And the leader has spoken
Feb. 8th, 2021 12:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nairiporterI mean, I'm not sure what kind of world leader he will turn out to be - it is too early to say. But the long-awaited program speech has outlined Biden's main goals in terms of foreign policy. This comes in continuation of the conversation that we had the other day here.
The simplest conclusion from the speech was, "America is back on the path to diplomacy". Joe Biden promised a re-start (yet another one) of foreign policy after four years of Trumpian disaster. He vowed to restore old alliances, he underlined the importance of democratic values, and all we could have expected from a Democratic president. This is essentially a complete departure from Trump's era. And while it is indeed a dramatic shift, it is anything but unexpected. Essentially, Biden has used the opportunity to re-confirm America's global leadership.
Clearly, the first and foremost priority for Biden's foreign policy will be the defense of human rights, universal democratic values, and the supremacy of law, which is what the US has been selling its model around the world with for decades. Among the other plans, halting the withdrawal of US troops from Germany, raising the limits for the number of refugees accepted to US soil, and stopping support for the Saudi war in Yemen.
Biden also called for an involvement around the world based on values, and meeting the challenge of growing authoritarianism. He believes this problem could only be tackled if the nations of the world work together, not everyone to themselves. Among the largest-scale challenges he outlined are the Covid pandemic, climate change, and the defense of human rights around the world. In a nutshell, he seems determined to end the America First doctrine, and mend the cracks that it has opened in America's relations with the rest of the world, including her allies.
He is planning to start with re-assessing the state of the US military forces, and stop the withdrawal of US troops from Germany, so that the US presence abroad could be tied to its national security priorities. He has also signaled and end of support, both military and diplomatic, to the Saudi actions in Yemen, which have led to a humanitarian catastrophe. That is not to say the US would stop supporting Saudi Arabia, though - and important nuance.
Also, after years of severe restrictions on the number of refugees arriving in the US, Biden is planning to ease the grip there. So far the limit has been 15 thousand refugees per year, the lowest level since the 80s. Now Biden is saying he would raise it to 125 thousand for the first year of his term.
As for Russia, Biden will put the emphasis on diplomacy, but he will be much harder on Moscow than Trump ever was. He has praised the extension of the US-Russian New Start agreement for limiting strategic nuclear weapons, but has criticised the arrest of Navalny, insisting on an unconditional release of the Russian dissident. All in all, he is demonstrating that the days when America used to turn a blind eye to Russia's aggressive actions are over. He vowed to hold Putin accountable on subjects such as cyber warfare, and meddling in US elections.
Of course, Biden did not omit China, either. He said the US would oppose any economic wrongdoings and aggressive actions from Beijing, and would repel any Chinese attacks on human rights, intellectual property, and global stability.
However, many have noted the absence of one important subject, Iran. Biden's silence on the topic was shocking, given how hard Trump's secretary of state, Mike Pompeo was on Iran, considering Tehran the source of all evils in the Middle East. Sure, that doesn't mean Biden does not view Iran as another urgent issue, but he may have indicated that he would not view the whole region through the prism of Iran's role in it. Besides, he will of course work for the restoration of the nuclear deal, and the first steps in that direction have actually been made already.
The simplest conclusion from the speech was, "America is back on the path to diplomacy". Joe Biden promised a re-start (yet another one) of foreign policy after four years of Trumpian disaster. He vowed to restore old alliances, he underlined the importance of democratic values, and all we could have expected from a Democratic president. This is essentially a complete departure from Trump's era. And while it is indeed a dramatic shift, it is anything but unexpected. Essentially, Biden has used the opportunity to re-confirm America's global leadership.
Clearly, the first and foremost priority for Biden's foreign policy will be the defense of human rights, universal democratic values, and the supremacy of law, which is what the US has been selling its model around the world with for decades. Among the other plans, halting the withdrawal of US troops from Germany, raising the limits for the number of refugees accepted to US soil, and stopping support for the Saudi war in Yemen.
Biden also called for an involvement around the world based on values, and meeting the challenge of growing authoritarianism. He believes this problem could only be tackled if the nations of the world work together, not everyone to themselves. Among the largest-scale challenges he outlined are the Covid pandemic, climate change, and the defense of human rights around the world. In a nutshell, he seems determined to end the America First doctrine, and mend the cracks that it has opened in America's relations with the rest of the world, including her allies.
He is planning to start with re-assessing the state of the US military forces, and stop the withdrawal of US troops from Germany, so that the US presence abroad could be tied to its national security priorities. He has also signaled and end of support, both military and diplomatic, to the Saudi actions in Yemen, which have led to a humanitarian catastrophe. That is not to say the US would stop supporting Saudi Arabia, though - and important nuance.
Also, after years of severe restrictions on the number of refugees arriving in the US, Biden is planning to ease the grip there. So far the limit has been 15 thousand refugees per year, the lowest level since the 80s. Now Biden is saying he would raise it to 125 thousand for the first year of his term.
As for Russia, Biden will put the emphasis on diplomacy, but he will be much harder on Moscow than Trump ever was. He has praised the extension of the US-Russian New Start agreement for limiting strategic nuclear weapons, but has criticised the arrest of Navalny, insisting on an unconditional release of the Russian dissident. All in all, he is demonstrating that the days when America used to turn a blind eye to Russia's aggressive actions are over. He vowed to hold Putin accountable on subjects such as cyber warfare, and meddling in US elections.
Of course, Biden did not omit China, either. He said the US would oppose any economic wrongdoings and aggressive actions from Beijing, and would repel any Chinese attacks on human rights, intellectual property, and global stability.
However, many have noted the absence of one important subject, Iran. Biden's silence on the topic was shocking, given how hard Trump's secretary of state, Mike Pompeo was on Iran, considering Tehran the source of all evils in the Middle East. Sure, that doesn't mean Biden does not view Iran as another urgent issue, but he may have indicated that he would not view the whole region through the prism of Iran's role in it. Besides, he will of course work for the restoration of the nuclear deal, and the first steps in that direction have actually been made already.
