RUSSIAN AND CHINESE SHOWS OF FORCE CONFRONT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: Russia and China are conducting multiple probing operations intended to test President Biden’s administration and, frankly, Slow Joe himself.

Without strong leadership by democratic nations, primarily from the powerful U.S., our weaknesses, especially our self-inflicted weaknesses, could quickly become debilitating wounds the authoritarians will leverage, to our great loss.

Credit French President Emmanuel Macron with recognizing that, at least regarding Russia. He told CBS News the democracies must continue discussions with Russia but “define clear red lines” with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime. He added, “sanctions are not sufficient in themselves, but … are part of the package.”

Macron criticized “a failure of our collective credibility” to respond effectively to Russia’s 2014 Ukraine invasion. The “international community” also failed to enforce the Obama-Biden administration’s now-infamous August 2012 “red line” forbidding use of chemical weapons by Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad. During the interview, he made this strong statement: “We will never accept new military operations on Ukrainian soil.”

Bravo. But Macron knows that making that stick in the Kremlin craw requires U.S. diplomatic, economic and military power.

It’s my latest Creators Syndicate column.