Make no mistake, US President Joe Biden will be remembered mostly for fragile and weak decisions.
- Afghanistan Withdrawal: Right at the beginning of his tenure, #Biden initiated a rushed exit from Afghanistan. It’s been described as leaving in a helter-skelter manner. The entire effort of 20 years, since the invasion of Afghanistan, was flushed down the drain. The Taliban came to power, and U.S. military equipment fell into their hands.
- Geopolitical Emboldenment: The weakness shown by U.S. troops in Afghanistan emboldened both Russia and China. Russia moved to stop NATO’s advance by capturing Ukraine, while China tightened its grip on Taiwan—and both partially succeeded.
- Intelligence Failure: The biggest intelligence failure of the CIA since 9/11 was the October 7th attack on Israel. If the CIA was too focused on tracking Nijjar’s killers and ignored the looming threat to Israel, the top leadership must take responsibility.
- Economic Clout of the Dollar: The U.S. has failed to decouple from China. In fact, it hasn’t even managed to de-risk from Chinese dominance in markets like EVs and renewable energy.
- Rise of BRICS: BRICS has grown into a political entity much faster than the U.S. would have preferred.
- Bangladesh: The change of leadership in Bangladesh doesn’t seem to be a matter of significance.
- North Korea: North Korea’s missile launches continue unchecked, increasing its international clout.
- Economic Instability: The U.S. economy narrowly avoided a recession, but threats still loom large.
- Middle East Instability: The Middle East has become the most unstable it’s been since 1956.
- Health Concerns: Biden failed to anticipate the impact of his health issues until the very end.
While it remains to be seen whether Trump or Harris can address these issues, Biden stepping aside is seen as a positive move for many reasons.
