Tony Blinken ranks as one of the worst secretaries of state America has ever had. Lacking the political and diplomatic skills of previous secretaries of Democratic administrations – like Madeliene Albright or Hillary Clinton – Blinken, like his close friend Jake Sullivan, is all bold talk, rhetoric, hubris, and empty threats. His style doesn’t meet the high demands of the office of the world’s top diplomat.
In Jerusalem recently, Blinken said of Hamas’s reluctance to agree to a cease-fire: There is a proposal on the table, and as we’ve said: No delays, no excuses. The time is now.
Criticizing Israel’s plans for further military action, Blinken said:
We cannot, will not, support a major military operation in Rafah absent an effective plan to make sure that civilians are not harmed.
In Beijing, Blinken again warned the Chinese about dual-use technology that China was exporting to Russia. (Dual-use technology typically refers to items or technologies that have both civilian and military applications.) They could include advanced electronics, navigation systems, and high-performance computing hardware and software, which can be used for peaceful applications, such as scientific research and development. They may also be used for military purposes, such as to develop advanced weapons systems. The concern is that if such technology falls into the wrong hands, it could pose a significant threat to global security.
While the concern is valid, how is it reasonable for Blinken to visit the second-largest economy in the world and issue a threat? Did Blinken forget that China and Russia have already announced a partnership with no limits?
At a press conference after the meeting, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin reacted with a response that made a lot of sense.
The Wall Street Journal:
I just wanted to follow up on the question that was just asked. Secretary Blinken, while in Beijing has made a point to say that a key focus of his is stressing to China the US’s opposition to China’s support through trade of the Russian economy and its defense industrial base. Could you comment on that specifically? How did Foreign Minister Wang respond to that today when Secretary Blinken brought it up? And is China willing to take any steps at all to limit its trade with Russia in response to concerns by not only the United States but also by Europe as well?
Wang Wenbin, recognizing America’s profound interference in Ukraine for at least 15 years and America’s leadership by persuading the West to commit more than $200 billion in direct military and supporting aid to Ukraine since the war began, said:
It is hypocritical and highly irresponsible for the United States to falsely accuse China of our normal trade and economic exchanges with Russia while passing legislation to provide massive aid to Ukraine. The root cause of the Ukraine crisis lies in regional security tensions that have built up in Europe over the years. Only by accommodating the legitimate security concerns of all parties and creating a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security architecture through dialogue and negotiation can the issue be properly addressed.
China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor are we a party to it (TIPP translation: America did and is a party to it). China’s position on Ukraine has been just and objective. We have actively promoted talks for peace. Shifting the blame to China will not end the crisis, nor will it help those who find themselves in a difficult position on Ukraine.
As a Chinese saying goes, “Let the person who tied the bell on the tiger take it off.” We urge the U.S. to stop scapegoating China and make genuine efforts to find a political end to the Ukraine crisis.
The Chinese spokesperson’s response framed the frustration many of us feel when senior administration officials jet around the world and tell foreign leaders what to do. Whatever happened to diplomacy?
Early last month, Janet Yellen visited Beijing and issued threats. Yellen’s argument was worse because she resorted to both threats and pleas. Yellen warned her Chinese counterpart about military assistance to Russia while also begging China not to flood the United States market with cheap green energy products.
Another example of hubris is National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. He doesn’t mince words when lecturing foreign officials whose assistance he seeks. His concerns are invariably mixed with warnings. When he met with Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome in March, just a month after Russia invaded Ukraine, he threatened and cajoled Beijing with isolation and penalties if it helped Moscow.
Sullivan has been wrong in every foreign policy decision he has made. In February 2013, as then-Vice President Biden’s top security aide, he became the Obama administration’s point man for Libya, Syria, and Myanmar. The needle has not moved towards improvement in any of the three countries.
Libya never recovered from NATO’s actions to remove its leader, Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011. Human Rights Watch says Libya has continued to experience mass displacement, dangers caused by newly-laid landmines, and the destruction of critical infrastructure, including healthcare and schools. Foreign fighters are everywhere, pushing Libyans to flee when Europe is in no position to accept more refugees.
Syria embraced Russia as its savior, and America lost its regional influence. The Syrian dictator is still in power in Damascus. In fact, Russia perfected many of its Ukraine war tactics in Syria.
Myanmar underwent a coup in 2021, and the displacement of Rohingya Muslims and other minority groups, which began in 2017, continues to this day.
The ink on the paper that President Biden signed, sending $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, is not even dry. Already, there are media reports that the money is insufficient and came in late. Ukraine continues to face losses, and there is now talk about legislating into law a 10-year open-ended financial commitment to Ukraine into law.
We doubt if we can tolerate six more months of the Biden team’s pure arrogance and rank incompetence even as the world erupts in anger and violence everywhere, sadly, now, even on U.S. campuses. The November election is a referendum on not only Biden’s failed domestic policies but also his failed foreign policy.
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Hamas Says Delegation Heading To Cairo For Truce Talks – AFP
Hamas said its delegation will travel to Cairo on Saturday to resume Gaza ceasefire talks with a “positive spirit” in the latest effort to halt almost seven months of war with Israel.
Foreign mediators have been waiting for a Hamas response to a proposal to halt the fighting for 40 days and exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
A major stumbling block has been that while Hamas has demanded a lasting ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to crush its remaining fighters in the far-southern city of Rafah, which is packed with displaced civilians.
2. Hamas ‘Only Thing Standing Between The People Of Gaza And A Ceasefire’: Blinken – AFP
“We wait to see whether, in effect, they can take yes for an answer on the ceasefire and release of hostages,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Blinken pointed to difficulties in negotiating with Hamas, which the United States considers a terrorist group and does not engage with directly and which Israel has vowed to eliminate.
“The ultimate decision-makers are the folks who are actually in Gaza itself with whom none of us have direct contact.”
3. CIA Director In Cairo For Meetings On Gaza Conflict: Egyptian Sources – Reuters
Egyptian sources said CIA Director William Burns arrived in Cairo on Friday for meetings about the conflict in Gaza.
Mediators say they have been waiting on Hamas to deliver its response on the latest version of a proposal for a truce and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
4. U.N.: Israeli Ground Operation In Rafah ‘Could Lead To A Slaughter’ – UPI
“Any ground operation would mean more suffering and death,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke told journalists.
The World Health Organization issued a similar statement Friday, saying any on-the-ground military operation could become a humanitarian “catastrophe.”
The comments from the two U.N. agencies come days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that an invasion of Rafah will go forward regardless of what transpires from ongoing negotiations to free hostages held by the terrorist group Hamas.
5. Russia Promises ‘Devastating Revenge’ If Ukraine Attacks Crimean Bridge – Reuters
Moscow said it believed that Ukraine, which has recently taken delivery of long-range ATACM guided missile systems from the U.S., was plotting to attack the bridge ahead of or on May 9, the day when Russia marks the Soviet Union’s World War Two victory over Nazi Germany.
“I would like to warn Washington and Brussels that any aggressive actions against Crimea are not only doomed to fail but will also be met with a devastating revenge strike,” Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said.
6. Ukraine’s Central Bank Sets Largest Currency Liberalization Move Since Full-Scale Invasion – RFE/RL
Ukraine’s central bank (NBU) introduced measures to ease currency restrictions for enterprises, the largest such move since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The NBU said the purpose of the changes is “to improve the conditions for doing business in Ukraine and the entry of domestic business into new markets, as well as to support economic recovery and promote the inflow of new investments into the country.”
7. Ex-PM David Cameron Says Ukraine Can Use British Weapons In Russia – UPI
Ukraine can use British weapons inside Russian territory, former British Prime Minister David Cameron said.
Cameron, currently the secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth, and development affairs, made the comments during a Friday trip to Kyiv. He also said Britain would supply Ukraine with $3.75 billion ( £3 billion) annually as long as necessary.
8. Macron ‘Not Ruling Anything Out’ When It Comes To Western Troops In Ukraine – UPI
“I’m not ruling anything out because we are facing someone who is not ruling anything out. We have undoubtedly been too hesitant by defining the limits of our action to someone who no longer has any and who is the aggressor,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.
Macron said any military intervention would only occur if Russian military forces were to make certain advances.
A Russian spokesperson said the country would not attend a peace summit scheduled for June in Switzerland. The Swiss government countered, saying Russia was not invited to the conference.
9. China To Hold Long-Delayed Plenary Meeting To Boost Embattled Economy – RFA
The ruling Chinese Communist Party has announced it will hold a top-level plenary session on the economy several months later than usual.
Analysts said the move suggests it is struggling to devise a workable plan to stimulate growth and boost investor confidence in its handling of the economy. The new focus will be breathing new life into the Yangtze River Delta region, using another buzzword—”new development philosophy,” state news agency Xinhua reported.
10. Xi Jinping To Hold Talks With Macron In France – AFP
China’s President Xi Jinping will fly to Europe on Sunday as he seeks to expand political and economic ties with European countries and counterbalance difficult relations with the United States.
Analysts said that they will be disappointed if France and other Ukraine allies in Europe believe that Xi can be persuaded into abandoning his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Xi and Macron will talk with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has urged Beijing to play a greater role in ending the Ukraine war.
11. China Rocket Blasts Off For Far Side Of Moon – BBC
China has launched a probe to collect samples from the far side of the Moon, which is being billed as a world first.
An uncrewed rocket carrying the Chang’e-6 probe blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center. The 53-day mission aims to bring around two kilograms of lunar samples to Earth for analysis.
12. WSJ Moves Asia HQ To Singapore – AFP
The Wall Street Journal will move its Asia headquarters from Hong Kong to Singapore, it said in a letter sent to staff.
The U.S. newspaper said its decision came after other foreign firms reconsidered their operations in Hong Kong, China’s financial hub.
Hong Kong authorities introduced a new national security law this year. Critics said it expanded the city’s powers to prosecute dissidents and was scaring foreign businesses away.
13. U.S. Warns Of New North Korean Email-Based Cyberattacks – UPI
A new U.S. cybersecurity advisory warned that North Korean hackers are exploiting an email security flaw in attacks used to gather sensitive intelligence and information.
The advisory, issued by the FBI, State Department, and National Security Agency, said that the Pyongyang-backed hacking collective Kimsuky are sending spearphishing emails to individuals at think tanks, academic institutions, and media organizations.
Spearphishing is a type of scam that targets specific individuals or groups with personalized information.
14. Why North Korea’s Latest Propaganda Bop Is A Huge TikTok hit – BBC
When North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un released his latest song, Friendly Father, two weeks ago, surely he couldn’t have foreseen it becoming a hit on TikTok.
But the propaganda tune has gone viral online, with Gen Z users bopping around to listen to synthy-electro pop. Most are quite oblivious to the Korean lyrics praising a man who’s vowed to “thoroughly annihilate the U.S.” and launched dozens of ballistic missiles.
“Let’s sing Kim Jong Un, the great leader/ Let’s brag about Kim Jong Un, our friendly father,” the song goes. TikTokkers say it’s just a really great tune.
15. Avoiding Meat May Help Reverse Advanced Liver Cirrhosis – HealthDay News
Advanced liver cirrhosis can push levels of ammonia in the blood to hazardous levels, but skipping meat at mealtime can help reverse that, new research shows.
As the research team explained, bacteria in your gut automatically generate ammonia as they help the body digest food. In folks with healthy livers, the organ takes that ammonia and sends it to the kidneys, which are excreted harmlessly via urine.
16. Anxiety Is Rising Among Americans Amid Economic Struggles, Looming Election – HealthDay News
A looming presidential election, continued economic struggles, and the threat of gun violence have a rising number of Americans more anxious this year compared to last, a new poll finds.
The survey, conducted in early April among 2,000 adults by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), found 43% of respondents saying they were more anxious this year than last.
Seventy percent of adults say they’re worried about current events, particularly the economy (77%), the upcoming election (73%) and news of gun violence (69%).
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
