Thursday unfolded in a spectacle of spin at the White House where President Joe Biden pronounced it ‘a remarkable afternoon’ as he unveiled the release of Paul Whelan, a former Marine from Novi, and other detainees held captive by Russia. These prisoners were liberated through a tangled exchange operation, involving numerous countries and the release of eight Russians confined in prisons of the West, in exchange for 16 detainees held by Russia.
This swapping scenario incorporated three American citizens: Whelan, along with journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, aside Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian journalist with permanent U.S. residence. Despite the celebratory tone, what must not be ignored is the fact that it took a convoluted prisoner exchange to free these innocent Americans, a situation that could have been averted with stronger, clear-cut policies in the first place.
This supposed victory was somewhat clouded later in the day when National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan revealed Biden’s own involvement in the delicate diplomatic maneuvers that spanned over numerous months. It seems Biden even enlisted the help of the Slovenian prime minister to finalize the transfer arrangements, a move made just before his surprising decision to renounce his candidacy as the Democratic nominee for re-election.
Praising Biden’s display of diplomacy, Sullivan somewhat pompously referred to it as ‘vintage Joe Biden’. This only raises questions around why such a ‘savvy’ statesman could not prevent the abductions from happening in the first place, preventing the need for such a strained, complex exchange. Sullivan hailed this as one of the most monumental and definitely the most convoluted swap in our timeline.
The plan, as Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris outlined it, was to welcome Whelan, Gershkovich, and Kurmasheva upon their aircraft’s landing at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington. Kara-Murza, however, had a different destination in Europe. Yet one cannot help but wonder, why did it require such a lengthy and complex procedure to rescue these Americans from their unwarranted captures?
Whelan had spent over five long years in the shackles of Russian authority on charges of espionage which both his family and U.S. government refused to acknowledge as anything more than a contrived fabrication. If Biden and his administration had taken a strong stance against such baseless accusations from the outset, perhaps Whelan’s freedom could have been secured much sooner.
Biden, amidst family members including Elizabeth Whelan, Paul’s sister and a vocal crusader for his cause, hopped on a post-swap call to talk to the now-released prisoners from the Oval Office as they were set to embark on their journey back to American soil. Biden offered them a hollow ‘welcome almost-home’, mocking the ordeal they had to go through before finally seeing the light of freedom.
Embellishing this already staged spectacle, Biden at one point took it upon himself to take Elizabeth Whelan’s hand, proclaiming profusely about the persistence of hope. One wonders why the same undying hope was not reflected in an earlier, more forceful response to these baseless detentions, saving these citizens the ordeal they had to endure.
In a surreal display of out-of-touch celebration, Biden even had the press corps sing ‘Happy Birthday’ for Kurmasheva’s daughter, Miriam, who was set to turn 13 the next day. Amid all trite attempts to lighten the mood, the question lingers: Isn’t there something fundamentally wrong with a system that allows Americans to be unlawfully detained on false charges in foreign countries?
Regarding Whelan, who’d been arrested in December 2018, Biden claimed that the groundwork for his and other detainee’s cases was laid even before he assumed his presidential role in January 2021. He also cheekily questioned why Trump wasn’t able to spring those prisoners free during his tenure. It seems banter trumps taking responsibility.
Futilely trying to shed the blame, Biden ridiculed the former administration, implying inadequacies in its handling of detainee situations. He described all the detainees as victims of ‘show trials’ and accused Russia of unjustly sentencing them to ‘long prison terms’. If Biden had administered stern intervention at the onset, perhaps such an undesirable fate could’ve been avoided.
In thanking Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey for their roles in the negotiations, Biden took another jab at Trump, who has been known to criticize European allies. Working with allies is evidently beneficial, but under Biden’s leadership, one must question whether these alliances are being utilized to their full potential or just being used as tools to facilitate complicated prisoner exchanges.
The press conference proceeded with the National Security Adviser, Sullivan, lending more insight into the somewhat convoluted backstory. Sullivan elaborated on how Biden routinely called upon a team of negotiators to strategize the liberation of Whelan and others but failed to place this achievement on anybody’s shoulders. His narrative suggested an ‘organic process’ that was more fortunate happenstance than well-executed strategy.
Sullivan highlighted Biden’s role once more, citing his connections with foreign leaders and diplomatic experience as a senator and vice president as decisive factors. Yet, this leads one to wonder, why did it take so much time and effort to bring these Americans home? On the surface, it seems a clear reflection of complex bureaucracy over immediate action. Sullivan lamented, ‘Without Joe Biden in the Oval Office, I don’t believe this could have happened’. Indeed, it needn’t have been so convoluted to start with.
In conclusion, while the release of American citizens from foreign detention should always be celebrated, this situation also exposes the impotence and inefficiency of the current administration. It underscores the necessity for more direct, reliable strategies to prevent such situations from arising in the first place, rather than riding on the waves of ‘vintage’ diplomacy, leaving American citizens in dire straits.