WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2020) Presumptive President-Elect Joe Biden's top cabinet selections, deeply tied to the defense industry, will likely ensure US troops get stuck in more intractable military conflicts, analysts told Sputnik.
On Tuesday, Biden announced his selection of Antony Blinken as secretary of state, Jake Sullivan as national security adviser, Avril Haines as Director of National Intelligence and Alejandro Mayorkas to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Biden has repeatedly vowed to end US involvement in "forever wars" like those in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, experts say his first cabinet picks make clear he may fall into the trap of igniting the very types of wars he has discredited.
"I would argue surrounding yourself with Tony Blinken, who supported the Iraq war, and Jake Sullivan, Hillary Clinton's adviser - Clinton also supported the Iraq War - sends the opposite message that he isn't in fact committed to ending 'forever wars' because he's surrounding himself with the exact same people who championed one of these 'forever wars,'" Paris-based analyst Mariamne Everett told Sputnik.
Everett also argued that during the Obama administration their poor handling of the US exit from Iraq led to even more chaos than the initial occupation and insurgency.
In addition, Blinken looked certain to further cement his lifelong support for Israel, making it highly unlikely to regain the confidence of the Palestinians, which incumbent President Donald Trump totally forfeited, Everett observed.
Blinken, in addition to backing the arming of extremists in Syria, has also supported the intervention in Libya, the Iraq war, and the Saudi campaign in Yemen.
Reports have surfaced claiming that Biden is considering tapping Pentagon veteran Michelle Flournoy as the first woman in US history to serve as secretary of defense.
Historian and political commentator Dan Lazare said all of these named and potential picks champion unregulated defense spending that delight the giant corporations.
"Blinken, Sullivan, and Flournoy... are not only hawks but incompetent hawks whose policies resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and the destruction of entire societies, yet didn't advance US interests one bit," Lazare told Sputnik.
None of these historic failures had damaged their reputations or earnings in the slightest, Lazare continued.
"They were rewarded with cushy defense-related jobs at places like WestExec Advisors, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the Boston Consulting Group. Now... they're back in office thanks to the Washington revolving door," Lazare added.
Biden's picks, he said, will undoubtedly make the same mistakes over again with the same dreadful consequences.
"The whole thing is appalling," Lazare concluded.
