Counting on Biden a Strategic Mistake

The 59th U.S. presidential election was held in November 2020 and it was actually a race between incumbent President Donald Trump as the representative of the Republican Party and his major rival Joe Biden as the Democrat Party representative, and the election conflict despite the vote rigging claim from the White House the White House went nowhere and Trump was dethroned.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

The Trump Administration’s hostile performance and breaching of promises have caused this question to be raised more than ever whether Biden’s victory can bring  a change in the U.S. approach against Iran especially in its economic aspect or not. A glance at the decision-making structure in the U.S. is important for getting the answer to this question. According to the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. president is the highest executive person, and by selecting advisors and secretaries, he makes decision. The president is himself in charge of the Armed Forces, executive power and foreign policy strategy. Besides these, the president is able to use veto right to overshadow the legislative trend of the Congress. Despite all these authorities, there have been always challenges in way of president’s decisions which may cancel, delay or soften his decisions.

So although President says the first word, it does not mean the final decision and action. So despite Biden’s election as the U.S. president, the impacts of the U.S. election on the U.S. policy against Iran should be seen in this framework. Now with Biden’s victory in the elections and taking power by the Democrats, although it seems the Republicans have always had more hostile approaches against our country, with a little bit scrutiny and study of the Iran-the U.S. relations, one can find the most sanctions, breach of promises and hostile approach have happened when the Democrats have been in power. So it is more understandable that Biden will not distance him from this attitude.

In different occasions, Biden has called Iran as the country supporting terrorism, violator of the security of the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East and so far he has not taken a clear and definite stance regarding the U.S. conditional or unconditional return to the JCPOA but appointing a Jewish element in the U.S. Department of State. Although during his election campaign he talked of the U.S. return to the JCPOA, with this action he is after legal use of it as a member of the JCPOA and consequently extending Iran arms embargo, adding other and new articles to the agreement, coming out of the current dominant isolation of the U.S. and boosting the U.S. legitimacy among the European states and allies, of course, in confrontation with the White House’s past policies.

Therefore, Biden, at the best, may reduce some of psych wars against Iran or slacken the implementation of some previous or new sanctions against Iran. So, one cannot be so that optimistic to Biden’s presidency.

The 12th government in the Islamic Republic of Iran, as it has put all its eggs in the JCPOA basket since September 2013 till now, in other words, in the past seven years, and achieved no success, still has not stopped pinning hopes on this matter that JCPOA with Biden could be a breakthrough.

Attachment to the West is a very incurable disease that many in Iran have been infected by it since the Constitutional Revolution of Iran (1905-1911) and they have even spread the contagiousness of their disease to the educational system and media culture, and the current government and cabinet has not remained immune from this plight. It seems those who have studied in our country feel the real taste of independence. When people go abroad, some kind of attachment to the Western condition shapes in them. Dispatch of offspring of some of officials in the Islamic Republic of Iran to foreign countries, of course, on the pretext of study has created risks for the country both for its economic health and native culture to suffer from the “aghazadegi” (attitude of children of elite who emerge as the men of means and influence).

The next governments should look at this matter seriously with the armed eyes in order that we could somewhat remain guardian of the blood of martyrs of the Islamic Revolution.

  By: Hamid Reza Naghashian