Liza,

Well-wishing is essential but must be accompanied by policies that change for the better.

With the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, an opportunity to lift women's status was missed. At the time, to mostly deaf ears, I argued that the small price of remaining (in a coalition with other countries) would save the livelihoods and education of Afghan women and girls and export the success to India, Africa, and other places—the rise of women being the key to world security and prosperity.

Instead, Biden was hellbent on America pulling out, leaving women and girls abandoned -- not to mention an uncertain future regarding terrorism. The shoddy Biden withdrawal pales compared to the missed opportunity for Afghan women and women globally.

Iranian women have not been supported. Biden dithered with reinstating Obama's nuclear agreement reneged on by Trump. Today, we have a dangerously inadequate U.S. policy toward Iran, leaving women (in particular) impoverished when they could be thriving. An American administration faintly on top of this could make a difference in Iranian women's lives -- apart from a more secure relationship.

Gaza is the worst of calamities. Forty thousand, mostly women and children, are now dead. Biden's Administration missed a gigantic opportunity to save these lives. I wrote, "Was Joe Biden Netanyahu's Chum or Chump?" in 2023, and it remains valid today.

Many thanks. Best.