“Modus Vivendi” by president Biden

President Biden’s statement on the so-called “Armenian genocide” in the Ottoman Empire is a grave political mistaken that will bolster anti-American and, more broadly, anti-Western sentiments in Turkey and other Turkic-speaking countries such as Azerbaijan, the country closest to Turkey in the region. This is additionally a fiasco with respect to the OSCE Minsk Group, as President Biden’s statement called into question the continued involvement of the United States as a mediator in the ongoing settlement of the conflict over the Azerbaijani enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh after the Second Karabakh War. President Biden is behaving similarly to French President Macron, who has abandoned the role of mediator and frankly sided with Armenia, who has held the territory of not only Nagorno-Karabakh under occupation for almost 30 years, but additionally the 7 regions around it which were finally liberated by the forces of the Azerbaijani army. This victory was made possible through Turkey’s military and political support over the past decade, which modernized Azerbaijan’s army and allowed them to dominate the Armenian forces which fought using 20th century Soviet warfare tactics.

Ramis Yunus

The main opponents of the United States on the world stage, such as China, Russia, and Iran, who are well aware of how Turkey has been working with the United States and NATO to confront Russia and Iran on the topic of the Middle East and the South Caucasus region.

Unfortunately, we have to admit that during the first 100 days of his tenure, President Biden has already made several dire mistakes. First, he did not personally impose sanctions against Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who gave the order to kill Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist for the Washington Post. Second, he did not force Germany to close the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, which affects the interests of not only the United States, but also their partners in NATO. Third, he has announced a “modus vivendi” in politics with the Kremlin, rather than disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT payment system, imposing an oil embargo, and seizing a trillion dollars that are in Western banks in the accounts of famous oligarchs within the President Putin’s inner circle. Fourth, he has put forward a biased statement about the so-called “Armenian genocide” in the Ottoman Empire, a statement which is, of course, directed against Turkey, the country with the second greatest army in NATO, but also one which has remained a strategic partner of the United States for almost 70 years in this region.

A reasonable question arises: is it with such politically biased statements that the US plans to unite its strategic partners in NATO and regain its global leadership, including in the South Caucasus and the Middle East, where Turkey is the undisputed leader? There is a saying in the East: “It is impossible not to break eggs if you walk on them,” which perfectly characterizes the possible negative consequences of the “modus vivendi” policy announced by the new United States president.

Ramis Yunus is a well-known political scientist with experience in the highest levels of power in Azerbaijan and abroad. He was Chief of Staff of the Government in Azerbaijan, the Administrator of Affairs of the Parliament of Azerbaijan, and has spent years working in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. He understands the political establishment, mentality, culture, and languages of the countries he writes about. Currently, he resides in the United States, where he is a consultant and political expert for American media outlets, independent foundations, and think tanks.