Biden Makes LGBTQI+ a Foreign Policy Priority…As Afghanistan Crumbles

Following the lead of former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, earlier this year President Biden stated that the United States must, in his words, “repair our moral leadership…You know, we’ll ensure diplomacy and foreign assistance are working to promote the rights of those individuals, included by combating criminalization and protecting LGBTQ refugees and asylum-seekers.”  He then published a remarkable memo with a subject line that read: “Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Persons Around the World.” In the memo he directs our foreign policy establishment to promote this distorted view of morality by applying sanctions against any nations that don’t agree. Here’s an excerpt:

“I am directing all agencies abroad to ensure tha United States diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons…agencies engaged abroad are directed to strengthen existing efforts to combat the criminalization by foreign governments of LGBTQI+ status or conduct and expand efforts to combat discrimination, homophobia, transphobia, and intolerance on the basis of LGBTQI+ status or conduct.”

The State Department followed up with a clarifying statement:

“Today, President Biden signed a Presidential Memorandum directing all U.S. government departments and agencies engaged abroad to ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) persona around the world.

The struggle to end violence, discrimination, criminalization, and stigma against LGBTQI+ persons is a global challenge that remains central to our commitment to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms for all individuals. In the Biden-Harris administration, the United States will lead by the power of our example and pursue a policy to end violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics. Today’s action by President Biden demonstrates the U.S. governments’s firm commitment to advance this goal.

Under President Biden’s leadership, the United Staes will work with like-minded governments and strengthen civil society advocacy to fully support and advance the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons. 

…and so, this effort has become a key priority of our foreign policy. It would seem the implementation of this policy suffered a serious failure as Afghanistan was overrun by the Taliban, an Islamist group that doesn’t treat the alphabet folks very well…that is, they behead them. Makes you wonder what the Afghans thought as the U.S. Embassy in Kabul flew the Rainbow Flag in June to mark Pride Month. Of course, now the Taliban flag flies over the former embassy. If the events of recent days are any indication, the protection of U.S. citizens and Afghans who supported us for 20 years took an obvious back seat to the promotion of sexual perversion on a global scale. What a country! 

Afghanistan Down

It’s about noon on Sunday and the reports out of Kabul are far less than optimistic. And yet I just heard a D.C. policy wonk, a former State Department “expert” who helped devise our 20-year Afghanistan involvement, state that he was confident we would withdraw all our people safely. He had worked for several administrations, totally focused on Afghanistan so he must know what’s going on. But as he spoke we discover that the embassy has told Americans to “shelter in place” and not to go to the embassy. Why? Because the embassy has closed. The flag has been lowered. We also hear that the ambassador is “working” at the airport, probably with one foot on the steps of an aircraft. The president of Afghanistan, and his VP, have already fled the country so they can reap the benefits accrued in their foreign bank accounts. Our president is at Camp David for a little, five-day vacation, presumably toasting marshmallows as our citizens scramble to survive the onslaught. Even more troubling is what the Afghan people will face, particularly those who have aided our forces. Of course, the Afghan women face what can only be described as a horrendous future.

The Taliban are also releasing thousands of prisoners, former Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters, and arming them. The big tactical question seems to be: Can a relatively small US force hold the airport? And if not, what will happen? Do the Taliban really care about the possibility of US air strikes, especially since there are no battle lines? The Taliban have been very effective by integrating with the local population, so who and what would we attack from the air, especially with no ground support and direction? 

I actually heard another expert yesterday downplay the idea that the communist Chinese would cozy up to the Taliban. They have nothing in common, he told us, so the Chinese have no reason to help them. What he doesn’t seem to understand is the eastern concept that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” I expect the Chinese, the Iranians, and the Russians will all get involved after the fact, and soon. It’s what I would do were I in their shoes. After all, the Taliban will be the recipients of all kinds of US arms, no doubt some pretty hi-tech stuff. They’ll probably have an open auction in Kabul a few weeks from now.

I am not confident that all will go well tonight and tomorrow. We must pray for a safe withdrawal.