‘Woke’ Now Dictating Western Foreign Policy

An examination of why the woke activist, Griner, was swapped for a merchant of death instead of a USMC veteran jailed on trumped-up charges in Putin's Russia.

From The European Conservative

By Frank Haviland

The optics of Griner vs. Whelan are impossible to ignore, exemplifying the stark divisions in American society: patriotism vs. anti-Americanism, celebrity vs. the common man.

The release of U.S. basketball star and ‘woke’ icon, Brittney Griner, from her 10-month incarceration in Russia, was naturally met with widespread euphoria from her fans. Griner, who was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, was also welcomed home by an army of anti-American, BLM, and ‘LGBT’ activists, whose causes she both embodies and espouses, particularly her demands that the national anthem not be played during WNBA games, and her refusal to stand on court when it was. The Biden Administration celebrated the homecoming—although it was not universally applauded and for good reason.

First, many Americans think that long-term Russian prisoner, war veteran, and former marine, Paul Whelan, should have taken priority or, at the very least, have been released in tandem. While Griner served ten months of a nine-year sentence for drug-related charges she confessed to, Whelan is four years into a 16-year sentence for ‘espionage’ that both he and the U.S. government regard as a ‘sham.’ As Whelan rather drolly puts it, “Russia says it caught James Bond on a spy mission. In reality, they abducted Mr. Bean on holiday.”

Second, Biden’s administration paid an exorbitant price to secure her freedom, namely the prisoner exchange of notorious arms dealer and alleged military intelligence asset, Viktor Bout. Nicknamed the ‘Merchant of Death’ by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Bout was considered by the former chief of operations, Michael Braun, to be “one of the most dangerous men on the face of the Earth.” 

The prisoner exchange was roundly criticised by former President Trump via Truth Social, as he shed some light on the history of Whelan’s case: 

I turned down a deal with Russia for a one on one swap of the so-called Merchant of Death for Paul Whelan. I wouldn’t have made the deal for a hundred people in exchange for someone that has killed untold numbers of people with his arms deals. I would have gotten Paul out, however, just as I did with a record number of other hostages. The deal for Griner is crazy and bad. The taking wouldn’t have even happened during my Administration, but if it did, I would have gotten her out, fast!

The case for Paul Whelan is strong. As well as a patriot and, ironically, a Russophile, Whelan believes he is the victim of an elaborate set up. Unfortunately for Whelan, the case against him from the Russian perspective (whether innocent or guilty) is also strong. The charge of espionage indicates that Russia is seeking to extract significant leverage from his potential release. Seeing as Viktor Bout is now free, and that the drug-smuggling pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, was released in exchange for former marine Trevor Reed in April of this year, some analysts believe the price for Mr. Whelan’s freedom may be as high as the relaxing of U.S. sanctions on Russia. Perhaps it’s just as well that Ivan the Terrible isn’t currently being held, as Biden might consider that a fair swap. 

The optics of Griner vs. Whelan are impossible to ignore, exemplifying the stark divisions in  American society: patriotism vs. anti-Americanism, celebrity vs. the common man. It is also right to compare them, since a) the U.S. government considers them both wrongfully detained, b) they were both placed with the office of its top hostage negotiator, and c) the cases are so intertwined that their families visited the White House together, and until recently it was thought that “the only deal presumably palatable to the US is one that gets bother Americans home together at the same time.” 

The Biden administration’s defence of the swap, meanwhile, is feeble in the extreme. Not only did White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, attempt to claim that Russian hard bargaining meant “unfortunately the choice came down to bringing Britney home, or no one”—as though one is forced to accept extortionate enemy ultimatums rather than rejecting them. She also all but admitted the influence of Griner’s ‘woke’ credentials: 

On a personal note Brittany is more than an athlete more than she is an important role model and inspiration to millions of Americans, particularly the LGBTQI+ Americans and women of color. She should never have been detained by Russia. And we are – I am – deeply proud of the work that the President has done, this administration has done, to get her home

For his part, Biden claimed it was “not a choice of which American to bring home.” What else was it then? “Sadly,” he said, “for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s. And while we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul’s release, we are not giving up. We will never give up.”

Even if we accept Biden’s inability to secure Whelan’s release stems from Russian spying concerns rather than a lack of ‘woke’ credentials, that argument falls apart somewhat when you consider the case of Marc Fogel. Fogel’s situation is almost identical to Griner’s (charged with drug possession: medicinal marijuana for chronic back pain), except that he is 61, has already spent a year and a half in a labour camp, and is regrettably cut from the same cloth as Whelan: white, male, and heterosexual. No wonder he was passed over. 

It’s not an issue which escaped Russian media either, whose moderators couldn’t resist mocking U.S. priorities. According to Fox News Digital, they explained Whelan’s lack of freedom thus:

His first problem is that he is white. His second problem is that he is a man. His third problem: He is a heterosexual. This is not something that can be forgiven today. It’s just a catastrophe. Yes, here Griner beats him in every aspect.

The inescapable conclusion is that ‘woke’ is now dictating American foreign policy. How could Biden resist the subsequent photo opportunity and appeal to America’s ‘woke’ voter base that Griner would deliver? Whelan for his part will just have to put it down to a white privilege, toxic masculinity malfunction. 

The sad fact is that many in the West—like the Biden Administration—concern themselves almost exclusively with appeals to their liberal base, while their enemies deal in realpolitik. As our governments busy themselves with tanking our economies to achieve ‘net zero,’ criminalise pronouns, and attempt to make our children transgender, China and Russia are busy expanding. China is more than content to make everything we now refuse to, while Russia is happy just to cripple us with energy costs we cannot afford. 

The only advice available to you, if—like Whelan—you should get caught short abroad, is to start identifying as trans at the earliest opportunity.