AS the clock runs down on Joe Biden’s presidency, independent analysis has appeared to examine his record of office, achievements and failures.
One way of assessing Biden’s impact on the US and the world is through American views on his attempt to run for another term of office.
Rejected by large swathes of the American citizenry as unworthy of being reelected, this judgement was not only because of his cognitive decline visible to all, including the most die-hard Democratic party supporters.
It was also because of his failure to leverage the strengths and enormous resources of the country to build a better future for Americans, which in turn could have had positive ripple effects on the rest of the world.
What Biden will be most remembered for by non-Americans around the world is his handling of the war in Gaza.
Biden: ‘I am a Zionist’
In Gaza and its spillover war in Lebanon, a largely innocent population continues to be subjected to the horrors of war beyond anyone’s imagination.
Journalists, doctors and nurses, United Nations and neutral NGO workers and volunteers have also been victims of Israel’s killing spree, leading UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk to say in a statement that “this unprecedented level of killing, and injury of civilians is a direct consequence of the failure to comply with fundamental principles of international humanitarian law”.
Biden and his secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, have not only been complicit in the illegal and genocidal war in Gaza by providing Israel with unconditional diplomatic and military support for a scorched earth policy. They have also refused to use the clout of the US to bring about a peace settlement.
What the world has seen from Biden and Blinken has been pretence, hypocrisy and double-talk on the world stage to give the impression that they have objected to Israeli military action aimed at the collective punishment of the Palestinians; besides being strenuously opposed to the atrocities taking place on a daily basis.
The reality has been different. As president, Biden has provided Benjamin Netanyahu with protection and impunity from any international legal punishment. He has also been responsible for channelling enormous amounts of weaponry and military assistance without which Israel would find it impossible to engage in a prolonged war.
It is undoubtedly US influence and pressure that can push Israel to accept a Palestinian state – the primary objective of the Palestinian population and most countries of the world. It is an objective that Biden claims he is in favour of but which his actions indicate otherwise.
According to the Costs of War project at Brown University, the United States provided US$17.9 billion (RM80.55 billion) in five military aids from October 2023 to October 2024, a record for a single year.
Western media reports on this military assistance have conveniently omitted to point out that most of this military assistance money has gone back to American companies that make weapons and military equipment for the wars which the US and its proxies have instigated and sustained since the last world war.
Not to be forgotten is that a year after the initial Hamas provocative attack and immediately following Israel’s horrific rocket attack on a Gaza-strip hospital that killed hundreds of medical staff, patients and visitors, Biden travelled halfway around the world to Tel Aviv to meet with Netanyahu and reiterate his unwavering support for Israel.
His supplicatory action and words to the world on the hospital attack carnage serve as a reminder of Biden’s moral failings and void when it comes to non-American and non-Israeli lives.
“I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion of the hospital in Gaza yesterday, and based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you.”
How history will remember Biden’s presidency
As president, Biden has tried to impress on Americans that he is a man of peace, decency, integrity and honour. However, many will know and remember him as a war merchant extraordinaire and a leader woefully deficient in the positive character attributes that his media machine has touted.
There are two other ways to remember Biden, the 46th US president. One is his recent flip-flop after repeatedly pronouncing that he would not stand in the way of his son’s conviction on tax and gun charges.
The full and unconditional presidential pardon he granted for federal crimes that Hunter Biden committed between Jan 1, 2014 and Dec 1, 2024 is unprecedented in US judicial history as it covers offences committed well before Biden’s term of office began.
It has left an indelible stain on Biden’s honour and integrity, and provided critics, including Trump, with ammunition to refute Biden’s claim that he has advanced effective and accountable justice and democracy in America.
The other way to remember Biden’s place in history is by relating it to the outpouring of tributes and eulogies from Americans and non-Americans remembering Jimmy Carter following his death.
The influential Arab media leader, Arab News, had this commendation: “The Palestinian people have this week lost one of the most outspoken champions of their cause. Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the US, died on Sunday at the age of 100.
“Carter will be remembered as a man of integrity and courage. His readiness to move away from the more orthodox foreign policy line adopted by both Democrats and Republicans back in the 1970s over the Arab-Israeli conflict triggered fundamental shifts in how the world later approached that conflict, with the plight of the Palestinians as its core.
“Carter’s life embodied the American dream while transcending it through his dedication to global service. His one term as president (1977-1981), even though he was often criticised during his tenure, yielded lasting diplomatic triumphs, most notably the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt – an achievement that earned him respect as a peacemaker long after he left office.
“His 2002 Nobel Peace Prize recognised his diplomatic achievements and his lifelong dedication to advancing human dignity and peace. Throughout his life, Carter maintained a reputation for integrity that stood as a beacon in American public life.
“His plainspoken manner and modest lifestyle reflected his belief that true greatness lies in serving others. Even as he faced criticism for his political positions, few questioned his sincerity or commitment to his principles.”
Biden had the opportunity to leave a similar positive impact on America and the world. Unfortunately, he was not made of the same stuff as Jimmy Carter.
Lim Teck Ghee’s Another Take is aimed at demystifying social orthodoxy.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
