All through his almost 4 years in workplace, President Biden regularly consulted historians to measure his accomplishments in opposition to historical past, and did so again earlier than stepping out of the presidential race. Historical past will acknowledge amongst his many achievements his sweeping financial imaginative and prescient and legislative experience, which quickly moved the nation out of a pandemic recession, reduced wage inequality and created the longest period of full employment in additional than 50 years.
Biden additionally led to probably the most significant pro-worker policies in decades. He revitalized businesses which have aggressively moved to wash our air and water of lethal contaminants like toxic “forever” chemicals. And with the narrowest margins in Congress, he secured the votes to enact the first major law to fight local weather change in U.S. historical past, which has created 330,000 good, secure clean-energy jobs thus far.
Though Biden appears keenly attuned to his legacy, his international coverage — like that of Lyndon B. Johnson earlier than him — might eternally hang-out his document in historical past books and stain his standing amongst generations of Individuals. Like America’s wars in Indochina, the bloody, almost yearlong assault on Gaza has unleashed a stage of carnage that has horrified the world. It has stoked resistance and division in America. And, just like the wars of fifty years in the past, it’s contributed to a one-term Democratic president who has, to this point, been ineffectual at halting spiraling violence and brutality overseas.
With not less than 40,000 Gazans killed by Israel’s offensive thus far, seemingly fixed stories of fresh bombardments of civilians with U.S. arms have made a mockery of the administration’s claims of concern for human rights. Preventable ailments such as polio in addition to famine now threaten the blockaded enclave. Two million individuals stay trapped and denied ample meals and medical consideration.
Israel’s provocative measures overseas — like its assassination of Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, with whom it was negotiating an finish to hostilities and return of Israeli hostages — appear supposed to sabotage cease-fire talks and draw the US into a bigger regional battle. Such a battle might be fought for years, with untold additional civilian casualties.
It’s no marvel that Republicans appear to delight in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lawlessness and aggression, as they criticize Biden for supposedly not backing Israel extra firmly. They cynically consider that the nonstop devastation of Gaza will discourage some Democratic voters from supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in an election that would as soon as once more be decided by a margin of simply tens of 1000’s of votes. Republicans may also hope to profit politically from a regional battle earlier than the presidential election, if it contributed to a jump in oil prices and U.S. involvement in an unpopular battle.
And Republicans acknowledge that largely unconditional navy assist emboldens Netanyahu to exacerbate the suffering in Gaza, continue to strike neighboring countries and yet again reject the U.S. framework for a everlasting cease-fire.
But it surely’s not too late for Biden, within the closing months of his time period, to behave boldly. Free of some political concerns as a result of he’s not working for reelection, he might use the required political capital to lastly stress Netanyahu into accepting a everlasting cease-fire deal. If Biden acts swiftly and decisively, he might protect his legacy as a statesman by ending the months of cruelty in Gaza, calming regional tensions and defending the opportunity of a two-state answer.
He would additionally, by the way, place Harris to win the November election. A majority of U.S. voters support conditioning navy assist on Israel accepting a cease-fire deal, and swing-state voters say they might be extra prone to assist Harris if a everlasting cease-fire had been achieved. With an election that would simply be decided by a razor-thin margin, regaining Democratic voters disaffected by Gaza coverage might show decisive to Harris’ victory. By resolving this main and ongoing political legal responsibility, Biden would additionally make room for Harris to credibly defend and broaden on his home achievements in 2025.
Biden himself suggested Netanyahu is avoiding a everlasting cease-fire for his personal political self-preservation. Which means solely U.S. leverage can compel a simply consequence for Gaza and the families of Israeli hostages. As Israeli Protection Minister Yoav Gallant admitted in October, “We aren’t in a spot the place we are able to refuse” American calls for. “We depend on them for planes and navy gear. What are we alleged to do? Inform them no?”
All Biden has to do is implement — or just threaten to implement — present U.S. legislation. As 88 Home Democrats noted in May, Part 620I of the Overseas Help Act prohibits safety help or arms gross sales to any nation that restricts U.S. humanitarian help. Part 502B of the identical legislation prohibits safety assist to any authorities engaged in a constant sample of gross human rights violations. And weapons restrictions in Biden’s personal national security memoranda and conventional arms transfer policy present further instruments of leverage wanted to safe a everlasting cease-fire. Biden already has the authority to situation or reduce off offensive navy assist to Israel — if Netanyahu refuses to just accept a everlasting cease-fire.
Biden can draw on his personal expertise staring down Netanyahu in 2021. After many telephone calls over Israel’s prior assault on Gaza, Biden merely mentioned: “Hey, man, we’re out of runway right here. It’s over.” Writer Franklin Foer noted: “After which, like that, it was. By the point the decision ended, Netanyahu reluctantly agreed to a cease-fire that the Egyptians would dealer.”
Biden ought to draw on historical past to keep away from the pitfalls of the previous: Anti-war protests occurred all through this yr’s Democratic Nationwide Conference in Chicago, an echo of opposition to the Vietnam Struggle in 1968. A Republican presidential nominee who, like Richard Nixon, disdains the rule of law hopes to take energy. By performing now, Biden can finish a humanitarian catastrophe, stop a return of the authoritarian far proper within the U.S. and guarantee his righteous legacy in historical past.
Mark Ruffalo is an actor and advocate for social justice.
