President Biden’s Sunday address on Syria was nothing short of a final swing at the piñata of relevance—a tired attempt by a floundering administration to rewrite the narrative of its foreign policy blunders into something resembling a victory lap. The speech, brimming with half-truths and Biden’s signature rhetorical fumbling, offered a vision of the Middle East that bears little resemblance to reality.
Let’s start with Biden’s claim that Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah are weaker now than when he took office. Sure, they’re weaker—but not because of anything his administration did. In fact, Biden’s feckless leadership nearly handed these bad actors free reign. Iran’s aggression against Israel escalated, Hamas launched horrific attacks, and Hezbollah took every opportunity to destabilize the region. Biden’s weak support for Israel, including threats to cut off ammunition, only emboldened these groups.
The real credit goes to Israel, which achieved success despite Biden’s interference. Israel’s methodical dismantling of Hamas and Hezbollah networks has been nothing short of heroic. In fact, both Israel and Ukraine have learned to withhold details of their operations because leaks from Biden’s White House have made strategic planning nearly impossible.
Syria’s regime fell not because of Biden’s policies but because Assad’s backers—Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah—were stretched too thin to keep propping him up. Biden would love for you to think his sanctions program or “targeted military force” made the difference, but the reality is far less flattering. His administration’s endless hand-wringing and fixation on UN resolutions achieved little beyond diplomatic posturing. Assad’s fall is a win for the Syrian people, but it came as a byproduct of forces beyond Biden’s control—not through any shrewdness on his part.
Then there’s Biden’s tone-deaf pitch for UN nation-building efforts in Syria. Have we learned nothing from decades of failed interventions in the Middle East? Biden’s vision of a unified, democratic Syria is as naive as it is unattainable. The Middle East doesn’t need another utopian experiment in Jeffersonian democracy; it needs pragmatic solutions that acknowledge the region’s fractured realities. President Trump understood this, advocating for letting regional powers—like Turkey—take the lead in stabilizing the region. A patchwork of ethno-states under Turkish influence might not be ideal, but it’s far more realistic than Biden’s pie-in-the-sky dreams.
The speech was riddled with contradictions, like Biden’s insistence on humanitarian support while continuing to claim moral superiority over rebel factions with checkered pasts. His administration talks big about vigilance, but actions speak louder than words. Biden’s haphazard foreign policy over the past four years has left America weaker, its allies distrustful, and its enemies emboldened.
Biden’s remarks were swiftly overshadowed by Trump’s triumphant visit to Notre Dame, sending the left into a full-blown meltdown.
It’s crazy that even the world is already treating him like he’s president. https://t.co/0GeVH6uwkU
— The Libs Of Blue Sky (@TheLibsofBS) December 7, 2024
I think they are all just glad he speaks in complete sentences and knows what day it is. https://t.co/XfrBbebL7r
— The Libs Of Blue Sky (@TheLibsofBS) December 7, 2024
This address was less a roadmap for Syria’s future and more a desperate attempt to shore up Biden’s crumbling legacy. A lame-duck president with a nosebleed approval rating isn’t fooling anyone with lofty platitudes about “opportunity” and “resolve.” The Assad regime’s fall is significant, yes—but it’s not a testament to Biden’s leadership. Instead, it’s a sobering reminder that even in success, his administration can’t help but trip over its own feet.
