1985-1989: The Wavering Interventionist
1985: U.S. Support for UNITA Rebels in Angola
Joe Biden opposed U.S. support for Angola’s right-wing UNITA rebels, whose chief lobbyist in Washington, D.C., was Paul Manafort.
Jeremy Scahill
Jeremy Scahill is co-founder of Drop Site News. He was previously a Senior Correspondent and Editor-at-Large at The Intercept and is one of the three founding editors of The Intercept. He is an investigative reporter, war correspondent, and author of the international best-selling books “Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield” and “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.” He has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Nigeria, the former Yugoslavia, and elsewhere across the globe. Scahill has served as the national security correspondent for The Nation and “Democracy Now!”. He continues to host the podcast Intercepted.
Scahill’s work has sparked several congressional investigations and won some of journalism’s highest honors. He was twice awarded the prestigious George Polk Award, in 1998 for foreign reporting and in 2008 for “Blackwater.” Scahill is a producer and writer of the award-winning film “Dirty Wars,” which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Follow Jeremy on Mastodon at @jeremyscahill@journa.host. He can be reached at jeremy@dropsitenews.com.
Scahill’s work has sparked several congressional investigations and won some of journalism’s highest honors. He was twice awarded the prestigious George Polk Award, in 1998 for foreign reporting and in 2008 for “Blackwater.” Scahill is a producer and writer of the award-winning film “Dirty Wars,” which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Follow Jeremy on Mastodon at @jeremyscahill@journa.host. He can be reached at jeremy@dropsitenews.com.
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1981-1984: Placing Conditions on Empire
1984: CIA War Against Whistleblowers
Joe Biden did not want journalists to go to jail for printing classified information, but he supported the CIA’s efforts to crush whistleblowers and leakers.
1981-1984: Placing Conditions on Empire
1980s: U.S. Support for Contra Death Squads in Nicaragua
Joe Biden was against the Contra death squads and opposed CIA involvement in Nicaragua, but he flirted with supporting Reagan’s war.
1981-1984: Placing Conditions on Empire
1980s: U.S. Support for Military Dictatorship in El Salvador
Joe Biden was an opponent of unqualified U.S. support for El Salvador’s military junta, but he sought compromises to ensure that funding was approved with restrictions.
1981-1984: Placing Conditions on Empire
1983-84: U.S. Withdrawal From Lebanon
Shortly after the U.S. military was sent into Lebanon’s civil war, hundreds of Americans were killed in a suicide bombing. After taking conflicting positions, Joe Biden wanted the U.S. to get out.
1981-1984: Placing Conditions on Empire
1983: Invasion of Grenada
Joe Biden supported the deadly U.S. invasion of the tiny Caribbean island based on dubious intelligence and helped the CIA win backing from other senators.
1981-1984: Placing Conditions on Empire
1982: Israeli Invasion of Lebanon
In public, Joe Biden tried to claim neutrality on the Israeli military campaign. In private, he was more enthusiastic about it than the Israeli prime minister.
1981-1984: Placing Conditions on Empire
1979-1989: Response to the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
Joe Biden supported funding the mujahideen to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan.
1981-1984: Placing Conditions on Empire
1981: Israeli Bombing of Suspected Iraqi Nuclear Facility
When Israel carried out a covert bombing of a suspected nuclear site in Iraq, Joe Biden supported the attack but complained that Israel didn’t inform him beforehand.
1981-1984: Placing Conditions on Empire
1981: Biden and Reagan’s CIA Director, William Casey
In public, Joe Biden railed against William Casey, President Ronald Reagan’s CIA director. Behind the scenes, the relationship was more complicated.