Did Biden just escalate the Gaza War? | Responsible Statecraft

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On Thursday night, President Joe Biden — acting without congressional approval — ordered airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, an escalation in the regional spillover from Israel’s war in Gaza that now directly involves US military personnel.

Biden chose to escalate the conflict and bomb Yemen in response to Houthi fighters' Red Sea attacks. His unconditional support and steady flow of weapons to Israel appears to be increasing the likelihood of a regional war. Instead of using the U.S.’s considerable leverage over Israel to push for a ceasefire, Biden is enabling a brutal war that has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians, and ties his administration to Israel’s decisions as it inches toward an all out war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Biden should be honest with Americans: the longer Israel's siege of Gaza persists, the greater the chances of a regional conflagration that will put American lives in danger.

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Ukraine could become 'dysfunctional ward' of West

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Top Image Credit: Ukraine Needs Peace

Ukraine could become 'dysfunctional ward' of West

The recent Trump, Vance, and Zelensky office blow-up was ugly. And yet, the moment revealed hard truths about the war in Ukraine: namely, the need to end it.

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Top photo credit: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrive for a ceremony to sign an agreement of comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia January 17, 2025. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTER

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Washington Politics

In yet another example of Donald Trump announcing new policy via social media, the president has now pledged to crack down on “illegal protests” at universities, warning that “agitators” will be headed to jail or targeted for deportation.

Most likely, Trump’s Truth Social post is a reference to last year’s uprising of student encampments and protests at universities across the country in opposition to U.S. weapons and political support for Israel’s onslaught of Gaza that the International Court of Justice and every major human rights organization has concluded plausibly amounts to genocide. On the campaign trail, Trump already pledged to crush pro-Palestinian protests if they ramp up again, including deporting foreign national students who participate.

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