Thanksgiving is a time for friends and families to be happy to be with some and reflect on those unable to be with us. We value the people we can depend on and hope they find us dependable. This interaction forms much of our human relationships. This fact got me thinking about the relationships between nations. How good a friend are we at a national level? Could we be better?

The record is decidedly mixed. The Marshall Plan revived Europe. We befriended our enemies Germany and Japan with excellent results. The Anglosphere resembles a family. On the other hand, our efforts in Latin America have yet to do as well.

Since our fleeing Saigon Saigon, our loyalty and support for comrades in arms may give our friend pause. Many of those banking on our presence to ease the arduous progress to a modern democratic state in Afghanistan were left watching the last planes take off without them. 

Ukraine only started to receive military aid after Russia invaded. If delivered in a timely fashion, advanced armaments could’ve rocked the Russians.,but it’s only delivered late. F16 fighters are just now on the schedule. Abrams tanks have yet to see the battlefield. We’ve been acting slowly from day one. This reluctance leaves us to wonder if the U.S. wants victory for Ukraine. A long war favors the larger Russia.

We see the same pattern in our support of Israel. A small nation under attack has to mobilize a vast part of its population to defend itself, but it is difficult to sustain over a long period, hence the need to keep wars short. So why are we pushing Israel to pause or declare a ceasefire? 

It’s great for the families of hostages to get some back, but the cost of this deal is 150 Palestinian Prisoners for 50 Israelis. , Hamas gets resupplied without aerial surveillance. This deal is one-sided. 

 If bad people weren’t encouraged to take hostages before, they know now it’s open season on anyone you can grab and get a payoff. This situation puts virtually everyone at risk. 

If Israel is losing about ten dead soldiers a day and prolonging the war for just an extra month, they will lose more than the approximately 250 hostages. The U.S. government is putting Israel in a similar untenable position as Ukraine. 

Has the Biden administration put its political needs ahead of our friends abroad? Placating its anti-war, pro-Hamas left seems to take precedence over our friends abroad. 

Joe Biden and company seem to shudder when the left cries the Israelis are committing genocide on the Palestinians. Refuting their odd claims might be a better tact than giving them credence. 

For instance, most knowledgeable people are aware of the holocaust. That murder of six million Jews defines genocide. On the other hand, Palestinians, since the conflict with Israel started in 1948, have seen their population explode. This genocide is the only one in history when those supposedly exterminated have multiplied.

Offsetting the claim that 700,000 Palestinians left Israel in the 1948 war is the expulsion of 800,000 Jews from Arab lands after being stripped of their lands, businesses, and belongings. 

Those backing Hamas here use the myths of expulsion and genocide to justify their horrific actions. Yet, the Administration fails to take these positions and expose them. This failure has led many to believe letting some of the hostages is generous rather than cynical, putting Israel in a [recarious place.

Added to our history, the Administration’s wish-washy attitude toward the genuine needs of our friends may increasingly lead them to seek other accommodations with our enemies, making it a lonely world for us. Has the Biden administration thought this through?