On Biden’s press conference and the escalating global war

The media commentary on Biden’s press conference yesterday is devoted almost entirely to Biden’s level of mental acuity, the number of “gaffes” he made, and the like. However, what was most significant about the press conference—and the NATO summit that came before—is the massive escalation of the war against Russia, which has the most far-reaching consequences for the entire world.

The NATO summit was a conspiracy of warmongers, dripping in blood from their responsibility for the genocide in Gaza. They agreed to establish a new command, located in Germany, to direct the war in Ukraine. NATO will also begin stationing officers in Ukraine itself, which could be targeted by Russian attacks. The US and Germany also agreed to deploy inside Germany missiles aimed at Russia. The deployment of these missiles would have violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, from which the US withdrew in 1999.

There is growing talk of the deployment of NATO troops into the conflict, as well as the possibility that NATO will have to invoke “Article 5” of its treaty, triggering an all-out war with Russia. The NATO communique also, for the first time, explicitly denounced China for assisting Russia.

During Biden’s press conference, there were many questions about the evident decline of the president’s mental state. But there were no serious questions about the direction of American foreign policy. No one asked Biden precisely how many millions or billions of lives he was prepared to sacrifice in the war against Russia.

In the New York Times, Washington Post, and other publications aligned with the Democratic Party, the line is that Biden demonstrated a “mastery of foreign policy” in his comments—that is, he expressed the determination of the ruling class to wage war all over the world in defense of its interests. 

What is most striking in the discussions over Biden’s fate as the candidate of the Democratic Party in the 2024 elections is the absence of any actual policy differences. All factions support the massive escalation of imperialist war, which threatens catastrophe for all mankind.

Particular note should be made of the position of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the Democratic Socialists of America, who have taken the most aggressive position in defense of Biden. Whatever their insincere and hypocritical criticisms of the genocide in Gaza, the DSA is fully behind the policy of American imperialism. It is nothing more than a faction of the Democratic Party. 

The whole electoral process is dominated by the principle of oligarchy. All decisions, including on Biden’s personal fate, are made by a handful of billionaire donors, along with the figures who dominate the military-intelligence-state apparatus. The interests of the vast majority of the population, the working class, are entirely excluded. 

Within this political situation, the essential task for the working class is to articulate its independent interests, in opposition to the Democrats and the Republicans and the entire capitalist system.

The Socialist Equality Party and our election campaign insist that the fight against war and the defense of the most basic democratic rights require the expropriation of the capitalist oligarchs, an end to the dictatorship of the corporate and financial elite, the establishment of a workers state, in the US and internationally, and the socialist reorganization of social and economic life.

The SEP is co-sponsoring a rally and meeting on July 24 in Washington D.C., on the occasion of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of the Congress. The purpose of this rally will be to set forward the political orientation and strategy for a mass movement against the Gaza genocide and US imperialism.

I urge all workers and youth to make plans to attend by visiting wsws.org/july24.