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      Visible Cracks in the New American Order

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      Joe Biden has now officially been designated the 46th president of the United States. He dislodged the quintessential political misfit, Donald Trump, who, before belatedly agreeing to “an orderly transition,” had engaged in a truly Satanic battle to overpower the institutions he was elected to defend as he attempted to install a regime of permanent …
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      It’s Time to Put Guardrails in Place in Washington

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      Americans have historically been fond of pounding their chests when proclaiming US “exceptionalism,” believing that what happens elsewhere in the world doesn’t happen here. That was until Donald Trump came steamrolling in. His supporters’ storming of the US Capitol on Wednesday was a perfect capstone to his tumultuous and torturous presidency. At his direction, the …
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      Police chief and two security officials resign over Capitol assault

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      The head of the US Capitol police and two other senior security officials are resigning amid mounting criticism of the bungled police response to the assault on Capitol Hill by a violent mob of Donald Trump supporters.
      Steven Sund’s resignation will be effective from 16 January, and follows calls by the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and other senior figures for heads to roll.
      “There was a failure of leadership at the top,” Pelosi said.
      Michael Stenger, the Senate sergeant-at-arms, has also resigned, along with Paul Irving, the official who holds the same position at the House of Representatives.
      The Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, had said he would fire Stenger when he became majority leader later this month if he did not stand down.
      Incited by Trump, a mob descended on the Capitol on Wednesday, swiftly breaking through police barriers before smashing windows and parading through the halls, sending lawmakers into hiding.
      Late on Thursday, the Capitol police service disclosed that one of its officers had died from injuries he sustained “while physically engaging with protesters” on Wednesday.
      Brian D Sicknick returned to his division office and collapsed, the police said, later dying in hospital. Two law enforcement officials told Associated Press on the condition of anonymity that Sicknick had been struck in the head with a fire extinguisher during the melee.
      The FBI and Washington’s police department will jointly investigate his death, which was the fifth associated with Wednesday’s violence. A female protester was shot and killed by police, and three other people died after “medical emergencies” in the grounds of the Capitol.

      The announcement of Sund’s departure came as he detailed the violence for the first time, saying police were “actively attacked” with metal pipes and other weapons.
      “They [the mob] were determined to enter into the Capitol building by causing great damage,” Sund said. Capitol police fired on the woman who died as “protesters were forcing their way toward the House chamber where members of Congress were sheltering in place”.
      There has been mounting criticism of the serious failures of leadership by those detailed to protect Congress in the days and hours leading up to the riot.
      According to reports, Capitol police declined offers from the Pentagon of additional National Guard manpower and from the Justice Department of additional FBI personnel.
      Amid allegations that he had missed the well-signposted potential for violence, Sund has said he had only anticipated a display of “first amendment activities”, and not a “violent attack”.
      The army secretary, Ryan McCarthy, said that as the rioting was under way, it became clear the Capitol police were being overrun.
      But he said there was no contingency planning done in advance for what forces could do in case of a problem at the Capitol because US defense department help was turned down. “They’ve got to ask us, the request has to come to us,” said McCarthy.
      Gus Papathanasiou, the head of the Capitol police union, said planning failures left officers exposed without backup or equipment against surging crowds of rioters.
      “We were lucky that more of those who breached the Capitol did not have firearms or explosives and did not have a more malign intent,” Papathanasiou said in a statement. “Tragic as the deaths are that resulted from the attack, we are fortunate the casualty toll was not higher.” More

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      For the US, Right-Wing Extremism Is Here to Stay

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      Over the last three decades, globalization, ethnic diversity and social inclusion have become forefront issues in American political discourse. However, this spotlight has not come without consequence. Finding historical precedents in the Civil War and civil rights eras, today’s new progressive wave has been met with backlash from conservative and reactionary sociopolitical milieus that see …
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      'You can’t lose a single vote': can Biden navigate the 50-50 Senate?

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      Democrats may have reclaimed control of the Senate with two victories in Georgia but their majority is slim and will herald an era where every senator wields an inordinate amount of power over the vital upper chamber.In other words, every senator will be the deciding vote in a situation that has happened only a few other times in the chamber’s history and is likely to prove a tricky challenge for the incoming president, Joe Biden – albeit one preferable to dealing with continued Republican control.That dynamic is a shift from recent years in which control of the chamber has been more concretely with Republicans or Democrats. But the addition of the incoming senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia means that the Senate will be split evenly 50-50, a divide that’s happened only three times in American history.Democrats control the chamber only through Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris who will act as the tie-breaking vote when she is sworn in on 20 January. Her replacement in her California senate seat, Alex Padilla, will join the chamber quickly after that so Democratic control starts on 21 January.The split means any senator can gum up legislation making its way through the chamber by withholding a vote, possibly until other tweaks have been made.“It only takes one senator to object and that doesn’t mean that you’re going to have the power to ultimately stop something, but being in control of how much time something takes gives you enormous power,” said Joe Britton, a former Senate Democratic chief of staff. “Especially at 1pm on a Thursday afternoon.”For Democrats, that’s the best outcome after disappointing results in a handful of Senate races they had thought they would win in the November elections. It means, though, that two separate groups of Republican and Democratic “moderates” are likely to command significant attention.Looming over the chamber’s business will be elections in 2022 in which two senators, Mark Kelly of Arizona and Raphael Warnock of Georgia are up for re-election after just two years as they are completing their predecessors’ term. Because they will have to run in conservative-leaning states early in their Senate careers they are likely to steer clear of supporting very liberal legislation making its way through the chamber. Both are expected to fall among the more moderate wing of the party alongside Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia.If any senator gained influence from the even Senate split it’s Manchin, the most conservative member of the Democratic caucus. Manchin offered a preview of how he planned to navigate the Senate.“For the sake of the country we all love, we must commit to solving the serious problems facing our nation,” the West Virginia senator said in a statement on Wednesday. “Above all, we must avoid the extreme and polarizing rhetoric that only further divides the American people – I will work tirelessly to make sure we do. It is time for Americans to move closer together.”Besides Warnock and Ossoff, the incoming senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado styled himself as a moderate Democrat during his short-lived 2020 presidential campaign and his time as governor before that. Biden’s incoming administration has also indicated plans to focus initially on a Covid relief bill and a large bipartisan infrastructure bill – not non-starters for liberals but hardly proposals from a progressive wishlist.“You’re not going to see the [supreme] court expanded. You’re probably won’t see the legislative filibuster ended and those kind of things,” said former senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, who represented the moderate wing of the Democratic party during his time in the Senate.All legislation in the Senate except for reconciliation bills – which are meant to deal with tax and spending issues – need a filibuster-proof 60 votes to pass. So the question for most legislation is how many more additional senators beyond 50 can a proposal get.Defections and bipartisan support have become rare in Congress and usually only a few senators are even willing to openly discuss bucking their party. With his slight majority, the incoming majority leader, Chuck Schumer, of New York will still have to keep all or most of his caucus in line and win over a few Republicans.“I think Chuck Schumer has the capacity to be the savviest legislative leader since [Lyndon Baines Johnson],” Bayh added. “But even LBJ had more than a 50-50 split to work with so if anyone can make it work it’s Chuck. It’s going to be really difficult when you have the left pushing the envelope, but in a world where the Republicans are unlikely to give you any votes for what the left wants, you can’t lose a single vote.”And then there’s the next presidential election in 2024.Senators and their staffs are bracing for 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls in the chamber to try to position themselves to run in a large and unwieldy Republican primary. Democrats could also have a divided primary contest in the next presidential election cycle if Biden decides not to run, although Harris would be the heavy favorite in that scenario.After the Republican senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri led a revolt against certifying Biden’s victory, it’s unclear if either of them will be able to position themselves as frontrunners in a Republican primary. Both have been mentioned as potential candidates. The revolt resulted in a swath of rioters breaking into the Capitol.“You’re going to have all these people that are just posturing and maneuvering and each one of them is either a dealbreaker or an arsonist in the mode of Ted Cruz when Obama was president,” said a former Republican chief of staff. “And so you’re going to have all these little arsonists asking ‘how can I make a name for myself?’ and there’s going to be less Lindsey Grahams from the Obama time. There’s no John McCains. Mitt Romney will try. There’s going to be less of those guys.” More

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      The Guardian view on the storming of the US Capitol: democracy in danger | Editorial

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      What took so long? “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time,” Maya Angelou counselled. Donald Trump’s keenest supporters believed him. But too many others, even among those who reviled him, nonetheless assumed that there were limits. They can no longer be complacent. The American carnage of Wednesday night – the storming of the Capitol by an armed and violent mob, incited by the president, in an attempt to terrorise Congress and stop the peaceful transfer of power – marked an extraordinary moment in US history. “If the post-American era has a start date, it is almost certainly today,” wrote Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations.Yet this was merely the ultimate and undeniable proof of what was always evident: that this man is not only unfit for his office, he is also a danger to democracy while he retains it. He built his political success on lies, contempt for democratic standards, the stoking of divisions – most of all racial – and the glamorising of force. They were evident when he campaigned for the presidency, and more blatant when he talked of “very fine people” among the white supremacists of Charlottesville. When the House impeached him for abusing power for electoral purposes. When he lied that the election would be stolen, and then lied that it had been. When he called supporters to Washington. When he told them that they would “never take back our country with weakness” and urged them on to the Capitol.The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, and others deserve no credit for belated pieties about the state of the Republic. All those who helped or “humoured” Mr Trump’s election-stealing attempts are culpable. Already expert in more genteel endeavours, such as voter suppression and gerrymandering, the Republican elites have enabled and encouraged Trumpism: standing at his side, acquitting him when impeached, staying silent, or amplifying his lies. Having invited in an arsonist and supplied him with accelerant, they offer a cup of water to douse the inferno.The urgent issue is how to deal with Mr Trump. No faith can be put in his last-minute promise of an orderly transition when he continues to foment rage. The Democratic leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, has called for his immediate removal. Cabinet members are reportedly now discussing the use of the 25th amendment, which allows the replacement of an “unfit” president. But this is not about mere failings or incapacity: a better choice would be to begin impeachment proceedings. Action must be taken against Mr Trump, as it must against those he incited, to prevent him from running again and send a clear message to anyone tempted to follow.For the truly important issue is how to salvage democracy in America. While Wednesday may prove a wake-up call for some Trump voters, many are already explaining away events, or excusing them through false equivalences with the Black Lives Matter movement. Divisions run deep through American society and even its institutions. A full investigation is needed of the failure to protect the Capitol when extremists had openly talked of such a plan – in stark contrast to the intense security and aggressive treatment that greeted peaceful BLM protesters. Tens of millions of Americans now believe that the election was stolen: one report suggests that only a quarter of Republicans trust the result. Rightwing media have fostered lies, and social media allowed people to dwell in alternative political universes. Though Facebook has finally suspended the president’s account, the stable door is shutting long after disinformation galloped off into the distance. None of this will end when Joe Biden is inaugurated on 20 January.Democracy exists not in the provisions written down on paper, but so long as it is practised, which is to say, defended. The remarkable twin victories in the Georgia runoffs on Wednesday, giving the Democrats control of the Senate via the vice-president’s casting vote, were a welcome testimony to what is possible. But their importance is dwarfed by the threat looming over the system itself. The struggle is only just beginning. America has shown its people what it is. They should believe it – and act accordingly. More

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      Saudi-Qatar Reconciliation Provides New Opportunities for the Biden Administration

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      The incoming Biden administration was presented with a most welcome development when it was announced on January 4 that an agreement has been reached to end the three-year rift between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. On November 27, the Financial Times carried a long report headlined “Saudi Arabia seeks to resolve Qatar crisis as a ‘gift’ to Joe Biden.” Essentially, the newly announced rapprochement has the potential to enable the Biden administration to accomplish major goals in the Gulf region as well as in the overall Middle East.

      A good deal of credit for the breakthrough goes to Kuwait’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Nawaf. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser al Sabah explained that “Based on Sheikh Nawaf’s proposal, it was agreed to open the airspace and land and sea borders between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar.” Al Sabah added that Sheikh Nawaf had spoken with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. According to AP,  “The conversations ‘emphasized that everyone was keen on reunification,’ and would gather in Al-Ula to sign a statement that promises to ‘usher in a bright page of brotherly relations.’”

      Joe Biden Will Face a Much-Changed and Skeptical World

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      By way of background, on June 5, 2017, the Arab quartet severed diplomatic relations with Doha and imposed a land, sea and air blockade based upon contested accusations that Qatar supported Islamist extremist groups. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain also objected to Qatar’s relations with Iran. As a result, with some exceptions, notably to allow Qataris into Saudi Arabia to perform the Islamic hajj pilgrimage, Qatar’s only land border has remained closed, thus denying the import of products ranging from food to medical supplies to construction materials.

      The rift with Qatar also resulted in the separation of families, especially those who had intermarried on both sides of the border. In addition, Saudi Arabia prohibited Qatari planes from flying over its airspace, which forced its national airline to take longer and more costly routes. It has been estimated that Qatar pays up to $100 million in annual fees to fly over Iran.

      The Saudi decision to end the embargo is a major step forward, but it must be followed by additional initiatives by the other nations that had backed the boycott of Qatar. This was acknowledged by the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, who tweeted that while Abu Dhabi hopes to restore Gulf unity, “We have more work to do and we are in the right direction.”

      Essentially, while ending the rift among the Gulf nations is important for the region, it also establishes new realities and opportunities for the Biden administration. It will enable the new administration to develop even closer relations with Qatar and set the tone for warmer than previously predicted relations with Saudi Arabia.

      Beginning in 1992, Qatar has developed close military ties with the United States and is now the location of US Central Command’s Forward Headquarters and the Combined Air Operations Center. Qatar hosts the strategically important Al Udeid Air Base, which is staffed by more than 10,000 American service personnel and strike force aircraft used in campaigns against the Islamic State. Improved US-Qatari relations will enable the two nations to build upon their efforts against terrorism. In fact, as the White House website points out, President Donald Trump thanked Emir Tamim in January 2018 for efforts “to counter terrorism and extremism in all its forms.” Washington is also grateful to Doha for hosting a Taliban mission, thereby facilitating the Afghan peace talks. The Biden administration may also work with Qatar in at least four additional areas.

      Embed from Getty Images

      Following up on the UAE and Bahrain reaching normalization deals with Israel sets the stage for Qatar to play a larger role in pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace. Qatar is quietly providing humanitarian support for Palestinians in Gaza, which helps in keeping that conflict more manageable and could enable Doha to serve as an intermediary to deal with the wider conflict.

      Similarly, Qatar maintains good relations with both the United States and Iran. President-elect Biden and his top foreign policy officials have stated their hope that a new treaty can be worked out with Iran, one that builds on the nuclear pact negotiated by the Obama administration and then rejected by the Trump White House. Qatar is in a unique position to facilitate these diplomatic efforts. Significantly, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that he hopes reconciliation in the Gulf “contributes to the stability and political and economic development for all peoples of our region.”

      Qatar has also expressed its support for a number of other top priorities enunciated by the Biden administration, including dealing aggressively with climate change and distributing vaccinations to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control. Improved Gulf relations can also help Saudi Arabia to build warmer ties with the Biden administration than might otherwise have been the case.

      Joe Biden has called for a reevaluation of US relations with Riyadh during the Trump administration, which began when Donald Trump chose to visit Saudi Arabia as his first overseas destination as president and then extended to arms sales, a lax view of the war in Yemen and virtually excusing Saudi leaders for their role in the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. In sum, while the final details of the deal that has been under discussion for several months is still in flux, it has the potential to shape a more positive agenda for the Biden administration.

      The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy. More