Staff Reports
Viktor Bout, the notorious arms dealer dubbed the “Merchant of Death,” has reportedly decided that his short-lived retirement from arms dealing is over. Just two years after being swapped for WNBA star Brittney Griner in a controversial prisoner exchange orchestrated by President Joe Biden, it appears Bout is back in business, trading small arms with Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi militants. The irony of trading a high-profile basketball player for a man who once made a career out of fueling wars seems lost on the Biden administration.
In 2022, Biden’s decision to release a man who had orchestrated illegal arms trades was met with widespread criticism from conservatives who feared the repercussions of free. After all, Bout’s history suggested that trading him for Griner might embolden not just Russia, but potentially encourage America’s adversaries to adopt similar hostage tactics. Skeptics questioned whether Bout truly posed no risk, and now, the situation seems to confirm those concerns as he resumes his old profession.
WAR: The Biden-Harris regime released the infamous Merchant of Death so Brittney Griner could come home and play in the WNBA. In return Viktor Anatolyevich Bout, was able to resume his role as Russia’s most prolific arms dealer. He’s now arming the Houthi Terrori Group in Yemen.… pic.twitter.com/AXbJ2QwCzA
— @amuse (@amuse) October 7, 2024
Samuel Ramani, a so-called expert from the Royal United Services Institute, had warned at the time that Bout’s character could easily allow him to jump back into the arms trade, perhaps even working with terrorist organizations. While the Biden administration assured the American public that Bout was no longer a threat, it seems that was more wishful thinking than a reality grounded in the facts. With reports surfacing of Bout negotiating a $10 million arms deal with Houthi militants, it’s hard not to feel a sense of déjà vu—Bout was after all nicknamed for his deadly expertise in arms trading.
John Hardie from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies raised another ominous point when he discussed the dangers of encouraging Russia or other hostile governments to take Americans hostage—a risk he warned could escalate significantly after the Biden administration’s bold move. It’s almost as if they’re rolling the dice on American lives in hopes of winning a geopolitical poker game, and the stakes keep rising.
As Bout slips back into his old routines, the Biden administration seems handcuffed by its own questionable decisions. Although there’s no definitive proof of Bout facilitating the transfer of advanced weaponry to America’s enemies just yet, the mere existence of these negotiations sends a chilling message. The stark reality is that concessions may come at a heavy price—a notion that surely raises the eyebrows of mere mortals trying to keep their heads down in a world of escalating tensions. The headlines scream caution, even as Biden’s team remains stubbornly optimistic about their approach to foreign policy.
