The president may be loose in his tough talk, and cautious to a fault in his actions. But in the nuclear age that is perhaps wise
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskThe political gaffe, the commentator Michael Kinsley memorably observed, is when a politician inadvertently speaks the truth. Mr Biden’s many slips often involve him getting muddled or, as in 2012, being unable to catch a. Seeking to cast Barack Obama as a hard man of world affairs, the then vice-president cited Teddy Roosevelt’s dictum about speaking softly and carrying a big stick. “I promise you, the president has a big stick.
Rather, Mr Biden’s failing in Warsaw is what might be called the Reverse Roosevelt Doctrine: speak loudly and carry a small stick. To Poles and Ukrainians in the audience, Mr Biden’s most fervent lines carried disturbing implications. Telling Mr Putin “don’t even think about moving on one single inch ofterritory” sounds like giving him carte blanche to do his worst in Ukrainian territory.
Finding a course between preventing Russia’s takeover of Ukraine and averting nuclear escalation involves much semantic and legal contortion. What weaponry is defensive, or what action escalatory? Mr Biden sends Ukraine anti-tank weapons, but not tanks; anti-aircraft missiles but not military aircraft. He is at pains to say what he will not do: no to American troops on the ground, no to no-fly zones.
Left unsaid is that Ukraine is probably not as important to Mr Biden as, say, Taiwan. America sees Russia as a disrupter, and China as the only challenger to its supremacy. Another of Mr Biden’s gaffes last year is telling. Asked whether America would defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack, he replied: “Yes, we have a commitment to do that.
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