Before Joe Biden assumed the presidency, Russia was a relatively poor power with limited funds to pursue foreign adventurism into Ukraine or elsewhere. Similarly, because of the trade restrictions placed on Iran by the Donald Trump administration, in addition to the low worldwide price of oil engendered by Trump energy policies, Iranian cash accounts were down to about $4 billion, putting severe pressure on the mullahs’ ability to fund their terrorist proxies.
Today, both Russia and Iran are flush with petrodollars — or perhaps we should say petrorubles or petrorials, since Biden seems bent on destroying the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. This newfound wealth is the inevitable consequence of (1) for both countries Biden’s insane energy policies driving up the value of oil for sellers and of (2) for Iran Biden’s also insane relaxation of trade restrictions, which had curbed their oil sales and their wealth. (“Let’s make friends, said the frog to the snake as he was being eaten.”)
With the newfound petrowealth, dictators like Vladimir Putin and religious zealots like the mullahs did what they always do: Started trouble. And so we have new Biden-funded wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Somewhat to his credit Biden, did step up to fund the other side in both conflicts. But this puts him in a position where he funds both sides — Russia and Iran via policy decisions and Ukraine and Israel via direct military aid and our tax dollars. Thousands of dead Ukrainians, Russians, Palitinians and Israelis courtesy of Joe Biden. Seems incredibly stupid to this observer!
Biden’s energy policies are driven by climate crazies who believe that those policies are saving the planet. As written in these pages previously, I believe these beliefs are exaggerated by orders of magnitude. Moreover, the policy solutions are ineffective at best and there is reasonable argument that they harm the planet. Since the policy solutions are funding our enemies as well as a major contributor to inflation in our economy, it might be hoped that changes to policy would be considered.
Unfortunately, that won’t happen until Biden is gone.
John Weaver
Valencia