Soft Power – Biden’s international tactics at odds with much of GOP

The Republican cult has shown its true colors, first by their support for Putin and other autocrats such as Orban in Hungary, and then by second-guessing President Biden on his handling of the Russian threat. He has marshaled the support of the free world and multiplied his influence by the wielding of soft power, a concept that Republicans fail to understand. Subtlety is not a strength of the modern GOP.

Multiple Republican talking heads have disparaged the timing of Biden’s actions or dismiss his tactics as weak. Some stated their support for Putin. While it is still early in the conflict, the world’s overwhelming rejection of Russian force is cascading through strategies such as banking and economic sanctions aimed at undermining support among the ruling elite as well as the Russian rank and file. Putin’s attempts to demonize Ukraine are classic propaganda tactics of a strongman, and to some extent are echoed by the GOP dogma over the last decades. Putin’s eroding support appears to reach into his armed forces and there have been multiple arrests at demonstrations by ordinary Russians upset over the murderous invasion. Even Switzerland has come out against Putin.

Worldwide support for Ukraine and for Biden’s tactics means that China will have to reconsider their intent to reclaim Taiwan by force. They have global economic entanglements that Russia lacks. Their economy is at a weak point currently, and any movement toward a takeover would severely damage their hard-won economic power as a trade partner to the world.

Biden’s statesmanship and skillful play of the limited hand he has been dealt regarding Ukraine should increase the appreciation of his administration here at home. The use of diplomacy to influence world opinion and marshaling sanctions from Europe and NATO have boxed Russia in and limited their options. The administration of millions of vaccinations in the U.S., and navigation of the ever-changing circumstances of the pandemic have created the conditions for a successful recovery. Our economy has already approached the state it was in prior to the pandemic, and is poised to exceed it, having successfully rebounded. Inflation and supply chain problems are inevitable given pandemic restrictions on employment and the surplus of money and wants built up by an economy unable to freely travel or spend for several years. A lack of goods caused by a lack of production means fewer items available, but a return to production will allow these shortages to work out in time.

Comparisons of the previous administration to Biden are plainly seen as conditions return to as nearly normal as we can expect in a nation weary of uncertainty and unrest caused by the recent disruptions.

There is a moral precedent that many Republicans are ill equipped to understand. The imposition of their will by any means necessary and a cynical attitude towards power has left a bad taste in much of the electorate that will reject this behavior after experiencing Biden’s thoughtful and skilled leadership.

Republicans demonize those who oppose them in order to persuade their base to support their actions. That sort of persuasion depends upon making your followers feel justified in looking down on those who differ, as their enemies. Regardless of how ridiculous their theories, they can count on a portion of their base to swallow attitudes that feed their sense of entitlement. Without a quasi-religious fervor to whip up support, they cannot justify their means. Raw worship of power is a trait much of the GOP shares with Moscow. When judged on their results they stand naked and wanting.

Steve Foreman
Warren County

(Foreman is a former chairman of the WC Democratic Committee)