President Biden, during a speech at the State Department, argued that his administration has fortified global alliances, improved the United States’ global standing, and undermined key adversaries amidst ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Sudan.
Four years ago, when Biden assumed the presidency, he sought to reassure global allies and restore foreign treaties that were abandoned during the Trump administration. He managed to strengthen relationships with the leaders of NATO countries in the face of President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and reinstated the Paris climate agreement. However, global leaders are preparing for a shift with the impending inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Biden, in his address, reported the progress his administration has made in foreign policy over the last four years. He emphasized that the post-Cold War era has come to an end, and a new era has begun. In his view, the United States is presently leading the global competition, thanks to his administration’s efforts.
Biden specifically argued that the United States’ alliances and international institutions are substantially stronger than before his presidency. He also contended that the country’s “adversaries are weaker than when we took office four years ago.” Specifically, he claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “failed” to dominate Ukraine and weaken NATO.
Biden also briefly acknowledged the soldiers who lost their lives during the tumultuous and deadly withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, while emphasizing that he is the president who ended United States’ longest war.
Biden recently told USA Today that he had helped mend relationships that had been strained during the Trump administration, attributing his long history in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with helping him “navigate some of the fundamental changes taking place, whether it’s in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, or the Far East.”
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the president will make the case that “America is winning that contest for the future.”
Despite this, Stephen Wertheim, historian and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, countered that the United States is in a worse geopolitical position than it was four years ago.
President Biden has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, investing over $183 billion in military aid since Russia’s invasion in 2021. He played a key role in getting NATO to spend more on collective defense. However, the fierce battle continues with no clear plan for a peace deal.
The most glaring foreign policy failure was the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Biden’s promise to end America’s longest war was met with the swift takeover of the Taliban, leading to a hasty evacuation and leaving many U.S. citizens and Afghan allies with a feeling of abandonment.
The Biden administration has continued the trade war initiated by Trump with China and other countries, viewing China as both an economic and security threat. The Biden administration has also worked to protect industries from reliance on China and has enhanced its military alliance with Japan.
Olivia Gazis and Ahmad Mukhtar contributed to this report.
