Page 80 - EW March 2025

Books

Biden's three WAR of Israel’s wars against
Woodward’s account
wars Bob Woodward Hamas, the Palestinians,

SIMON & SCHUSTER Lebanon and Iran is equal-
Rs.623 ly racy, describing CIA Di-
OB WOODWARD rector Burns and Secretary
of Watergate fame Pages 448 of State Blinken’s multiple
Bhas written an il- visits to West Asia, and
luminating account of the Biden’s conversations with
Biden Presidency’s han- Prime Minister Netanyahu
dling of wars in Ukraine, the first draft of history; The author uses in considerable detail, as-
Israel and Palestine, the raw material that will direct quotations and cribing to them the success
interspersed with Trump’s be relied upon when con- spare narrative with of having prevented the
attacks on that Presidency. temporary history comes minimal context and outbreak of a greater war
As in other recent works to be written by future analysis to produce a in the region. Indeed, War
in his oeuvre, Woodward historians. highly readable page- leaves you wondering how
uses direct quotations The scar of the botched turner that almost much of the supposed US
and a spare narrative with withdrawal from Afghani- reads like a thriller support for humanitarian
minimal context and anal- stan weighed heavily on relief to Gaza and shuttle
ysis to produce a highly the choices Biden and diplomacy was mere win-
readable page-turner that his team made in their June 2024) in arms to dow dressing.
almost reads like a thriller, Ukraine policy, creating, Ukraine, the US managed At least two actions un-
even though we are aware at the outset, a determina- to consolidate the West, der Biden suggest a much
from newspaper headlines tion not to put US troops degrade Russian military greater US complicity and
as to where the story leads. on the ground in Ukraine. and economic strength, involvement in Israel’s
Writing on high level On the decision in 2021 to isolate Russia, drive Rus- actions. This is the first
decision-making while go public with intelligence sia into Chinese arms, and of Israel’s wars in which
history is being made is suggesting that Russia demonstrate the limits of the US military is on the
never easy. Woodward was preparing to invade China’s power and influ- ground in Israel defending
has mastered the art of Ukraine, one wonders ence while driving a wedge her. In addition, the US
getting principals, includ- whether it did not amount between China and Eu- organised a coordinated
ing Trump in the past, to to a psychological dare rope. Of course, it remains multinational military
speak of what they knew that Putin could not resist? to be seen whether these coalition consisting of the
and why they did what The book also traces are gains, and how long US, UK, Jordan and Saudi
they did in near real time. Trump’s shifting position they will endure, especially Arabia which defended
This book is thus fasci- on assistance to Ukraine, with Trump coming to Israel against Iranian mis-
nating in what it reveals of which seemed to be power in the US. sile attacks in April 2024.
the working of the Biden determined solely by his On the debit side is Secondly, the US has
Presidency on foreign and calculation of whether it alienation of the Global acquiesced, we do not
security policy. War is a helped his candidacy for South from the West, know with what fore-
blow-by-blow account of President or not. As US particularly when the US knowledge, in the Israeli
the Biden administration’s public opinion shifted attitude to the Russian assassination of leaders of
response to the Ukraine from overwhelming sup- occupation of parts of Iran-supported terrorist
and Palestine crises. port for arming Ukraine Ukraine contrasted with organisations like Hamas
This method of collect- to a more mixed picture, US support for the Israeli and Hezbollah, and in the
ing material and telling Trump’s position also occupation of Palestine. wholesale slaughter of
the story, and his reli- evolved. The world now The broader point that Palestinian civilians on a
ance solely on American awaits how he plans to Woodward exposes is scale unseen since WW
sources mean that the US bring peace to Ukraine as however true, that war is II. That Israel could take
comes out looking good. he promised repeatedly primarily political, not just out Iranian air defences
War is unmatched as an during the campaign. about winning or losing around Isfahan, thereby
account from a US view- Woodward makes the the ground war. The poli- making significant Iranian
point. This is reportage of best case possible for tics so far has, on balance, nuclear assets vulnerable,
very high quality, not quite Biden’s Ukraine policy. worked, cheaply, for the without US help seems
contemporary history, but For US $51 billion (as of West. improbable.

80 EDUCATIONWORLD MARCH 2025