"It Is No Secret that the Current US Administration Is Encouraging the Houthis to Be More Aggressive"

by Khaled Abu Toameh
January 31, 2022 at 5:00 am

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18185/us-encouraging-houthis

The Arabs say that the Biden administration made a mistake when it decided last year to remove the Houthis from the international terrorist list. The Biden administration's move, they noted, has emboldened one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the Middle East and endangered international peace and security.
Ultimately, the terrorism of Iran and its terrorist groups will reach the US, and, as with Afghanistan, it is the Biden administration that will justly be blamed.
The 22 members of the Arab League urged the Biden administration to re-classify the Iran-backed Houthi militia as a terrorist organization. The attacks "constitute... a real threat to... energy supplies and the stability of the global economy.... harm international peace and security, and pose a threat to international commercial shipping lines." — Asharq Al-Awsat, January 24, 2022.
"What is the Biden administration waiting for in order to re-evaluate its position? Does it want to continue being a spectator?" - Atef Saadawy, Egyptian strategic and international affairs expert, Sky News Arabia, January 18, 2022.
The re-designation of the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization "will... facilitate the process of establishing peace in Yemen and a political solution that preserves its unity and territorial integrity and the security and stability of neighboring countries." — Atef Saadawy, Sky News Arabia, January 18, 2022.
The time has come for the US administration... "to end its contradictory positions and flabby handling of the Yemeni crisis, which has exacerbated matters even more." — Atef Saadawy, Sky News Arabia, January 18, 2022.
"What is happening now in Yemen is the responsibility of the US.... The first decision of the Biden administration... was to remove the Houthis from the list of terrorism, and this is a big mistake. Iran wants to use the Houthis to pressure the Americans to revive the nuclear deal." — Emad Adin Adib, prominent Egyptian writer, journalist and businessman, El Watan News, January 25, 2022.
"[T]he Biden administration needs to show that it knows what is happening in the Middle East....Iran invested every dollar [from the Obama administration] in the service of its expansion project [in the Arab countries] and the empowerment of its militias in the region." — Khairallah Khairallah, Lebanese writer and political analyst, Alraimedia.com, January 22, 2022.
"Moreover, it is no secret that the current US administration is encouraging the Houthis to be more aggressive. They [the Houthis] are more hostile towards the US itself. A few weeks ago, the Houthis stormed the US embassy in [the Yemeni capital of] Sana'a.... It seems that the US administration is still convinced that Iran wants an agreement in Vienna and that the Houthis are still searching for a peaceful solution in Yemen." — Khairallah Khairallah, Alraimedia.com, January 22, 2022.
Re-designating the Houthi militia as an international terrorist organization is "a step in the right direction." — Eyad Abu Shakra, Lebanese journalist and political commentator, Reuters, January 20, 2022.
[M]any Arabs have lost confidence in the US because it has chosen to align itself with Iran, whose forces and militias are occupying Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon and are now targeting the UAE and Saudi Arabia -- not to mention positioning themselves in America's soft underbelly in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. In the eyes of these Arabs, the Biden administration is inflicting massive damage on US interests and allies and helping Iran export its terrorism throughout the world.
It now remains to be seen whether anyone in the Biden administration will wake up to the magnitude of the Iranian threat and actions, redesignate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and attempt to salvage the credibility of the United States.

Many Arabs say that they cannot understand why the Biden administration still has not re-designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization, especially in the wake of the recent missile and drone attacks on the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The 22 members of the Arab League have urged the Biden administration to re-classify the Iran-backed Houthi militia as a terrorist organization. Pictured: An Arab League meeting of foreign ministers in Doha, Qatar, on June 15, 2021. (Photo by Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images)

Yesterday, January 30, 2022, the Iran-backed militia, the Houthis in Yemen, launched a missile at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), for the third time in as many weeks.

The Arabs say that the Biden administration made a mistake when it decided last year to remove the Houthis from the international terrorist list. The Biden administration's move, they noted, has emboldened one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the Middle East and endangered international peace and security.

Some Arabs believe that the Biden administration's lenient approach towards the Houthi militia is designed to appease the mullahs in Iran with the hope that they will sign a new nuclear deal with the US and the other world powers.

The main message several Arab countries and political commentators and journalists are sending to the Biden administration: The Arabs have lost faith in the Americans because of their policies towards Iran and its terrorist proxies, including the Houthi militia in Yemen.

A second message the Arabs are sending to the Biden administration: There are no "good" and "bad" terrorists. The Arabs see no difference between the Houthis, Al-Qaeda, Islamic State (ISIS), Hezbollah and Hamas.

The third message from the Arabs to the Biden administration: Ultimately, the terrorism of Iran and its terrorist groups will reach the US, and, as with Afghanistan, it is the Biden administration that will justly be blamed.

The 22 members of the Arab League urged the Biden administration to re-classify the Iran-backed Houthi militia as a terrorist organization. The appeal was issued after an emergency meeting of the Arab League to discuss the "brutal and vicious terrorist attack on civilians and civilian targets."

"[The attacks] constitute a violation of international law and international humanitarian law, and a real threat to vital civilian facilities, energy supplies and the stability of the global economy. They also constitute a threat to regional peace and security, undermine Arab national security, harm international peace and security, and pose a threat to international commercial shipping lines."

Undersecretary of the Yemeni Ministry of Information Najeeb Ghallab said that the Iranian-backed Houthi militia poses a danger to the world, and not only to Yemen.

"The Houthis are more dangerous than ISIS and Al-Qaeda because they are agents of a state (Iran) that is a member of the international community, and this state exports terrorism through its agents... The international community needs to take a deeper look at Iran and its export of terrorism through the proxies it supports in the Arab region, including the Houthi militia."

The Yemeni official warned that Iran's terrorism will spread to other parts of the world, including the US. He further warned that failure to take action against Iran and its terrorist groups would allow the Iranians to continue "spreading spread chaos, sabotage and terrorism."

Atef Saadawy, an Egyptian strategic and international affairs expert, said he could not understand Biden's reluctance to reconsider his decision last year to remove the Houthi militia from the terrorist list.

"What is the Biden administration waiting for in order to re-evaluate its position?... Does it want to continue being a spectator? Does it need more evidence of this group's terrorism after what happened in the past few days? The [Houthi] terrorism has reached the depth of the most important Arab capitals, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi."

Saadawy also asked whether the Biden administration was waiting for the establishment of a terrorist entity in Yemen on the borders of its most important allies in the region.

Addressing the Biden administration, he went on to ask: "Are you waiting until the maritime navigation in the Red Sea becomes under the control and mercy of an armed militia?"

The time has come for the US administration, Saadawy added, "to end its contradictory positions and flabby handling of the Yemeni crisis, which has exacerbated matters even more."

The re-designation of the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization, the Egyptian expert said, "will contribute to putting an end to the actions of this terrorist militia and its supporters, neutralize its danger and end the serious violations it is carrying out against the Yemeni people. This will also facilitate the process of establishing peace in Yemen and a political solution that preserves its unity and territorial integrity and the security and stability of neighboring countries."

Yemeni researcher Najeeb Al-Samawi added his voice to those of the Arabs, who are increasingly disillusioned and frustrated with the Biden administration's ongoing attempts to placate Iran's mullahs and their terrorist puppets.

The US administration is not serious about protecting its Arab allies, Al-Samawi said, noting that he does not expect the Americans to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization as long as Washington proceeds with its efforts to bring the mullahs back to the 2105 nuclear deal. "The US is not honest with its [Arab] allies," he lamented.

Prominent Egyptian writer, journalist and businessman Emad Adin Adib said that the Biden administration made a mistake by lifting the Houthis from the list of terrorist organizations.

The Middle East is experiencing "a state of great confusion" as a result of the policy of the Biden administration," Adib cautioned.

The Biden administration, he recollected, was part of the team that negotiated the first nuclear agreement with Iran during the Obama administration.

"They [the Biden administration] feel that they are the godparents of the first agreement... What is happening now in Yemen is the responsibility of the US because the Trump administration had classified the Houthi militia as terrorists. The first decision of the Biden administration, however, was to remove the Houthis from the list of terrorism, and this is a big mistake. Iran wants to use the Houthis to pressure the Americans to revive the nuclear deal."

Echoing the disappointment of the Arabs with the Biden administration's failure to stand with America's allies, veteran Lebanese writer and political analyst Khairallah Khairallah reminded the Americans of the Houthi's slogan: "Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam."

Khairallah said that US condemnations of the Houthi missile and drone attacks on the UAE and Saudi Arabia are not enough.

"The condemnations remain condemnations in the absence of a practical position by the US administration towards Iran, which recently used its Houthi proxy to attack the UAE... It is certain that the UAE can defend itself, but it is also certain that the US should stand with its allies when they are subjected to an aggression. The Biden administration is supposed to call things by their [true] names, especially with regard to the Houthis and their behavior; the Biden administration needs to show that it knows what is happening in the Middle East, and that it is not a continuation of Barack Obama's administration, which signed an agreement with Iran regarding its nuclear file in the summer of 2015. That agreement, which provided the Iranian treasury with billions of dollars, was a gift to the Islamic Republic. Iran invested every dollar in the service of its expansion project [in the Arab countries] and the empowerment of its militias in the region."

According to the Lebanese writer, it has become clear that just as the Obama administration ignored the menacing and murderous nature of the Iranian regime, "the Biden administration appears to be more passive in dealing with its [Arab] allies with regard to the Yemen crisis."

It is no secret, Khairallah stated, that the Houthis do not want peace in Yemen and that is why they are attacking Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

"Moreover, it is no secret that the current US administration is encouraging the Houthis to be more aggressive... They [the Houthis] are more hostile towards the US itself. A few weeks ago, the Houthis stormed the US embassy in [the Yemeni capital of] Sana'a. Not only did they search the embassy offices, but they also detained 20 local employees. It seems that the US administration is still convinced that Iran wants an agreement in Vienna and that the Houthis are still searching for a peaceful solution in Yemen."

Khairallah's advice to the Biden administration: There is no point in trying to appease Iran or the Houthis because they will not change. The Biden administration, therefore, needs "to start getting to know the region from a realistic angle if it wants its allies to start taking it seriously."

Eyad Abu Shakra, another Lebanese journalist and political commentator, said that Biden's recent announcement that he is considering re-designating the Houthi militia as an international terrorist organization is "a step in the right direction."

Abu Shakra pointed out that the actions and policies of all US administrations since 2003 have been on the assumption that Iran was part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

"Within the Democratic Party, as well as within Washington's lobbies and its research and intelligence centers, there is hostility towards the Gulf Cooperation Council states, specifically Saudi Arabia... This spontaneous hostility always leads to mistrust of Gulf intentions and to ignoring the presence of any aggressive intentions; and in the case of Yemen, it's the Iranian regime."

The administration of Joe Biden inherited its Middle Eastern staff almost entirely from the administration of Barack Obama, Abu Shakra wrote.

"It is known that the Obama administration adopted new concepts in its dealings with Middle Eastern issues, from Iran to Israel, passing through political Islam and other economic, political and security issues. These concepts were accompanied by the growing Russian and Chinese challenges in the region and Tehran's acceleration of the pace of its occupation [of Arab countries]."

Yemeni Minister for Legal Affairs and Human Rights Ahmad Arman also stressed the need to punish the Houthi militia, classify it as a terrorist group and dry up its funding and sources of arming.

In a message directed to the Biden administration and the international community, Arman pointed out that the crimes of the Houthis have exceeded those committed by ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

"The classification of the Houthi militia as a terrorist group is based on the provisions of international laws and agreements that define actions that constitute crimes of a terrorist nature and are classified as terrorist acts... It is time for the international community to take a serious and practical stance towards this terrorist group by drying up its sources of funding and cutting arms smuggling lines from any side, including the Iranian regime."

He criticized the international community's "indifference" towards Houthi terrorism and for keeping a terrorist group that is more extremist and criminal than Al-Qaeda and ISIS off the terrorism list, which contributed to the escalation of its attacks.

"The inaction of the international community and its failure to take a serious stance towards the crimes committed by the Houthi militia contributed to the group's persistence and targeting of international trade routes,... The international community has failed to fulfill its duty to prevent and prosecute the Houthi group and its leaders, who are terrorists committing brutal violations and crimes that undermine international peace and security."

These disturbing voices from the Arab world should serve as an alarm bell to the Biden administration and prompt it to quickly distance itself from Iran and its terrorist proxies in the Middle East.

Clearly, many Arabs have lost confidence in the US because it has chosen to align itself with Iran, whose forces and militias are occupying Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon and are now targeting the UAE and Saudi Arabia -- not to mention positioning themselves in America's soft underbelly in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. In the eyes of these Arabs, the Biden administration is inflicting massive damage on US interests and allies and helping Iran export its terrorism throughout the world. It now remains to be seen whether anyone in the Biden administration will wake up to the magnitude of the Iranian threat and actions, redesignate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and attempt to salvage the credibility of the United States.

Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.

Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)

© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

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Comment on this item

20 Reader Comments

Lawrence Weiswasser • Feb 3, 2022 at 03:42

Joe Biden does not understand the situation in Yemen. His policies are motivated by contradicting Trump's decisions rather than developing his own.

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Rob Porter • Feb 1, 2022 at 10:39

I wonder why it doesn't occur to the Arab world and the world generally that the not particularly intelligent U.S. Secretary of State Blinken and Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman - who do not have any track record of foreign policy success - are determining feckless Biden policy towards the status of the Houthi and toward Iran.
Evident is that Blinken's thinking is not determined by the stark reality of Iran's aggressive actions all over the Middle East and its brutal conduct within Iran. This should tell anyone with a brain in their head and in possession of moral instincts all they need to know about these savages in Tehran, but not so in the case of Antony Blinken who persists with failed ideas.
Also evident, Blinken does not possess deep understanding of Islam and the Qur'an, and thus Muslim ambitions for a world-wide Islamic caliphate under sharia. Wishful thinking determines how he considers Iran will behave if the U.S. gives it what it wants.
That Antony Blinken also has influence in respect of the Ukraine/Russia standoff does not inspire confidence of a peaceful outcome there.

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Jagdish N Singh • Feb 1, 2022 at 07:16

The Biden administration must re-classify the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization and extend all diplomatic and military support to the Arab League in liquidating the evil before it is too late. Washington ought to bear in mind that the path of dialogue and diplomacy can be taken only with the rational and civilized international actors, not with forces such as the Houthi militia, an Iranian proxy . The Biden administration's accommodative approach towards the Houthis is likely to embolden the latter to intensify further its terror activities against US's regional allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The anti-America/ West agenda of the Mullahs in Tehran is no secret . Iran's forces and militias are already occupying Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon . They might direct their terror activities against the United States and democratic allies in due course.

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Hamish MacDonald • Feb 1, 2022 at 02:59

Given the panacea of the Biden administration for the social left, it should come as no surprise that much of its inertia is mingled with both outright Marxism and also Secular Humanism- Biden's favouring pro-choice for instance- which means their disinterest in the policies of Donald Trump, is going to be much like an extension of the Obama administration, and this manifests itself in the above- "In the eyes of these Arabs, the Biden administration is inflicting massive damage on US interests and allies and helping Iran export its terrorism throughout the world". In short the genie is out of the bottle.
Good article.

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VietVetInOhio • Jan 31, 2022 at 23:59

Each day offers new insight into the Obama/Biden administration. It appears to lack leadership (GASP!!(sarc)) and any grasp on reality. "You play nice with me and I will play nice with you" does not work. "I am stronger than you and I do not approve of your actions" is the way to approach the Houthis and the ISIS and Hamas.

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Ted • Jan 31, 2022 at 21:02

"Abu Shakra pointed out that the actions and policies of all US administrations since 2003 have been on the assumption that Iran was part of the solution rather than part of the problem." This action/policy philosophy has been designated with the code-name "DUH!"

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Ted • Jan 31, 2022 at 20:56

" ...the Biden administration needs to show that it knows what is happening in the Middle East, and that it is not a continuation of Barack Obama's administration... ". The Biden Regime cannot truthfully "show" the latter characteristic, because that is just exactly what it is!

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Richard Kronenfeld • Jan 31, 2022 at 18:13

The Obama-Biden administration 3.0 is following the policy of its first two terms to make Iran the dominant power in the Middle East, and it is willing to throw Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states, and Israel under the bus to accomplish this.
Judging from how many Americans were left behind in Afghanistan, they don't seem to be particularly concerned about our own people either.

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stevenl • Jan 31, 2022 at 16:22

A way of undermining the Abraham accords.

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Bull Herman • Jan 31, 2022 at 16:13

In 1990, nobody believed Saddam Hussain when he insisted that the US Ambassador to Iraq gave him permission to invade Kuwait.
Nobody, after the true video showed up, dared to question President HW Bush.
We were cheerleaded into war glory.
Again, long afterwards we found out most of the war crimes by Iraq were invented.
Then there's the assassination attempt on HW and Barbara which got US Gulf War 2. Another mistake.
Then the supposedly surprise attack by Saudi agents on 9/11. I don't buy into it now as I did back then. I feel lied to. Especially regarding 9/11.
Obama took this further. He lied to us, sold out our allies, while helping and paying off the Shia Islamists.
There is an even more reckless end game with Biden. He's openly assisting our enemies. Why? As with Bush, follow the money. Our enemies can afford "pay to play" while US citizens are locked outside in the cold.
Only now the expected favors in return are due. Biden is too mentally decrepid to successfully lie as did his predecessors.
It's scary to realize both the leverage and open hostility our enemies now display.
Don't like negotiations? Ignore them. Stall for time. Showcase your weapons. Rhetoric? Don't worry. Finances? Ask, you shall be appeased. Fight? So long as direct conflict is avoided there won't be any.
Protect the quid pro quo.
How long will that last?
As for dumping our allies and encouraging our enemies?
It's not called a protection racket for nothing. Hard today to figure out if it's politics or legalized organized crime. But, remember it's not crime if the government says so.

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Jon Zig • Jan 31, 2022 at 13:04

Yes, you're all correct but for one detail. The US population doesn't support Biden or his supporters, and there's not many supporters left. His approval numbers are in the loo and it's obvious he's been licking toads or is aging out. You decide. I'm no Middle East expert, but I love the people and the food. As for the Houthis, you all know better what's going on with them, and I agree as would the majority of Americans, that the Houthis fit the bill and are an international terrorist group financed by Iran. No question about it. Like Obama, Biden is a "swamp" dwelling corrupted man, that has done or offered nothing to the improvement of anything anywhere, in 50 YEARS of working in Gov. And now, he's in charge! You have a valid reason to be concerned. Don't wait for Biden, do what you have to do until you see a change of guard. That should be (barring no cheating this November) happening en mass in the first of 2023. So be patient and don't mistake the actions of one fool for the will or wishes of the USA. We have a date with reality and it's coming fast, a wake up call that will make us or break us. The USA is broke and Biden is continuing to spend money we don't have. Anyone with a budget knows where an unbridled spending discipline leads, it brings nothing but trouble for the country and people who end up with the bill. He's a one man wrecking ball along with those doing his bidding. You've heard of buyer's remorse, well you're looking at this country's biggest case of buyer's remorse in our history, the election of Biden and Harris. Most Americans see it and agree with your observations. So hang on, he's going to lose the little support he has left in a short amount of time. Thank you, JZ

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Mikial • Jan 31, 2022 at 11:36

Biden and his ilk will do anything to destabilize the world and betray our allies to create risk for the USA as part of their agenda to transform it into a socialist police state. They are encouraging Iran and its proxies as well as ignoring the genuine threat of China, destabilizing the rule of law and opening our own borders to all manner of illegal and undocumented persons in order to accomplish this. At the same time they are using the Ukraine as a Red Herring to distract the American people from the real domestic issues such as inflation, the border, the destruction of our economy and society through fear of the Wuhan Flu, energy dependence and rising crime. Yes, Putin is a thug and Russia is aggressive, but the Ukraine itself has no bearing whatsoever on the US or our strategic and economic security, it just makes good headline for the pet Liberal media.

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cammo99 • Jan 31, 2022 at 10:45

It must be a shock to realize who Joe Biden really is and always was. And people missed it again when Obama picked him as a running mate, do you really think Obama picked this man as a VP for his good looks?

I will use one example people should have picked up on: in 1975 and still has not been made comparative with the Biden of today. Biden is pro immigrant even illegal immigrant and by Presidential authority voids the law as long as the "immigrants" are not especially pro American and believe in our democracy.

In 1975 supposedly in accord with the WPR 1973 Biden voted against bringing pro American allies out of Vietnam not simply as immigrants but to escape what then was thought to be a high risk of being murdered by the communists or sent to prolonged periods of detention and with the revelations coming out about the Khmer Rouge we had every reason to believe the same process would take place in Vietnam. The murders of America's Vietnamese allies has always been obscured by the left who blames it all on the USA. The pattern is an absolution of communist and other tyrannical crimes against humanity.
How did he handle Afghanistan any differently? He was dangerous to human life in 1975 and even more so today.

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Harvey L • Jan 31, 2022 at 08:42

As each day passes it becomes more clear in my eyes that this Marxist installed administration wants the ruination either by war or commercial means the US and her allies without a shadow of doubt and are not to be relied on.

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Harvey Lithwick • Jan 31, 2022 at 08:41

The fact that the Biden administration is totally incompetent is no longer in doubt. The reason for that remains perplexing. Any ideas?

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Steven • Jan 31, 2022 at 08:09

Khaled Abu Toameh is perceptive of US policy in the Middle East.
I see no likelihood of the US changing it's policy toward Iran or the Houthis however, except to increase its efforts on their behalf.
He uses the term "wake up" when referring to it's current policies, but the Biden administration is committed toward it's current course, and if anything, is likely to change from being a spectator to being an active participant against those countries and organizations which are actively resisting the Houthis and Iranians.

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Rob Porter

Steven • Feb 1, 2022 at 20:10

Biden and his administration are now facilitating the Houthi enemy and endeavouring to nuclear-arm the Iranian Islamic enemy regime, barely more than savages who hate the West, Jews and Christians in particular, and seeks to destroy Western civilization. How insane! How dismally lacking in good judgement and vision! How stupid and morally bankrupt are these Biden people!
Imagine a Western government that seeks to serve the interests of a radical, proven barbaric, hostile Islamic government such as that of Iran, annually gives billions of dollars in aid to a miserable mob in Pakistan that actively aided the Taliban in its fight against the U.S. and its Allies in Afghanistan, and treats its Christian and Hindu citizens like disposable trash. America now supports uncivilized savages.
Of this Joe Biden couldn't care less and we can bet that cowardly, unprincipled European leaders do not challenge Biden and his rotten to the core administration. How the morals of America and the West have sunk!
For America the chickens are going to come home to roost and in time it will suffer ignominious defeat. 'Without vision we perish' and in Washington today there exists no vision.

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hunterson7 • Jan 31, 2022 at 07:12

At nearly every opportunity, the Biden gang has made choices that enable our enemies and hurt Americans or our allies.

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Chris Coles FRSA • Jan 31, 2022 at 05:53

It would, surely, improve the underlying debate; if we were all given a clear; detailed description; of exactly why the United States made the decision to de-list the Houthis?

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Rob Porter

Chris Coles FRSA • Feb 2, 2022 at 14:34

My bet, Chris, is that behind this disgraceful decision was perverse desire to reverse any and every Trump action and then we can bet that with the Houthis Iran's proxies in its conflict with Saudi Arabia, Blinken and equally clueless Wendy Sherman consider this a way to crawl up the mullah's backsides to get a nuclear deal.
Just imagine the irresponsibility, insanity and utter evil in thinking that any good can come out of having nuclear weapons in the hands of the world's chief exporter of terrorism, the country that openly aspires to wipe Israel off the map and that like the Muslim world generally, unshakeably believes in a book, the Qur'an, that dictates that Islam is in a perpetual holy war - jihad - against all infidels until a sharia-dominant world is established.

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