Joe Biden: The Neoconservative Democrat

By Abbas Ali

ccun.org, September 15, 2008



In announcing Joe Biden as his running mate, Barak Obama declared that for decades senator Biden “has brought change to Washington, but Washington hasn’t changed him.” However, Biden is a seasoned politician and would not survive Washington political climate and shifting alliances without profound adjustment in approaches and compromise.

Senator Biden often speaks his mind and does not shy away from openly criticizing the administration’s foreign policy on several fronts. In terms of the Middle East policy, however, Biden’s stand resembles those of hardliners, especially those of the neoconservatives’. Despite his liberal pronouncements, he has been one of a few democrats who has adopted the neoconservatives’ outlook toward the Middle East.

Though neoconservatives have articulated a world view and design, their core belief revolves around the Middle East and the centrality of Israel in the global strategy. They advocate that:
The U.S. invasion of and military presence in Iraq ensures the safety, security, and supremacy of Israel,
The U.S. goals coincide with Israeli goals. Therefore, the invasion of Iraq serves the interests of both countries,

Tireless efforts must be made to prevent Arab masses from active participation in the political process as the Arab people are inherently against military occupation and have persistently rejected Israeli domination,

Strengthening Arab dictators in their hold on power must be a priority to the incoming administration in Washington, be it republican or democrat,
The Middle East must be kept in a state of perpetual instability to maintain Israeli supremacy, and thus
The presence of American forces in the region is an imperative necessity and is essential for world peace.

Early in his senate tenure, Biden rightly recognized that surviving in the senate demands the backing of the powerful Israeli lobby; AIPAC. In addition to his courting of the neoconservatives he declared, “I am a Zionist. . . You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist." Indeed, on Israeli–Palestinian issues, Biden has invariably voted in support of Israel and vehemently resented the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions regarding the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

In the context of Iraq, Biden was one of the few in the senate who were instrumental in writing a draft proposal which ultimately led to the authorization and the invasion of Iraq. Furthermore, he espoused the 1982 neoconservative’s plan for the partitioning of Iraq along sectarian and ethnic lines. The original plan calls for having three states “around the three major cities: Basra, Baghdad, and Mousl, and Shiite areas in the south [that] will separate from the Sunni and Kurdish north.”