U.S. Foreign Policy Under Biden |
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President Joe Biden took office with an ambitious foreign policy agenda summed up by his favorite campaign tagline: “America is back.” Biden may find it difficult to fully restore a pre-Trump status quo, and in any case he may be aiming to set his own, new vision for U.S. foreign policy rather than simply returning to the status quo ante. But defining that vision may initially take a back seat to addressing critical challenges that require immediate attention. Learn more when you subscribe to World Politics Review (WPR) |
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President Joe Biden took office with an ambitious foreign policy agenda summed up by his favorite campaign tagline: “America is back.” Above all, that will mean repairing the damage done to America’s global standing by his predecessor, former President Donald Trump. During his four years in office, Trump strained ties with America’s allies in Europe and Asia, raised tensions with adversaries like Iran and Venezuela, and engaged in a trade war with China that left bilateral relations in their worst state in decades.
Biden’s agenda is rooted in a repudiation of Trump’s “America First” legacy and the restoration of the multilateral order, reflected in his early moves to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords and the World Health Organization. The COVID-19 pandemic offers Biden a unique opportunity to reassert America’s global leadership role and begin repairing ties that began to fray under Trump. He is also attempting to sell greater international engagement to Americans with his vision of a “foreign policy for the middle class,” which ties U.S. diplomacy to peace, security and prosperity at home. |
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 | | President Joe Biden delivers a speech on foreign policy at the State Department, in Washington, Feb. 4, 2021 (AP photo by Evan Vucci). |
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Despite the multi-front effort, Biden may find it difficult to fully restore a pre-Trump status quo. Countries may no longer be willing to follow the U.S. lead on democracy promotion after the erosion of America’s democratic norms during the Trump era. And Europe, in particular, has recalibrated its relationship with the United States and may no longer be willing to align with America’s approach, particularly the hardening of relations with China and Russia.
It’s not certain that Biden is determined to return to status quo ante, in any case. He will have early opportunities to set his own agenda, particularly when it comes to America’s ongoing military engagements. Having opposed a troop surge in Afghanistan when he was Barack Obama’s vice president, Biden will face an early decision about whether to move forward with a planned troop drawdown there later this year.
But defining his own broader foreign policy vision may initially take a back seat to addressing critical challenges that require immediate attention. That includes engaging with both North Korea and Iran over their nuclear programs, and addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.
WPR has covered U.S. foreign policy in detail and continues to examine key questions about will happen next. Will Biden maintain a tough approach on China, and at what cost? Will his administration be able to resurrect the nuclear deal with Iran? Will U.S. foreign policy under Biden shift its geographic focus from the Middle East to the likely centers of global challenges and opportunities in Asia and Africa? Below are some of the highlights of WPR’s coverage. |
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Latest CoverageA mooted American proposal to compete with China’s Belt and Road Initiative is very belated, and still presumably embryonic. For too long, neither the U.S. nor its richest allies have proposed anything of substance to compete with China over the basic infrastructure so vitally needed by much of the world.
Bilateral and Regional Policy
Following the erratic and inconsistent foreign policy of the Trump administration, Biden is in a position to make some meaningful shifts in bilateral relations with a range of partners. But the new administration will face some familiar limits. Though Biden condemned the Saudi regime on the campaign trail, he decided he could not bear the diplomatic cost of penalizing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite evidence that he directly approved the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Alliances and Partnerships
One of Biden’s first tasks was to begin rebuilding trans-Atlantic relations, but there is now an element of uncertainty that hangs over the partnership amid a divergence in geopolitical ambitions. Repairing relations with America’s Asian allies—and building new partnerships like the so-called Quad—should come more easily. |
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Strategic Competition and RivalsIn his first foreign policy address, Biden declared that China is America’s “most serious competitor” and vowed to confront Beijing on a range of issues, from human rights to intellectual property. His response to China’s ongoing crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and politicians in Hong Kong will be an early indicator of the line he will set with Beijing. In grappling with both China and Russia, Biden’s commitment to democracy promotion is certain to bump up against the need for practical cooperation to address several shared global challenges.
Diplomacy and Multilateralism
Biden has pledged to pursue a foreign policy rooted in a renewed commitment to values such as democracy, human rights, the rule of law and international cooperation. At the same time, he has recognized how intertwined U.S. foreign policy is with domestic growth. While he has disavowed Trump’s “America First” approach, Biden’s promise to rebuild at home may ultimately guide his multilateral engagements.
Trade and Aid Policy
With his “foreign policy for the middle class,” Biden has promised to focus on how to reorient foreign policy to address middle-class economic concerns. When it comes to trade, that will mean making sure U.S. policy contributes to domestic economic renewal. How to manage that without resorting to Trump’s unilateral protectionist measures will be one challenge ahead. |
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