Jackson Jambalaya

The fat lady can’t sing soon enough. It ain’t over ’til it's over! Regardless of the results of the presidential election, Joe Biden is still president and will continue to operate as president until Donald Trump recites his oath of office Monday, January 20, 2025.

In related news rebels and the Syrian army announced they had overthrown the government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in spite of prior Russian and Iranian support of Assad’s regime. Russian state media confirms Assad is in Moscow and will be given asylum there.

The New York Times reported “President Biden hailed the fall of President Bashar al-Assad as a ‘fundamental act of justice’ but warned of ‘a moment of risk and uncertainty.’” According to the Pentagon about 900 U.S. troops are still deployed in Syria.

Saturday on X (formerly Twitter) President-elect Trump wrote, “Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” Obviously, the President-elect was sending President Biden an ALL CAPS MESSAGE warning him not to do any more damage in the world.

Moscow’s war bloggers warned that Russian bases in Syria are seriously threatened by rapidly advancing insurgents. After rebel fighters overthrew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Reuters reported President Biden saying, “The United States will work with partners and stakeholders in Syria to help seize an opportunity and manage the risk.” Biden continued, “the United States will support Syria's neighbors through the period of transition and will assess the words and actions of rebel groups.”

What is it about wars that attract President Biden’s attention and actions? Does anyone remember the Afghanistan debacle? Just over seven months after taking the oath of office, President Biden rejected his predecessor’s plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and ordered his own reckless plan that resulted in the loss of 13 military personnel along with hundreds of Afghanistan allies.

With the world on fire surrounded by wars and rumors of wars President Biden has about six more weeks to complete his term. Presumably military actions are high on the list of “things to talk about” between Trump’s and Biden’s transition teams.

Let’s identify nations who qualify as stakeholders. Russia has troops and bases in Syria. Iran has funded and supported proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas as well as ISIS and al-Qaeda inside Syria. Of course that brings up Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon.

So, the transition teams along with the two principals will need to think fast and critically about relationships and scenarios as well as strategies, tactics, and definitions of success. Wow!

What roles might terrorists on the watch list play here in America in the next six weeks? How many have crossed our southern border in the past four years? How many got-aways have crossed the border, and where are they?

Surely nothing like this would happen, but haven’t hackers from Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran been attacking our infrastructure?

If our world today were an opera, who would be the leading players? How many plots and subplots would shape the grand finale? Would the theater encompass the whole world? Who would sing the climactic oratorio? We have six weeks. The fat lady can’t sing soon enough.

Daniel L. Gardner is a columnist who lives in Starkville, MS. You may contact him at PJandMe2@gmail.com.