US domestic politics further fueling global volatility
After the European Union approved a four-year €50 billion ($53.86 billion) aid package to Ukraine last week, it was widely regarded as only being a matter of time before the US Congress would give the nod to the new military aid that the Joe Biden administration has long demanded for US proxies and allies on various fronts.
Senators on Sunday released the highly anticipated $118 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies of the United States, which, as demanded by Republicans, is paired with border enforcement policy.
That the Biden administration is required to strengthen federal border control in Texas and other border states, something that many Republicans insist is still not strong enough, was made the prerequisite for the military aid package after days of hard debate showed the extent to which some in the country’s divided legislature are willing to take advantage of grave geopolitical situations in various parts of the world to realize their domestic agenda.
The aforementioned proposal to make border control a condition for the approval of the military aid package quickly ran into a wall of opposition from top House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson. The Senate was expected this week to hold a key test vote on the legislation, but within hours of the text being released Johnson said on social media that it would be “dead on arrival” if it reaches the House.
As the US media observed, the coming days will be “a crucial test” of whether congressional leaders can once again muscle their members to support such a package that is designed to assert the US’ global commitment, and also shows the country’s division on its own woes — only by leveraging bipartisan consensus on geopolitics can the two parties seek to accomplish their interest exchanges.
Thus the worry of some is reasonable that the partisan strife in the country, which will only markedly intensify with the unfolding of the presidential election, will add more uncertainties to the solution of international geopolitical problems, including rising tensions.
The quadrennial political show of the US will overlap with the key stages for development of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Middle East crisis. Both crises have come to a critical juncture with more parties, such as Islamic State, seeking to take advantage of the conflicts after realizing the US is now preoccupied with its preelection tussling.
With Washington still resorting to force to assert itself, it is in danger of being played if it continues to divide its focus in this way. This will only propel the global turbulence to an even more acutely dangerous pitch.