Victor Davis Hanson
American Greatness
Why is French President Emmanuel Macron cozying up to China while trashing his oldest ally, the United States?
Why is there suddenly talk of discarding the dollar as the global currency?
Why are Japan and India shrugging that they cannot follow the United States’ lead in boycotting Russian oil?
Why is the president of Brazil traveling to China to pursue what he calls a “beautiful relationship”?
Why is Israel suddenly facing attacks from its enemies in all directions?
What happened to Turkey? Why is it threatening fellow NATO member Greece? Is it still a NATO ally, a mere neutral, or a de facto enemy?
Why are there suddenly nonstop Chinese threats toward Taiwan?
Why did Saudi Arabia conclude a new pact with Iran, its former archenemy?
Why is Egypt sending rockets to Russia to be used in Ukraine?
Since when did the Russians talk nonstop about the potential use of a tactical nuclear weapon?
Why is Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador bragging that millions of Mexicans have entered the United States, most of them illegally? And why is he interfering in U.S. elections by urging his expatriates to vote for Democrats?
Why and how, in just two years, have ad confused and often incoherent Joe Biden and his team created such global chaos?
Let us answer by listing 10 ways by which America lost all deterrence.
1) Joe Biden abruptly pulled all U.S. troops from Afghanistan. He left behind to the Taliban hundreds of Americans and thousands of pro-American Afghans. Biden abandoned billions of dollars in U.S. equipment, the largest air base in central Asia—recently retrofitted at a cost of $300 million—and a $1 billion embassy. Our government called such a debacle a success. The world disagreed and saw only humiliation.
2) The Biden Administration allowed a Chinese high-altitude spy balloon to traverse the continental United States, spying on key American military installations. The Chinese were defiant when caught and offered no apologies. In response, the Pentagon and the administration simply lied about the extent that China had surveilled top-secret sites.
3) In March 2021, at an Anchorage, Alaska mini-summit, Chinese diplomats unleashed a relentless barrage at their stunned and mostly silent American counterparts. They lectured the timid Biden Administration diplomats about American toxicity and hypocrisy. And they have defiantly refused to explain why and how their virology lab birthed the COVID virus that has killed tens of millions worldwide.
4) In June 2021, in response to Russian cyber-attacks against the United States, Biden meekly asked Putin to at least make off-limits certain critical American infrastructure.
5) When asked what he would do if Russia invaded Ukraine, Biden replied that the reaction would depend on whether the Russians conducted a “minor incursion.”
6) Between 2021 and 2022, Joe Biden serially insulted and bragged that he would not meet Muhammad bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, and one of our oldest and most valuable allies in the Middle East.
7) For much of 2021, the Biden Administration made it known that it was eager and ready to offer concessions to re-enter the dangerous Iran nuclear deal—at a time when Iran has joined China and Russia in a new geostrategic partnership.
8) Almost immediately upon inauguration, the administration moved the United States away from Israel, restored financial aid to radical Palestinians, and both publicly and privately alienated the current Netanyahu government.
9) In serial fashion, Biden stopped all construction on the border wall and opened the border. He made it known that illegal aliens were welcome to enter the United States unlawfully. Some 6-7 million did. He reinstated “catch and release.” And he did nothing about the Mexican cartel importation of fentanyl that has recently killed over 100,000 Americans per year.
10) In the last two years, the Pentagon has embarked on a woke agenda. The army is short by 15,000 in its annual recruitment quota. The defense budget has not kept up with inflation. One of the greatest intelligence leaks in U.S. history just occurred from the Pentagon.
The Pentagon refused to admit culpability and misled the country about Afghanistan and the Chinese spy balloon flight. The current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called his Chinese communist counterpart and head of the People’s Liberation Army to advise him that the U.S. military would warn the Chinese if it determined an order from its commander-in-chief Trump was inappropriate.
This list of these self-inflicted disasters could be easily expanded.
But the examples explain well enough why our emboldened enemies do not fear us, our triangulating allies judge us unreliable, and calculating neutrals assume America is in descent and too dangerous to join.
Yet without America, the result is a new Chinese order in which, to quote the historian Thucydides, “the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.”
It’s the Obama cabal that’s doing all this.
How can we possibly survive as a world power if we continue the policies of this administration (or that of any other Dem)beyond the 2024 election cycle ? Our deterioration is only accelerating.
VDH, I know on occasion that you have direct communication with Donald Trump. This would not happen if he did not believe your views worth hearing. Below are a few of mine that I want to share with you, as to how I, “joe blow conservative”, believe would work to Trump’s great advantage in winning the Republican nomination, and then ultimately the general election.
TO WIN THE NOMINATION:
1. He is the only one that has a presidential track record, and it is a Great one. All the other candidates can only promise what they would do as president. That’s where Trump was prior to the 2016 election, but no longer. Therefore, behave presidentially in the primaries. Speak to your record, do not get in the mud disparaging your candidates. Just remind the voting public that they deal in promises and Donald Trump deals in achievements as president.
(When he does get nasty and in the mud with his rivals, I still love him, in spite of my cringing. But those he has not yet won over (e.g., college educated suburban housewives) are repelled.
If he carries himself in a forceful, direct presidential manner in the debates, he will lose none of his following, but appeal to a much wider electorate.
TO WIND THE PRESIDENCY
(continued in subsequent)
DJT could really shut’em down by asking each of his RINO competitors the same question: “Exactly what have you done in your political career to make life better for everyone, not just the people who fund your campaign?”
A few rally’s bank President Trump went on as to how the American Dream is slipping away from us all. I was watching the rally with 4 of my adult family members and when Trump started in with how his policies assure Americans can own a home, buy much needed newer cars (NOT EV!) financially sound and more able to afford a vacation! Able to put some money back in savings. It sounded like he was promising these things and I began to tear up. I looked at my Mother, 2 brothers and my aunt and all of us were in tears. Do you know how long it has been since we (po’ dogs!) felt like we could accomplish something and AFFORD the good things in life in this country? TOO LONG. Suffering through obama (damned traitor) the bushes clinton carter (MORE BLUNDERING traitors!) WELL SINCE Reagan.
Trump…. and ANYONE! Could wipe out ANY commie bastard hell bent on impoverishing us all! JUST BRING BACK OUR AMERICAN DREAM. A chicken IN EVERY pot AND MORE. Americans will turn out to vote like never before; A LOT as Trump says!
TO WIN THE PRESIDENCY
1. Here he should be reasonably respectful in referring to Joe Biden; after all he did hold the office of president. Instead of calling him “Sleep Joe” (which of course he is), rather characterize him as in over his head from the beginning; someone who was cognitively diminished; someone who should have been removed by the 25th Amendment,, someone who did great harm to our country during his four years as pres.
2. Go down the list of policy failures, much like you have in your article today, and assure the listening public that would never happen with a Trump Presidency. With him the world would be a safer place.
Reagan asked “How many of your are better off now, or four years ago?”. Trump can ask that, as well as “How many of your feel safer today, as to four years ago.?
3. Trump should CONSIDENTLY show the confident, presidential side of himself (as he as only done on an occasional basis in the past). Stay out of the mud! Avoid braggadocio! He can still be blunt, and be presidential.
In my view, the above strategies would win him the presidency.
If i may: T must do a better job of vetting advisors; this is an absolute. IF selected at the Primary, he must immediately have staff working on a priority list of tasks including reinventing some major fed depts, e.g., fbi, doj, irs, education, energy, pentagon, etc., et al. There will not be time to start this on January 20, 2025. Push to defund NPR and check on rico’ing Soros’ orgs. During the campaign, be presidential, speak frankly, but presidentially.
I think he will be better at vetting advisors the 2nd time around. He knows the players enormously better, having been president before.
Personally, I hope considers some one like Kari Lake who ran as Arizona’s governor, but lost in 2022. Funny business going on in that state election, too. She is very media savvy having been quite successful in the news business. She is easy on the eyes, strong, and exposes conservatives.
AND SHE WILL SOFTEN SOME OF HIS ABRASINESS. Very much needed.
I agree with you. I’m afraid, however, that President Trump’s ego will not let him behave in this dignified manner. I hope this is all a diversionary strategy whereby he pulls the Democrat party to attacking him and ignoring the other Republican candidates and at the last minute throwing his weight behind one of them: (DeSantis?)
There is only one reason that in 2024 I would not vote for the Trump that we have all become familiar with since his 2015 descent on the escalator in Trump Towers. That reason is, if he runs as a 3rd party candidate.
I pray to God that he never would, knowing that he would just be throwing the election to the marxist Dems. But given his enormous ego, I can not rule it out. I wish I could.
Brilliant Victor! I thank God for your foresight, wisdom and truth. You are indeed a Watchman and Prophet. I pray God’s protection on you and your family. May Heavens Angel Army protect you. May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and enlighten you more. In Jesus name.
Silly fools, all of them and so are the people who voted for Biden in 2020. What did they expect would happen to the country? Under bombastic, obnoxious Trump we had some degree of security, stable gas and food prices, and a degree of respect from foreign leaders. The myth of Biden’s decency and competence should have been shattered in time for the 2022 elections. But here we are. No wonder these people think they have a mandate. When an electorate votes for people like those currently running our country, they get what they pay for and, truly, the rest of us have to suffer. It’s maddening.
In looking at all the ways Biden has harmed the USA, it becomes increasingly more important in an assessment of intent vs indications of idiocy to remember Mr. Obama’s warning:
“Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f*ck things up.”
It appears to be one of the few truths Mr. Obama said during his 8-year part-time job in the WH. Susan Rice must have been out of the room in order for him to be allowed to say that.
It was an amazingly adept assessment of how we got here.
It’s time to call Nurse Ratchad to order a patient pick-up.
The Chinese are in dire financial shape, they loaned many of the banana republics, Brazil largest, in total Trillions. They control these undeveloped corrupt governmnts by buying the Leaders in So America and Africa. They loaned in trillions in total for modern infrastructure thinking it wud improve their “Relationship”. Now these corrupt country’s have not made any attempt to pay on loans, so China gave them a gift like US does, called foreign aid. Chinas economy is on verge of collapse, orders from US & elsewhere stopped during pandemic & haven’t recovered, US imports were 30% of Chinas GDP. American media has finally reported the real situation w China, that they intend to rule the world in 30 years, USA is first, it seems we are staying away from Chinas products now. The unemployment rate due to the export stop, the video showed major container port, zero activity, is very high they dont say but I saw a video re wats goin on actually inside country. Several US educated citizens say the hi rise apartments lost 1/3rd of tenants those that bought condos hav had repossessions losing all their life savings they had put down on loans and equity. The speculators who built these massive hi rises are bankrupt as are many busineses. So noway China cud bear cost of major invasion. It was also reported invading Taiwan wud cost them much of their exports, China trades heavily w Japan, Philipenes, Australia, and all the Pacific Rim country’s, so invasion is hot air dreams. China has d
I follow the news daily as Its like waking up to a new episode of my favorite tv series, “The Twilight Zone”, every day. So I’m familiar with the US vs Russia, China fuss. Our leaders right and left, saber rattled for a good while, even calling for regime change in Russia, before Russia and China were compelled to rattle back.
I majored in English and health sciences, am ‘mentally challenged’ in economics, and this question probably verifies that. But we are billions in debt to China, even more to Britain and maybe Japan? So would changing to a different currency from $ not hurt China a good bit?
Others know more, nevertheless, Japan owns more of America’s debt than any other nation.
China was second,i believe, and have stqrted selling its debt to us these last few months and those sales are increasing apparently. Bad news for the US.
China may be in economic tough times. However, they are not as bad off as some in the West purport. The US has been a major factor in the wealth building inside China. Very troublesome is the ease with which China stole military design secrets from us. Namely, stealth fighter data. It was incredible. Visitors to China are advised to NOT go anywhere near a military base there – when I visited, friends there told me repeatedly to not even walk down a sidewalk by a base. They have absolutely no tolerance, zero, while our security people are openly loose. Finally, i fully believe China leaders hold our leaders in special contempt for the ease they were purchased. General Milley is viewed as a wuss though he probably thinks differently.
I think I know why, but could you be kind and spoon feed to me why China selling its debt to us is a bad omen?
Here’s what I don’t understand: If Japan or China sells our debt, we are under no obligation to buy it back are we? If I am correct, then that means that the debt remains. It just transfers to a different debt holder.
Where I see us getting hurt is if countries (eg. Japan, China) stop *buying* our debt. (Cloud with a silver lining? — Maybe it will be what is needed to force us reign in our profligate spending.)
VH having a bad day?
None of this matters to the Democrats. All they want is Green Spending and free stuff and that just “keeps on a comin’.”
Former U.N. ambassador and potential 2024 presidential candidate John Bolton told Newsmax on Wednesday that the United States is “benefiting” from aiding Ukraine in its war with Russia.
“I think this is a war that is having several very beneficial effects for the United States,” Bolton said during “Eric Bolling The Balance” on Wednesday. “No. 1: It’s chewing up the Russian army and diminishing its power worldwide. And No. 2: If the Russians were able to get away with unprovoked aggression in Ukraine, every other former republic of the Soviet Union would be in jeopardy.”
Bolton said that staying out of the conflict would jeopardize stability for our allies on the European continent and that the Chinese would see that weakness as a catalyst to move against Taiwan.
“The lesson that the Chinese Communist [Party] would learn in Beijing is that neither the United States nor the Western alliance would stand against aggression against a country in Europe,” he said. “What chance was there really that we would stand aggression if they went after Taiwan? So I think this is all connected, and I think it’s important to understand those ramifications.
“I think it’s important to deter China from ever undertaking the attack to begin with or creating a pretext of a crisis to throw a blockade around the island, which they’ve demonstrated they have the capability to do. I don’t deny that,” he continued.
“I think the way you do that through deterrence is to show that Taiwan’s capability of
Video China worth watching especially interview
Ted Rabens tedrab@gmail.com
See u often on Fox
https://youtu.be/3QBQ-TqImNA
But hey, as long as The Big Guy gets his ten percent, all is well.
…and with all of this…the Woke agenda marches on, indifferent and incoherent. In our Courts, in the DOJ, in the FBI, in our social media, in our schools and in hollywood, where the damage is immeasurable. I fear for my children and grandchildren as I witness this tragedy…this disease eating away at the core of our nation…the rapid decline of America.
O.K. So the communist Democrats in the United States have seized the reins of power. By subterfuge, subversion, fraud, bribery, and murder they have taken the high ground. They didn’t earn it, they don’t deserve it, but at the moment, they are in the cat-bird seat. So what? There is nothing new about any of it. There is nothing new under the sun.
Looking on the bright side, I’m hoping that in this communist flash the funny-money FEDERAL RESERVE BANK will go belly up. The Federal Reserve scheme, outlined in ‘The Creature From Jekyll Island’ was concocted to put hundreds (if not thousands) of little regional banks out of business. Those little banks were each issuing their own currency. That’s how early America was built.
So I’m hoping those who are handling Brain Dead Joe Biden really will reduce the empire status of the USA. I hope the communists succeed in collapsing these monstrosities of unconstrained debt which, you understand, are undergirded by the laughable fiat power of an obscenely ignorant, mostly illiterate, power-mad FEDGOV bureaucracy.
When the D.C. communist pipe-dream goes up in smoke, millions of us will still be out here working away, doing what we do. The little banks in our towns will come up with some way to keep some kind of money in circulation. Uncle Sam’s greenback had a good run. Let the Ojays sing its swan song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXE_n2q08Yw
Honesty really is the best policy.
All the polluting, dangerous and dirty manufacturing processes were moved to the West as China instituted clean and luxurious. The unwanted in the West sang the Song of The Volga Boatmen while the East danced to K Pop.
I agree with you. I’m afraid, however, that President Trump’s ego will not let him behave in this dignified manner. I hope this is all a diversionary strategy whereby he pulls the Democrat party to attacking him and ignoring the other Republican candidates and at the last minute throwing his weight behind one of them: (DeSantis?)
The destruction of the United States has been in the works for several years. Although Biden is the figure head we see and can easily blame, there are many hidden operators who have been given free reign to implement all of these steps. The media gives nary a glancing acknowledgment to these stories, implying “there’s nothing here to see”. You have excellently summarized these massive concerns. If only more people would acknowledge what’s happening and fight for what is left of our country.
The first and probably most pertinent question should have been … why were US and Allied military troops in Afghanistan in the first place? The question is rhetorical, as we all know that the US and its Allies were there to ensure the control and exploitation of the ‘poppy-fields’ and the vast mineral wealth of the region. Additionally, the all important gas-pipeline route was secured. So, all the bullshit cover-stories are only meant for kabuki theater for the gullible.
It’s amusing to remember how liberals and Leftists wailed that Trump destroyed our reputation around the world, that other countries had no respect for us. Those same knuckleheads are quiet as Biden does it for real.
“Radical Palestinians?” Yes, just trying to stay alive in Occupied Palestine can be a radical way of living.
KSA is one of our oldest & most valuable allies? The same KSA that funds those madrassahs that teach violent Islam to hopped up wanna be terrorists & supplied most of the 9/11 hijackers?
If you weren’t a Zio, you’d realize that what Pedo Joe is doing is commanded by the central banks, who have been looting the US since the FED was spawned in 1914.
They’re going to clean us out this time, including the kitchen sink & we’ll disappear into the dust of history.
Victor,
Thank you for sharing your insightful perspective with us.
While reading this article, as well as your last few articles, this scripture keeps popping up in my mind.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is man’s all.
For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. NKJV
Thank you.
Joe Biden may be the United States’ point of no return, its “coup de grace” …… or it may continue.
Illustrative from a longer-term perspective is a recent Pew Research Center poll, “Public Trust in Government: 1958 – 2022” (June 6, 2022).
Circa 1964, the share of Americans who trusted government (Washington, DC) to “do the right thing” peaked at about 75%. Since that time, however — with a couple of brief blips up (after “9/11”, for example) — the overall trendline has been down. Since 2007, the public approval rating of the U.S. government has not been above 30%.
The nincompoop-in-chief and his cabal of woke clowns are just taking orders. All know who’s in charge, who seek the total destruction of the USA, but all refuse to face the facts. Why?
If we survive as a nation until 11/2024, Biden’s going to need a whole lot more than the 58 million actual votes he used to steal the presidency in 2016.
Biden’s foreign (and domestic) policy stances have at least remained consistent (Robert Gates).