Trump’s ex-deputy Nat Sec Advisor slams Biden’s foreign policy as a “complete failure” in conversation with Ben Shapiro

Disastrous Foreign Policy: A Conversation with Victoria ⁢Coates

On Thursday on “The Ben Shapiro Show,” Daily Wire Editor Emeritus‌ Ben Shapiro interviewed Victoria Coates, who served as former deputy national security​ adviser for⁤ former President ⁢Donald Trump, about the Biden administration’s disastrous ‍foreign policy.

The Chaos on the Foreign Front

“Let’s talk about the chaos that ⁢has engulfed the United​ States‍ on the foreign front,” Shapiro began. “There’s just fires everywhere.​ Why don’t we start with the situation between Russia and ‌Ukraine? The Biden administration has been sending mixed signals over what’s going on in Russia, Ukraine, for a very long time.”

A Missed Opportunity

“So you start with the original intelligence failure that this was going to be quick and then we would support⁣ an insurgency,” Coates responded. “But the problem is the administration never pivoted⁤ from that. And, you know, in​ April or May of 22, when the Russian economy was reeling, there was very unified international support for Ukraine. That’s when I think the Biden administration should have leveled the truly crushing economic sanctions modeled on what we did to Iran ‌during the Trump ‌administration, where anybody who did business with ‍Russia — you​ call ‍them secondary sanctions —would also be subject to those sanctions.”

A Lack of Strategy

“We ⁢could have cut it‌ off then ‌and‍ they didn’t,” she noted. “And instead we’ve been dribbling and dribbling out tens of billions of taxpayer dollars in⁣ a means that⁢ has not been ⁣sufficient to win the war. So I think⁤ we all have to⁣ ask​ at this point, what is the strategy?”

The Long Game of Putin

Shapiro commented ‍that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ⁣willing to wait it out, believing that the West’s resolve would eventually collapse.

“Once he didn’t get his three-day war, for him, a war ⁤of attrition is a winnable prospect,” Coates said. ⁣“He has more people. He can rearm himself. … He’s also getting supplies now much more openly from North Korea⁤ and Iran both​ of whom are ⁢more or⁣ less acting on China’s orders. So for him, the long game is a winning plan.”

Draining Russia’s Resources

“As you mentioned originally, that if⁢ you remove this ‍ridiculous pause on U.S. LNG export licenses, you remove the deadly chilling regulatory regime that⁤ the Biden administration has put in place,” she told Shapiro. “And you really reassure partners and allies the United States should be your reliable supplier of choice. You can really start to drain Russia’s resources and again, make this as distasteful for the Chinese as possible. Do they really want to rescue Russia under those circumstances or do they want to make the best of a bad hand and try​ to get to⁢ a resolution here?”

Fires in the ⁤Middle East

“Meanwhile, there are fires all over the ​Middle East,” Shapiro said. “Iran obviously has its hand in all of them from the⁢ Red Sea, where shipping⁤ has essentially been shut down, to the situation on⁣ both the northern border of Israel as well as ‍its southern border with the Gaza Strip. The⁤ Biden administration once⁢ again sending​ insane mixed signals. On the one hand, they suggest that ⁣they are supportive of Israel. On the other ⁢hand, ​they’re suggesting that they have to hold Israel’s‌ leash in some way and ‍prevent Israel from committing human rights violations.”

A Confused Approach

“I think we’re over-dignifying⁤ the administration approach with the word policy,” Coates answered. “I think you’re having a⁢ series of kind of confused reactions to events and very much to ​political pressures here in the United​ States. I think they’ve come to the unpleasant​ realization ​that full-hearted, unified support for Israel might cost⁤ them a couple of thousand of very critical votes in areas like Dearborn, Michigan. And so they’re trying to have it both ways.”

Choosing ​Sides

“Unfortunately, if the events of October 7 ‌taught us anything is that you can’t have it both ways,” ‌she said. “There ‌are two sides here. There is good and there is evil. And it’s time to put on a jersey and join a team, not to try to equivocate and say, ‘Oh, you know, the Palestinians deserve ‍a ​state.’ No, they do not deserve a reward for what they did. They need to realize that Hamas is​ a deadly poison to them. If⁢ they cannot relinquish Hamas,⁤ they are going to⁣ have to be defeated on the battlefield.”

The Iron⁣ Wall

“I keep going⁣ back to the 1923 Jabotinsky​ essay ‘The Iron Wall,’ which gives‌ its name to things like Iron Dome and Iron Beam,” she recalled. “And the whole premise of that is that while the Arabs think that they can still conquer the Jews,‍ Israel needs that iron wall⁢ of security to convince them that Israel is not going away. The Jewish people are not going away. ⁢And in⁣ my ‌estimation, that’s what the U.S.-Israel alliance should be: It should be that iron wall. You can’t eradicate Israel because we’re not going to let you. And​ when that is ​made crystal clear to⁣ the Palestinians, ⁤then they might become reasonable. They might be able to come ‍to some kind of negotiated settlement. But while there’s doubt in their mind‍ — and that’s what ‌the administration is sowing is that doubt —they’re always ⁢going to go for the eradication of Israel; They’re going to go for from that ‘From the river to the sea’ nonsense.”

The Houthis and Deterrence

“What exactly⁢ should the policy be with⁤ regard to⁤ the Houthis?” Shapiro asked. ‌“Because this bizarre notion of deterring terrorist groups, I just fail to see how that has ever been an effective policy‍ deterrence. Terrorist groups literally exist to not be deterred. It’s a bizarre miscalibration ⁣to suggest that the Houthis are somehow going to act in the same evil but rational⁢ fashion as the Iranians, who would prefer to remain in power. The⁢ Houthis are an‌ actual terrorist group whose slogan is Death to the Jews, Death to America. I fail to see ​how you’re going to deter these ⁢people.”

Acting Against‌ Impunity

“It does come back to the Iranians, Tehran, and what they think they can get away with,” Coates asserted. “And right now they are acting with impunity across the Middle East, attacking the United States, attacking our friends and⁣ allies. It’s particularly dramatic in Yemen, because, as you say, the Houthis are not 100 feet⁤ high and, you know, they’re not fully into the 21st century. ‌And so as the United States military has demonstrated, we have all sorts of capabilities ​that they ⁤don’t have. And what they‍ need is a ​very‌ clear demonstration ⁢in an offensive, not a defensive way, that we are going to use those capabilities to bomb them back into the Stone Age. And that is what is going to happen to the Houthis unless they cut this out.”

A Failed Strategy

“They are utterly undeterred‍ by the response of the administration over the last six weeks,” she said. “They‌ call it their Houthi strategy; I would call it an abject failure. We just should not tolerate this kind of behavior out of a radical theological dictatorship in Yemen, which has ruined the country and is now ​trying to ruin global shipping. It should be intolerable ⁣to the administration. But they’re so scared of provoking the Iranians, they won’t take⁢ any serious action.”

How can the​ Biden administration effectively deter the Houthis in Yemen and prevent ⁢them from being emboldened by a potential return to ​the Iran nuclear deal?

Egard to the Houthis in‌ Yemen?” Shapiro asked. “Deterrence doesn’t seem to ⁣be working. The Biden administration seems to⁣ be attempting to go back⁣ into the Iran‌ ​nuclear‍ deal, which obviously is ​going to embolden the Iranians to fund and back⁢ the Houthis. What do you think the strategy there should ‌be?”

A⁣ Clear Message

“I think​ we should look to the example​ of what we ⁤did in Iran,​ right?” Coates suggested.“Deterrence is not just ⁣kind of a passive posture like a Maginot Line. Deterrence is something ⁢that you⁢ actively have ​to enforce and you actively have to communicate. So when ‌you ⁣say, ‘We are not going‌ back⁣ into the Iran‌ ​deal’ ⁢— which I hope we can say with clarity and certainty — that should be repeated over and over ‌and ⁤over again. There are⁤ a number of things that the Biden‍ administration⁤ if it⁣ wanted⁢ to demonstrate them to the Iranians, if it had sufficient will, that‌ it could ‌do. And⁤ that’s one of them.”

Understanding the Adversaries

Coates concluded by emphasizing the ‌importance of‍ understanding the adversaries and their ⁢motivations in order‌ to effectively counter their actions on the foreign front.

“The only way you’re going to come to ‌a sound and​ successful policy is if​ you take the time to really understand your adversaries,” she explained. ⁣“And you⁣ have a good sense of their red⁢ lines and their capabilities ‍and their ‌weaknesses, and all ‌of ⁣that. ⁣And I just don’t think that this administration​ has done enough of that work.”

A Wake-Up Call

The conversation with Victoria​ Coates sheds‌ light on the disastrous foreign ‍policy of the Biden administration.​ From a lack of strategy in dealing with Russia and Ukraine to a confused approach⁢ in the Middle East, the administration’s ⁣mixed signals and hesitancy to‌ take decisive action have only emboldened adversaries. ⁤It is crucial for the Biden administration to recognize the importance ⁤of clear and strong messaging, as well as understanding the ‌true nature of their adversaries, in order ⁤to effectively protect national interests and maintain peace and stability ⁢on the global stage.

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