After losing the 2020 campaign, Trump has publicly "bombarded" Biden many times, and even bluntly said that the United States has "become a joke" in many aspects. Trump's belittling of the United States is certainly to blame Biden, but in recent years, the United States has indeed been far less glamorous than in the past, and not long ago, the United States was slapped in the face.
First, India's foreign minister openly choked the United States.
India's signing of a 10-year port deal with Iran has angered the United States. While the United States and the Western world are sanctioning Iran, India is engaging in commercial cooperation with Iran in such a high-profile manner as if it were working against the United States. In response, a spokesman for the US State Department quickly issued a threat of sanctions against India, claiming that any country that engages in business transactions with Iran could be sanctioned by the United States.
But how did India react?
According to India's New Delhi TV, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar responded on the 15th that the signing of the Chabahar port agreement between India and Iran will benefit the entire region, and the United States should not look at this matter "narrowly". At the same time, Jaishankar also noted that the United States itself appreciated the importance of Chabahar port.
I have to say that Jaishankar's response is quite interesting.
India is extremely excited about winning the right to develop and operate the Chabahar port, and the Indian media is quite pleased to publicize that India has obtained the right to manage an overseas port for the first time, so that India can bypass Pakistan and enter Central Asia through the Chabahar port. So, why is the United States, which recognizes the importance of the Chabahar port, dissatisfied with India, not just because India violated US sanctions against Iran.
- The United States may not be able to eat the grapes itself and be sour. The United States may not be reluctant to take control of this important port, but with the tensions between the United States and Iran, the United States is only looking at it;
- The United States may also have containment intentions towards India. Although the United States has tried to curry favor with India, it has also tried to win over Pakistan, and this may not have the purpose of counterbalancing India. Now, seeing that India's comprehensive strength has improved and it is trying to open up new international transport corridors, the United States is only afraid that some of its mentality will be unbalanced.
However, judging from the response of the Indian foreign minister, India will most likely not give up cooperation with Iran because of the threat of US sanctions, and the United States may not really sanction India, or impose deadly sanctions on India, after all, it is not wise for the United States to turn the other cheek with India.
Second, Niger specifically exposed the reasons for the expulsion of US troops.
Since last week, the United States has officially ordered a full withdrawal of troops from Niger, which is the second time that Biden has faced the embarrassing situation of the United States withdrawing troops since taking office.
However, not long after the United States ordered the withdrawal of troops, Niger poked the "scars" of the United States again.
According to a report on the 15th, the prime minister appointed by the Nigerien military regime, Lamine Zenet, pointed out on the 14th that Niger's decision to stop military cooperation with the United States was because the United States had threatened Niger with sanctions. It is reported that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Molly Fey has warned that Niger will face sanctions if it exports uranium to Iran.
In order to maintain the "sanctions against Iran", the United States has issued orders to all countries and strictly guarded them, as if all countries must abide by the rules of US sanctions. However, Niger, an African country, is not only not afraid of US sanctions, but has directly given the United States a "blow to the head".
What do you think?
First of all, American-style hegemony is becoming more and more popular. Once it is determined that the actions of a country are not in the interests of the United States, the United States will wield the big stick of sanctions at every turn, however, the will of the United States cannot be imposed on others, and more and more countries are unwilling to cooperate with the United States.
Second, U.S. deterrence is declining. In the past, even if the U.S. sanctions were not recognized by other countries, the threat of U.S. sanctions was still quite deterrent, and some countries might be afraid to act against the U.S. because they would be sanctioned by the U.S. Now, whether it is dealing with India, the world's fifth-largest economy, or the African country of Niger, the United States' sanctions stick seems to be intimidating.