By Lim Teck Ghee
As the clock runs down on Joe Biden’s presidency, independent analysis has emerged to examine his record of office, his achievements and failures.
One way of assessing Biden’s impact is through American feedback following his attempt to run for another term of office. He was rejected by large segments of the American citizenry as unworthy of being re-elected.
This judgement was not only because of his cognitive decline visible to all, including the most diehard Democratic party supporters.
It was also because of his failure to build a better future for Americans, which could have had positive ripple effects on the rest of the world.
What Biden will be most remembered for by non-Americans around the world is his handling of the war in Gaza.
Biden: ‘I am a Zionist’
In Gaza and its spillover war in Lebanon, a largely innocent population continues to be subject to the horrors of war beyond anyone’s imagination.
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Journalists, doctors and nurses, UN and neutral NGO workers and volunteers have also been victims of Israel’s killing spree, leading UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk to say in a statement that “this unprecedented level of killing, and injury of civilians is a direct consequence of the failure to comply with fundamental principles of international humanitarian law”.
Biden and his Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, have not only been complicit in the illegal and genocidal war in Gaza by providing Israel with unconditional diplomatic and military support for a scorched earth policy. They have also refused to use the clout of the US to bring about a peace settlement.
What the world has seen from Biden and Blinken has been pretense, hypocrisy and double talk to give the impression that they have objected to Israeli military action aimed at the collective punishment of the Palestinians. And that they are opposed to the atrocities taking place on a daily basis.
The reality has been different. As President, Biden provided Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with protection and impunity from any international punishment. He has also been responsible for channelling enormous amounts of weaponry and military assistance, without which Israel would find it impossible to engage in a prolonged war.
It is US influence and pressure that can push Israel to accept a Palestinian state – the primary concern of the Palestinian population and most countries of the world, including in Asia. It is an objective that Biden claims he is in favour of, but which his actions indicate to the contrary.
According to the Costs of War project at Brown University, the US provided $17.9bn in military aid to Israel from October 2023 to October 2024 – a record for a single year.
Western media reports on this have conveniently omitted to point out that most of this military assistance money has gone back to American companies that make weapons and military equipment for the wars which the US and its proxies have instigated and sustained since the last world war.
Not to be forgotten is that a year after the initial Hamas provocative attack, and immediately following Israel’s horrific rocket attack on a Gaza Strip hospital that killed hundreds of medical staff, patients and visitors, Biden travelled halfway around the world to Tel Aviv to meet Netanyahu and reiterate his unwavering support for Israel.
Biden’s supplicatory action and words on the hospital attack carnage serve as a reminder of his moral failings and void when it comes to non-American and non-Israeli lives. “I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion of the hospital in Gaza yesterday, and based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you.”
How will history remember Biden’s presidency
As President, Biden has tried to impress on Americans that he is a man of peace, decency, integrity and honour.
However, many will remember him as a war merchant extraordinaire and a leader woefully deficient in the positive character attributes that his media machine has advertised.
There are two other ways to remember Joe Biden, the 44th US President.
One was his recent flip-flop after repeatedly pronouncing that he would not stand in the way of his son’s conviction on tax and gun charges. The full and unconditional presidential pardon he granted for crimes that Hunter Biden committed between 1 January 2014 and 1 December 2024 is unprecedented in US judicial history as it covers offences committed well before Biden’s term of office began. It has left an indelible stain on Biden’s honour and integrity, and provided critics with ammunition to refute Biden’s claim he has advanced effective and accountable justice and democracy in America.
The other way to remember Biden’s place in history is by the outpouring of tributes and eulogies from Americans and non-Americans remembering former President Jimmy Carter following his death.
The influential Arab media leader, Arab News, had this commendation:
The Palestinian people have this week lost one of the most outspoken champions of their cause. Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the US, died on Sunday at the age of 100. Carter will be remembered as a man of integrity and courage. His readiness to move away from the more orthodox foreign policy line adopted by both Democrats and Republicans back in the 1970s over the Arab-Israeli conflict triggered fundamental shifts in how the world later approached that conflict, with the plight of the Palestinians as its core.
Carter’s life embodied the American dream, while transcending it through his dedication to global service. His one term as president (1977-1981), even though he was often criticized during his tenure, yielded lasting diplomatic triumphs, most notably the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt – an achievement that earned him respect as a peacemaker long after he left office.
His 2002 Nobel Peace Prize recognized his diplomatic achievements and his lifelong dedication to advancing human dignity and peace. Throughout his life, Carter maintained a reputation for integrity that stood as a beacon in American public life. His plainspoken manner and modest lifestyle reflected his belief that true greatness lies in serving others. Even as he faced criticism for his political positions, few questioned his sincerity or commitment to his principles.
Biden had the opportunity to leave a similar positive impact on America and the world. Unfortunately, he was not made of the same stuff as Carter.
Dr Lim Teck Ghee is a former senior official with the UN and World Bank.
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
Biden and Blinken should be sent to Hague to face the law. Their hands tainted with Palestinians’ blood. Biden is a very selfish person, his interests are not on the welfare of the Americans but his own only. When he won the presidential race in 2020, the world thought finally there was a big relief but little did we know he was the worst US president ever!
Slm Msia.Tq Dr. Lim. All men, small or great in stature, are fallible. The world, especially the silent democratically inclined people, upholding the above principle as life-embracing, can note that a political leader is bound to one’s electorate (Jewish? n powerful).Biden, has attempted to bring peace in his country n the world at large by not sending American troops out,n bringing them back from Afghanistan. Jobs in Am were on the rise.Am attracts people, as seen by the hundreds of thousands of immigrants at its borders, yearning to make Am their home. Biden n his government’s policy as regards the above was essentially humanely considerate- not what we see with Trump.Biden averted nuclear war with regards to Putin n Ukraine.
Absolutely true, Biden is the worst monster on earth. He brought shame to the USA all around the world. He and Blinken should stand trial in the Hague