CIA director says US no longer 'big kid on the geopolitical block'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Apr 2023 19:53
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William Burns, CIA Director, says the US can no longer guarantee its global position and has become challenged by the rise of both China and Russia.

Central Intelligence Agency Director William J. Burns testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing to examine worldwide threats on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (AP)

CIA Director William Burns stated that the US no longer has the ability to guarantee its role as the dominant global hegemon as the country has been witnessing critical juncture change “that comes along a couple of times a century."

The CIA chief, during an address at the Baker Institute earlier this week, explained that despite the fact that Washington “still has a better hand to play than any of our rivals,” it is “no longer the only big kid on the geopolitical block and our position at the head of the table isn’t guaranteed.”

Moreover, Burns stressed that the growing relationship between Beijing and Moscow, which is set to become a “formidable challenge” for the CIA, refused to remain secondary global players. As such, the CIA chief highlighted the challenges and alleged that Beijing was “not content to only have a seat at the table; it wants to run the table,” while Russia, claimed Burns who served as the US ambassador to Moscow under George W. Bush, sought to “upend the table altogether.”

Ukraine from the CIA perspective

While Burns claimed the war in Ukraine was a "brutish aggression" by Russia, the chief also admitted that the CIA had actively provided Kiev with “good intelligence” that has “helped the Ukrainians." Additionally, the CIA chief added that the US intelligence offered to Kiev had allegedly cemented “a strong coalition in support of Ukraine.”

Significantly, and following the leak of documents whose authenticity Russia doubted, Burns announced that Kiev's spring counteroffesive, which has been anticipated by many, would include “strong material and intelligence support from the US and our allies.”

Burns also contended that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "not serious about negotiations” insisting that only the battlefield was “likely to shape prospects for diplomacy.”

Earlier on April 8, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken ruled out negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

In a statement made to the German outlet Funke Mediengruppe, Blinken said the two can only come to the negotiation table if Moscow showed readiness for "constructive negotiations". This meant that Moscow had to join the negotiations table aiming to reach a "just and lasting peace."

Otherwise, and despite the fact that the idea of a ceasefire may be "tempting", it remained unlikely, since the "lasting peace" meant that Ukraine would restore the entirety of its territorial integrity. A ceasefire, however, countered that aim, as it meant the "ratification" of Moscow's authority over the territories that joined Russia following the referendums conducted in 2022, Blinken explained.

China as a 'long-term priority'

When it came to China, the CIA chief stated that Beijing remained the CIA’s “biggest long-term priority” revealing that the CIA has so far doubled resources focusing on China. That meant, according to Burns, that the agency had hired and trained Mandarin speakers and stepped up efforts to compete with China on the global stage.

The CIA chief noted that “managing a crucial and increasingly adversarial relationship with China will be the most significant test for American policy makers for decades to come.”

Burns also explained that the risk of a US-China conflict regarding Taiwan will continue in an upward trend.