More Warmongers Elevated In The Biden Administration

Authored by Caitlin Johnstone,

The Biden administration seems to be set to develop into much more warlike than it already was in the event you can think about, with virulent Russia hawk Victoria Nuland and virulent China hawk Charles Q Brown now being elevated to lofty positions by the White House.

Nuland, the spouse of alpha neocon Robert Kagan, has been named performing deputy secretary of state by President Biden, no less than till a brand new deputy secretary has been named. This locations her at second in command throughout the State Department, second solely to Tony Blinken.

In an article about Nuland’s distinctive position in souring relations between the US and Russia throughout her earlier tenure within the State Department below Obama, Responsible Statecraft’s Connor Echols writes the following of the most recent information:

Nuland’s appointment will likely be a boon for Russia hawks who need to flip up the warmth on the Kremlin. But, for many who favor a negotiated finish to the battle in Ukraine, a promotion for the notoriously “undiplomatic diplomat” will likely be a bitter tablet.

A couple of fast reminders are so as. When Nuland was serving within the Obama administration, she had a now-infamous leaked name with the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. As the Maidan Uprising roiled the nation, the pair of American diplomats mentioned conversations with opposition leaders, and Nuland expressed help for placing Arseniy Yatseniuk into energy. (Yatseniuk would develop into prime minister later that month, after Russia-friendly former President Viktor Yanukovych fled the nation.) At one memorable level within the name, Nuland stated “Fu–k the EU” in response to Europe’s softer stance on the protests.

The controversy surrounding the decision — and bigger implications of U.S. involvement within the ouster of Yanukovych — kicked up tensions with Russia and contributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s resolution to grab Crimea and help an insurgency in jap Ukraine. Her handing out  food to demonstrators on the bottom in Kyiv most likely didn’t assist both. Nuland, together with State Department sanctions czar Daniel Fried, then led the hassle to punish Putin by way of sanctions. Another official at State reportedly asked Fried if “the Russians realize that the two hardest-line people in the entire U.S. government are now in a position to go after them?”

In a 2015 Consortium News article titled “The Mess That Nuland Made,” the late Robert Parry singled out Nuland as the first architect of the 2014 regime change operation in Ukraine, which, as Aaron Maté explained last year, paved the way in which to the struggle we’re seeing there right now. Hopefully her place winds up being momentary.

In different information, the Senate Arms Services Committee has voted to confirm Biden’s choice of General Charles Q Brown Jr as the subsequent chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, changing Mark Milley. A full senate vote will now happen on whether or not to substantiate Brown — at present the Air Force Chief of Staff — for the nation’s highest navy workplace.

Brown is unambiguous about his perception that the US should hasten to militarize towards China within the so-called Indo-Pacific to arrange for confrontation between the 2 powers, calling for extra US bases within the area and elevated efforts to arm Taiwan throughout his listening to earlier than the Senate Arms Services Committee earlier this month.

Biden’s Joint Chiefs Pick Wants More Bases in Asia to Prepare for War With China
Gen. Charles Q. Brown has been nominated to switch Gen. Mark Milley
by Dave DeCamp@DecampDave https://t.co/q0WAJj0lJC pic.twitter.com/z6cxX1Og6f

— Antiwar.com (@Antiwarcom) July 12, 2023

Back in May, Moon of Alabama flagged Brown’s nomination in an article which additionally famous that a number of advocates of navy restraint had been resigning from their positions throughout the administration, together with Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of state who Nuland has taken over for.

It’s too quickly to attract any agency conclusions, however to see voices of restraint stepping down and proponents of escalation stepping up could possibly be a foul portent of issues to come back

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