1996: Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act
Jeremy Scahill
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Joe Biden was a key player in writing the precursor to the Patriot Act over the objections of civil liberties advocates.
1996-1999: The Bombing Senator
As the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Joe Biden pushed aggressive policies against Iraq, Cuba, and foreign terror threats. His skepticism about security state overreach diminished as he backed sweeping surveillance laws and the militarization of the so-called war on drugs. He also presaged the policies of the post-9/11 era as he pushed a preemptive war against Serbia and called for a military occupation.
1996: Helms-Burton Act Against Cuba
Jeremy Scahill
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As a senator, Joe Biden supported draconian sanctions against Cuba, but he changed his tune two decades later when he became vice president.
1996: Expanded U.S. Bombings in Iraq
Jeremy Scahill
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Joe Biden wanted the U.S. to wield its “big stick” in bombing Iraq to secure oil supplies.
1998: Iraq Liberation Act
Murtaza Hussain
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Five years before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Joe Biden joined with neoconservatives in making a policy of regime change the law of the land.
1998: Operation Desert Fox
Jeremy Scahill
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Joe Biden set aside his historical concerns about war powers to support Bill Clinton’s bombing of Iraq to “cripple” the country.
1998: Bombings of Sudan and Afghanistan
Jeremy Scahill
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Joe Biden applauded Bill Clinton’s bombing of a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan that was justified by relying on dubious intelligence as well as a strike in Afghanistan.
1999: NATO Bombing of Serbia and Montenegro
Jeremy Scahill
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Joe Biden was an enthusiastic proponent of the 78-day bombing of Serbia and Montenegro and wanted to send in ground troops.
1999-2000: Plan Colombia
Jeremy Scahill
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Joe Biden was a key player in militarizing the war on drugs in the U.S. and in Latin America.