Making Geopolitical sense of President Biden’s Address to the Nation

Returning from Israel after undertaking the first visit to Israel during a wartime by an American Head of State, President Biden addressed the people of the United States of America in a special address from the Oval Office. President Biden emphasised on a lot of points in a 15-minute speech. Key interpretations from the speech : 

1. President Biden labelled Hamas as terror and President Putin as tyrant. The narrative that he wanted to push through to the American people was why supporting Ukraine and Israel matters for vital national security interests of the US. He unequivocally denounced those who have failed to read the History of the World that freedom and dignity can also be preserved by standing up to terror and tyranny. Re-affirming his commitment to the Article 5 of NATO, President Biden re-iterated that he has no desire to see a scenario wherein American troops are involved in a combat against Russian troops, but he is committed to the core to defend every inch of the American empire (NATO territory).

2. President Biden was set to visit Jordan for a four-nation summit hosted by the King of Jordan to discuss the political solution of the Israel-Palestine crisis. Prior to the day when President Biden was scheduled to visit Israel, a massive airstrike was carried out by “Israel on Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza”. The Israelis were quick to blame it on Islamic Palestinian Jihad, a resistance group operation out of Gaza. President Biden, not only while being in Israel, but also in his address to the nation, clearly spoke in the favour of the Israeli narrative. He reaffirmed Israeli innocence over the tragic incident.

3. President Biden asked the US Congress to approve a new defence package for supporting the Israelis and the Ukrainian people. He said that this is a “smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American Security for generations to come.” According to reports, he is set to ask for a $100 bn defence package for Ukraine and Israel to help his administration support the two countries irrespective of the electoral cycle of the US.

4. President Biden made it absolutely clear that the US policy on the Two State Solution is iron-clad. The US remains committed to the Palestinian cause.  “As hard as it is, we cannot give up on peace, we cannot give up on Two-State Solution”, said President Biden in a message to the Jewish community all over the world. He linked this issue with the growing intolerance in the US over anti-semitism, Islamophobia and racism. He sought to rally the American society in underlining the values that America the great nation it is, i.e. freedom of religion and expression. He further went on to denounce polarisation that is growing in American society.

5. President Biden had a message for the Israeli Government. He re-assured them that American aid to Israel will sharpen Israel’s qualitative military edge that the Americans have been committed to for decades. However, the Israeli Government should operate by the “Laws of War” and the fundamental law being the fact that innocent civilians in the combat zone should be protected, thereby underlining the distinction between innocent Palestinians in Gaza and militant groups like Hamas. He warned Israel to not get driven by rage in this moment of tragedy. He recollected how America was driven by rage to avenge the 9/11 attacks and went on to commit mistakes that Israel should avoid.

6. Although the scheduled visit to Cairo and Amman could not go through owing to the withdrawal of the Palestinian Authority over the Al Ahli hospital airstrike, President Biden was successful in brokering a deal between Israel and Egypt which announced the opening up of the Rafah border crossing. He underlined that if Hamas tries to confiscate the aid delivered by the UN to the Palestinian civilians in Gaza, America will refrain from brokering any substantial tranche of humanitarian assistance to innocent Palestinians in Gaza.

7. While on Ukraine, President Biden justified that Russia and President Putin continue to fail as Kiev stands even after 20 months of combat. He pledged more support for Ukraine by justifying that Ukraine has regained 50% of the territory Russia once occupied, including the three major withdrawals by the Russian army from north, east and south. While pledging more support, he assured the American people that the American military industrial complex stands strong in the face of multiple global security crises. He notably referred to the Patriot Air Defence System that is made in the US. All the investment that the US is doing to modernise and rebuild the military are in order to replenish the American stockpiles while being the beacon of the free world by supporting the people of Ukraine and Israel. He appreciated the workforce of the military-industrial complex who are the real patriots defending American values at home and abroad.

8. One interesting remark that he tried to sell to the Arab nations in his address was unique in the way America is looking at reshaping the geopolitics of West Asia. He hailed the India-Middle East- Economic Corridor as the future of regional integration in the region. The core argument he wanted to push forward was that stability and balance in the region can only be restored by standing with Israel in this moment of great pain for the State of Israel. American diplomats, right from Secretary of State to embassies, have been pro-actively visiting  Arab capitals to build a pro-Israel position on the matter. However, the American diplomatic might in the region is getting challenged with the growing influence and penetration of the Sino-Russian concept of restoring balance in the region. President Putin, while on his visit to Beijing, announced with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi, that Russia and China pledge to defend “Justice”, in an apparent indication that America will suffer a major diplomatic defeat against the Sino-Russian axis in the region.