Biden’s strategy to contain Russia fails – media

At the beginning of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, US President Joe Biden chose a strategy of containment. However, by the end of the third year of the war, it became clear that its metastases were spreading, and the “seismic geopolitical shift” was taking place in the east. Columnist Simon Tisdall writes about this in a column for The Guardian.

He recalled that, speaking in Poland a month after the start of a full-scale war, Biden promised to provide Ukraine with aid and undermine Russia’s economy.

Summarizing the results of more than 30 months of war, Tisdall admitted that the spread of the war to NATO territory had been avoided. But countries bordering Ukraine still suffer from Russian attacks.

“Like an untreated cancer, the Ukrainian crisis (the Russian war against Ukraine – ed.) is spreading out of control. Not limited to the mud and ice of Donbass, the spreading toxic fallout of the war is becoming more destructive every day on a global scale. . It pollutes and destroys everything, what he touches,” the columnist wrote.

In addition, the war is fueling right-left political extremism while growing support for Putin’s paid populist apologists. Since 2022, hybrid warfare – subversion, disinformation, influence operations, cyber attacks, fraud, Internet trolling – has become increasingly widespread around the world. The reason is that authoritarian regimes follow Russia’s example.

The failure to contain the war also contributes to “seismic geopolitical shifts,” especially the immediate cooperation between China and Russia. But the scale is bigger, Tisdall assured. At the BRICS summit hosted by Putin last week, Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa were joined by Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela and, worryingly, NATO member Turkey (among many others). .

“Putin imagined a global anti-Western alliance, a new world order of the 21st century, created after America and led by China these are not empty dreams,” wrote the author.

The economic damage from the Russian war against Ukraine is not only growing. It cost tens of thousands of human lives. Tisdall noted that Ukraine has not lost the war, which is a victory, but it is not winning either. At the same time, the support of the West is gradually weakening.

“How much of this could have been prevented? Some events, like the China-Russia axis and the rise of right-wing populism, would have happened anyway. The war only accelerated them. But most of what happened in larger sizes may be completely or partially prevented.” prevent,” Tisdall was convinced.

According to the author, in his speech in Poland in 2022, where Biden spoke about the importance of Ukraine’s fight for democracy, he could tell Putin not to attack, otherwise he would have to face NATO forces .

“It’s called deterrence. That’s what exists NATO has never been enough that Putin listened, probably listened – and saved all the pain,” concluded the observer.

Let’s remember that a few weeks ago Biden said that the United States was ready to negotiate with the “axis of evil.”