The real cost of policy failures; why leadership matters

By Meaghan Mobbs 
Real Clear Wire

The U.S. government’s primary responsibility is to safeguard its citizens. Yet, under the Biden-Harris administration, America has found itself less secure. From the largest attack on a European nation in 85 years to the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, our enemies are emboldened while our allies question America’s resolve. History has been made in the number of full and partial U.S. Embassy evacuations. The world is facing the highest number of conflicts since World War II as the United States dithers. The truth is simple: when America hesitates, global disorder follows.

During the last four years, we’ve witnessed strategic missteps that have eroded America’s deterrent power and invited aggression. Under the current administration, rogue states and non-state actors alike have taken advantage of the vacuum left by an America that no longer projects strength. It's crucial to understand that these conditions weren't simply imposed on us. Instead, reckless policies of appeasement emboldened our enemies, giving them the power and confidence to act. Unfortunately, this failed diplomatic strategy, which involves making concessions to aggressive powers to avoid potential conflict, has, in fact, led to more conflict.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a glaring example. A war that has entered its third year was presaged by a lengthy series of policy decisions by the administration that strengthened Vladimir Putin’s position and demonstrated a provocative unwillingness to defend Ukraine. The end result of these policy choices was Putin’s belief that the U.S. response would be incoherent. He was right. The slow roll of military aid and the lack of a strategic plan have dragged out the conflict, costing lives and escalating economic burdens. At every turn, the administration’s hesitance has signaled weakness.

This failure in deterrence goes beyond Eastern Europe. In Afghanistan, the administration’s chaotic withdrawal left behind $7 billion in military equipment—now paraded by the Taliban. To date, no one has been held accountable for the withdrawal failure that prioritized politics over on-the-ground realities. The same leadership team, which mishandled that withdrawal, advised Ukraine on a counteroffensive that was equally mismanaged. Biden’s foreign policy mistakes have proven catastrophic not just for America, but for the global order.

The fallout from these decisions extends far beyond failed military strategies. The administration’s weakness and indecision have a human cost—one borne disproportionately by women and girls in conflict zones. From Afghanistan to Sudan, the collapse of American deterrence has led to increased violence, exploitation, and systemic abuse. In Afghanistan, young women have lost all hope, subjected to violence and repression under the Taliban’s rule. Since the U.S. withdrawal, hundreds of cases of femicide have been reported, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

When leadership falters, when there is no accountability, the most vulnerable pay the highest price. The U.N. reported a 50% increase in conflict-related sexual violence from 2022 to 2023. This violence isn’t just a humanitarian crisis—it’s a failure of American leadership. Our foreign policy failures have given extremist groups the space to grow, using sexual violence as a weapon of power and control, leaving women and girls trapped in cycles of trauma and exploitation.

History teaches us that appeasement does not prevent conflict—it invites it. From Afghanistan to Ukraine to the Middle East, America’s retreat from its role as a global leader has left a void that hostile actors are all too eager to fill. It is time for Washington to recognize that strength, not conciliation, preserves peace.

We must re-establish America’s deterrence posture by restoring accountability and demonstrating our willingness to act decisively when our interests and values are threatened. If not, the next crisis will be even more costly. And once again, it will be the most vulnerable—especially women and girls—who bear the brunt of these policy failures.

Accountability, at its core, is about preventing failures from repeating themselves. But as we have yet to see any significant consequences for the disastrous decisions made by the Biden-Harris administration, it is unsurprising that less than a quarter of the American people trust the government in Washington to do what is right. The lack of accountability creates a dangerous precedent; when no one is held to account, institutions are weakened, trust is eroded, and crises deepen. 

As the world’s most powerful democracy, the U.S. cannot afford to continue on its current path of weakness. We owe it to ourselves—and to those around the world who still look to America for leadership—to act with strength and resolve. If we fail to do so, the consequences will be dire, and history will not judge us kindly.

Meaghan Mobbs is the director of the Center for American Safety and Security at Independent Women’s Forum (iwf.org/CASS).