Biden presents national security team, as US presidential transition begins

On Tuesday, one day after the transition to a new US presidency was formally certified by the General Services Administration, President-elect Joe Biden began to formally introduce his staff to the country and the world more broadly.

WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – On Tuesday, one day after the transition to a new US presidency was formally certified by the General Services Administration, President-elect Joe Biden began to formally introduce his staff to the country and the world more broadly.

Generally, the people he named are long-time associates of Biden, whom he knows well from his decades’ long political career.

As Biden’s administration is shaping up, it promises to be the most Kurdish-friendly team in US history. At the same time, it looks, as if the Biden team could well pose serious problems for Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

That starts with Biden himself, who told this reporter in late 2017, “Masoud Barzani is a good friend of mine” and “I wished we could have done more for the Kurds,” referring to his time as vice-president under Barack Obama.

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This also includes Kamala Harris, the Vice-President-elect, who strongly criticized President Donald Trump, following his October 2019 decision to withdraw US forces from northeast Syria.

Read More: Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, blasted Trump last year on decision to withdraw from northeast Syria

Antony Blinken: Secretary of State

Among those named on Tuesday is Antony Blinken as Secretary of State. He must be confirmed by the Senate, but he is not a controversial candidate, and it is unlikely the Senate will fail to confirm him.

The Washington Post described Blinken, 58, as “one of [Biden’s] closest and longest-serving foreign policy advisers.” As Deputy Secretary of State, he visited Erbil in 2016 and met with the President of the Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, to coordinate the Coalition’s offensive to liberate Mosul from ISIS’ control.

Read More: Blinken and Barzani discuss Mosul military operation

In January 2017, Blinken wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times, strongly advocating that the US arm the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), arguing that they were the only credible US partner that could help defeat ISIS in Syria.

“As Deputy Secretary of State, I spent hours with my Turkish counterparts trying to find a modus vivendi for continuing American support to the Syrian Democratic Forces,” Blinken wrote.

“At every juncture—from the liberation of Manbij in northeastern Syria to the isolation of Raqqa—they protested angrily and threatened repercussions, including denying the international coalition access to Incirlik air base and slowing counterterrorism cooperation,” he explained. “Anti-American rhetoric surged in the Turkish media,” and “each time, it took President Obama’s direct engagement” with Erdogan “to smooth the way just enough to keep going.”

Jake Sullivan: National Security Advisor

Also named on Tuesday was Jake Sullivan, as Biden’s National Security Advisor (a position that does not require Senate confirmation.) Sullivan was Biden’s National Security Advisor as vice-president.

In February 2018, Sullivan, along with former US ambassador to Turkey, Eric Edelman, wrote a piece in Politico, strongly condemning the Turkish assault on Afrin.

The article’s title well conveys the perspective of its authors: “Turkey is Out of Control. Time for the US to Say So.”

Indeed, Biden, himself, has spoken very strongly about Erdogan’s policies. Last August, a video interview with The New York Times, which Biden had done earlier, was released.

Biden described Erdogan as an “autocrat” and said he was “very concerned” about Turkey, while he criticized Erdogan’s policy towards the Kurds. He said that the US should be “taking a very different approach” to Erdogan, “making it clear that we support opposition leadership.”

Biden’s official designation of his new national security team took place in the context of reaffirming traditional US policy, at least as practiced since the end of World War II, as Biden signaled his determination to reverse Trump’s isolationist, sometimes erratic, national security decision-making.

“America is back,” Biden affirmed. “Ready to lead the world, not retreat from it, once again to sit at the head of the table. Ready to confront our adversaries and not reject our allies.”

Editing by John J. Catherine