New York Times Columnist Cheers Biden’s “Successful Foreign Policy”

Plus, more possible buyers for Washington Post

Biden campaigning in New Hampshire.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, toward the end of a column complaining that President Biden has been too easy on Prime Minister Netanyahu, throws in this gem: “The paradox is that Biden has generally had a successful foreign policy.”

Which part of the non-Israel Biden foreign policy was “successful,” exactly? The part where Biden let Afghanistan fall to the Taliban amid a chaotic evacuation of Kabul that featured Afghans plunging from the outside of, and dying in the wheelwell of, an American C-17 aircraft? The 13 U.S. Service members killed at Abbey Gate? The part where the weakness in Afghanistan encouraged a Russian invasion of Ukraine that Biden failed to deter? The part where Biden couldn’t get Mexico or other Latin American countries to stem the flow of illegal immigrants? The part where American reporters Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva are being held hostage by Russia with impunity?

With successes like those, who needs failure?

Kristof explains with a brief mention that Biden has been “especially” successful in “knitting together an alliance in Asia to reduce the risk of war with China.” 

The risk of war with China is difficult to measure with any precision. Some would say a Cold War of sorts has already begun. The risk it will escalate with a Chinese takeover of Taiwan may have been increased by Biden’s projection of American weakness.

A good opinion columnist will sometimes be provocative or make readers question their own assumptions. But a line like that one from Kristof, minimally explained, is the sort of thing that sometimes makes me wonder whether The New York Times editors are observing the same world that the rest of us are. If what we’ve seen over the past four years is the result of Biden running a generally successful foreign policy, just imagine how bad it could get in a second term if Biden is any less successful.

Post-script: Last week’s article “Who Will Be the Washington Post’s Next Owner” generated quite a bit of attention. After the article was published, I heard from several readers who were skeptical that Jeff Bezos would be able to sell the Post for more than the $250 million he paid in 2013. A few additional names also surfaced as potential buyers: