WPR : U.S. Foreign Policy Under Biden November 23, 2022

 U.S. Foreign Policy Under Biden

November 23, 2022

President Joe Biden took office with an ambitious foreign policy agenda summed up by his favorite campaign tagline: “America is back.” Above all, that meant repairing the damage done to the United States' global standing by his predecessor. Learn more when you subscribe to WPR.

President Joe Biden took office with an ambitious U.S. foreign policy agenda summed up by his favorite campaign tagline: “America is back.” Above all, that meant 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.

In principle, Biden’s agenda is rooted in a repudiation of Trump’s “America First” legacy and the restoration of the multilateral order. That was reflected in his early moves to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords and the World Health Organization, and reestablish U.S. leadership on climate diplomacy. The COVID-19 pandemic also offered Biden an opportunity to reassert America’s global leadership role and begin repairing ties that began to fray under Trump.

President Joe Biden delivers a speech on foreign policy at the State Department, in Washington, Feb. 4, 2021 (AP photo by Evan Vucci).

But in practice, some of Biden’s priorities bear a close resemblance to Trump’s agenda. His “foreign policy for the middle class,” which ties U.S. diplomacy to peace, security and prosperity at home, has been described as a dressed-up version of Trump’s emphasis on putting U.S. interests above its global commitments. Biden also followed through on Trump’s deal to withdraw from Afghanistan without consulting or coordinating with Washington’s NATO allies—and paid a political cost for the collapse of the Afghan government and chaotic evacuation that ensued. And on other issues, like his approach to immigration and border policies, Biden has not demonstrated any urgency to make immediate changes. Similarly, he only belatedly lifted controversial tariffs on European steel and aluminum imports as well as, more recently, the most draconian of Trump’s sanctions on Cuba.

Despite the rhetorical commitment to repudiating Trump, 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. Nevertheless, as the war in Ukraine and the crisis leading up to it highlight, there is still high demand among allies, partners and other countries around the world for decisive U.S. leadership in times of crisis.

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? And will the war in Ukraine prevent Biden from shifting the geographic focus of U.S. foreign policy 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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Bilateral and Regional Policy

Following the erratic and inconsistent foreign policy of the Trump administration, Biden was in a position to make some meaningful shifts in bilateral relations with a range of partners. But his administration continues to face some familiar limits. Though Biden has pledged to make human rights and democracy central planks of his foreign policy, in practice he has often continued to put U.S. interests first.

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What’s driving the foreign policy agenda of conservative U.S. evangelicals—and why it matters, in U.S. Evangelicals Are a Foreign Policy Force to Be Reckoned With

How lingering tensions are undermining Washington’s outreach to South Africa, in Ramaphosa’s D.C. Visit Can’t Mask Tensions in U.S.-South Africa Ties

Why the recently unveiled U.S. approach to relations with Africa was a missed opportunity, in Biden’s ‘New’ Africa Strategy Is Still Thinking Inside the Box

Alliances and Partnerships

One of Biden’s first tasks was to begin rebuilding trans-Atlantic relations. While his early efforts to shore up the partnership suffered from an apparent divergence in geopolitical ambitions—particularly when it came to articulating a collective approach to China—Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has catalyzed consensus and cohesion within NATO not seen since the end of the Cold War. Meanwhile, repairing relations with America’s existing Asian allies, as well as deepening new partnerships such as the so-called Quad, have proven to be easier tasks for Biden.

Why Biden will have his hands full managing relations with Israel’s new government, in Netanyahu’s New Partners Could Spell Trouble for U.S.-Israel Ties

What’s really at stake in Washington’s deteriorating relations with Saudi Arabia, in The U.S.-Saudi Spat Is Over More Than Just Oil Prices

What’s fueling the growing divide between Washington and Riyadh, in The Gulf Between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia Is Getting Wider

Why London is a less important partner for Washington, no matter who the British prime minister is, in The U.S.-U.K. ‘Special Relationship’ Isn’t So Special Anymore

Strategic Competition and Rivals

Biden’s recent moves to choke off China’s access to high-end technology as well as his rapid and robust punitive sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine leave no room for doubt that he is willing to take a tough stance with Beijing and Moscow. But his determination to compete aggressively with U.S. rivals as well as his commitment to democracy promotion are certain to bump up against the need for practical cooperation to address shared global challenges.

How Biden and Xi are trying to improve the tone of bilateral relations, in Amid Tensions, the U.S. and China Seek to Lower the Temperature

Why U.S. military aid to Ukraine is safe even in a Republican-majority House, in U.S. Aid to Ukraine Will Survive a GOP Congress

How Biden raised the stakes in the competition with Beijing over semiconductors, in The U.S. Takes Aim at China’s Semiconductor Ambitions

Why the U.S. can’t afford to let Russia win in Ukraine, in What’s at Stake for the U.S. in Ukraine

Trade and Aid Policy

With his “foreign policy for the middle class,” Biden has promised to focus on how to reorient U.S. engagement abroad to address middle-class economic concerns back home. 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.

What’s driving renewed trade tensions between the U.S. and the EU, in The EU and U.S. Are Squaring Off Over Climate Policy’s Trade Impact

Why the U.S. dollar’s dominance is safe for now, in U.S. Dollar Hegemony Isn’t Going Anywhere

How a new U.S. initiative to help stabilize fragile states misses the mark, in The U.S. Should Practice What It Preaches on ‘Good Governance’

How the NAFTA 2.0 trade deal dispels a number of myths about the domestic politics of trade, in The USMCA Offers the U.S. a Model for Politically Acceptable Trade Deals

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.

What it will take to keep the G-20 relevant amid growing geopolitical tensions, in The West Can Still Save the G-20 From Irrelevance

How the U.S. can gain some goodwill on Security Council reform, in Biden Can Actually Score Some Quick Wins on Security Council Reform

What’s on the agenda for Biden’s first U.N. General Assembly, in A Beleaguered Biden Aims for a Reset at the U.N.

How Biden’s successful recommitment to U.N. diplomacy went off-track, in Biden’s Honeymoon at the U.N. and the Conflict That Ended It

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