct effectively unilateral military interventions abroad.

[rscott]

JagLover said:

rscott said:

JagLover said:

rscott said:

At least Biden is working with NATO on the withdrawal plan though. That's the massive difference between this and Trump's announcement.

What difference does telling NATO make

The only significant military power in NATO (in terms of global force projection) is the US, which is the one withdrawing.

Not that I disagree with the decision to get out. There is no chance of building a stable state in Afghanistan. The most the US can ever hope to do is support factions which are less batsh*t crazy than other factions and less likely to export violence outside its borders. They can effectively do that through financial and military support without ever needing to put boots on the ground.

The whole fiasco, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, seemed to stem from the belief that what worked in post war Germany and Japan could also be made to work in very different, pre-modern in many ways, societies.

The simple fact he's not just pulling out US troops unilaterally. He's working with NATO to co-ordinate their withdrawal.
Almost as though he wants to maintain good relationships with the rest of the world, like most normal world leaders would.

That is simply good diplomacy it doesn't change any fundamental fact on the grounds in Afghanistan.

If it was a good idea to scale back American troop deployment in preparation for leaving the country, then it is a good idea regardless of whether NATO is consulted or not. NATO is an organisation of countries sheltering under the American security umbrella. Of its members, aside from the USA, only the UK and France contribute any meaningful deployable forces. The rest of its members range from those who can defend their own borders to those issuing their troops with broomsticks to perform military exercises with.

In military terms America "consulting with NATO" is for the most part consulting with itself.

Biden is following the same fundamental policy as Trump in this area.

You asked what difference working with NATO makes - good to see you agree that it's good diplomacy. Something missing with the previous administration.

[Not-The-Messiah]

Just watched him on TV telling people that they no longer need a mask outside once they have had vaccine. Anyone with a brain know masks outside are pointless idiocy.

It's when he decided to try and take some questions the statement something like "I needed to go, I will get in trouble".
It's quite clear the person the American people apparently decided to run their country just isn't doing anything of the sort. The man is just a puppet for the people in the background.

I feel sorry for the bloke he should have never been put in the situation he's in.

[Gameface]

I feel sorry for you, not him.

[anonymous-user]

Not-The-Messiah said:

Just watched him on TV telling people that they no longer need a mask outside once they have had vaccine. Anyone with a brain know masks outside are pointless idiocy.

It's when he decided to try and take some questions the statement something like "I needed to go, I will get in trouble".
It's quite clear the person the American people apparently decided to run their country just isn't doing anything of the sort. The man is just a puppet for the people in the background.

I feel sorry for the bloke he should have never been put in the situation he's in.

How people like him can ignore the State by State comparison where there are strict measures and virtually none, I don't know. They just stick their fingers in their ears and say la-la-la. No better than Trump, just less outwardly offensive.

[HM-2]

RonaldMcDonaldAteMyCat said:

How people like him can ignore the State by State comparison where there are strict measures and virtually none, I don't know.

Presumably because they're actually in command if the facts, rather than being entirely ignorant of them.

Not-The-Messiah said:

The man is just a puppet for the people in the background.

A puppet for whom? If you're going to post asinine conspiratorial drivel at least have the courtesy to come with a fully formed theory for everyone to laugh at.