- Ukraine was part of the Russian empire and the Soviet Union. Now as an independent democratic country it is threatened by Russia. Will the United States and NATO come to Ukraine’s aid? Will the United States honor its commitment under the NATO treaty? Will sanctions of any kind discourage an invasion or a “minor incursion?” My guess it will be based on what is said to Russia behind closed doors.
- Taiwan is the democratic island that China claims is part of their nation has been nurtured by the United States. The U.S. has implied that it would come to Taiwan’s defense if China were to invade.
- North Korea on Tuesday test-fired two suspected cruise missiles in its fifth round of weapons launches this month. On January 11 North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea. It is obvious that the country’s leader, Kim Jong-Un, wants to build nuclear missiles that can reach the United States. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high precision. Modern cruise missiles are capable of travelling at supersonic, high subsonic or hypersonic speeds, are self-navigating, and are able to fly on a non-ballistic, extremely low-altitude trajectory. Negotiations conducted by former President Donald Trump while hopeful were a failure.
- With the attack on United Arab Emirates (UAE) there is a growing war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The United States has a long history of friendship with Saudi Arabia. If Iran were to attack Saudi Arabia would the United States be obligated to send in troops to protect that kingdom?
- The battle between Israel and terrorist Hamas and Hezbollah has been going on since Israel was founded in 1948. Will the United States come to Israel’s defense if it found itself overwhelmed?
Five foreign policy challenges that will test President Joe Biden
The United States is now confronted with five challenges. Any one of them or possibly all of them could take this country into war. Most Americans do not want this country to enter any new wars. For President Joe Biden the question is how can the United States negotiate peaceful resolutions without wars?
Coast Contact 