On Monday, President Biden began his last week in office with a vigorous defense of his foreign policy, claiming that America had become stronger under his leadership.
Seven days remain before he turns over the White House to President-elect Donald J. Trump, and Mr. Biden wants to make the most of his remaining time by establishing his legacy as a transformative leader who strengthened the United States both domestically and internationally during his one term in office.
The endeavor started with a speech at the State Department that highlighted his perceived accomplishments in the global arena. He claimed to have improved U.S. ties in the Asia-Pacific region with China’s ascent and in Europe against Russian aggression. However, he said that all of America’s enemies, especially China, Iran, and Russia, were less powerful than they were when he took office.
Mr. Biden declared, “The United States is winning the worldwide competition.” “America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, and our rivals and adversaries are weaker than they were four years ago.”
This week’s first address focused on making the strongest argument for Mr. Biden’s administration as it draws to a close. Like previous presidents, he will give a more comprehensive goodbye speech to the country on television at prime time on Wednesday night. This week, he will also speak at a goodbye ceremony for the commander in chief at Joint Base Myers-Henderson Hall and on his conservation record.
Regarding foreign policy, Mr. Biden has led a turbulent period, and Mr. Trump accused him of being responsible for the battles in Gaza and Ukraine, despite the fact that neither country has any American forces stationed there.
“Biden’s foreign policy failures are partly to blame for the fact that he is returning the presidency to his predecessor,” said Peter Rough, a former George W. Bush assistant and director of the Hudson Institute’s Center on Europe and Eurasia.
Mr. Rough said, “Biden has been on the defensive for the majority of his time in office, first in Ukraine and then in Gaza.” “Despite having good intentions, the president’s liberal internationalism from the 1990s never seemed to fit in with the power politics of the 2020s.”
However, a recent Gallup survey published on Monday revealed that under Mr. Biden, America’s reputation in Europe has significantly improved. Since 2020—Trump’s last year in office—approval of U.S. leadership has increased in all but four of the 30 NATO countries polled. In 20 of the 30 countries, approval ratings increased by double digits. For example, in Germany, support for American leadership increased from 6% under Mr. Trump to 52% under Biden.
By removing American forces from Afghanistan and saving the country from the longest conflict in its history, Mr. Biden ultimately achieved what his two predecessors had hoped but failed to do. However, the disorganized departure caused significant harm to his and the nation’s international reputation.
In addition to reviving NATO after relations soured under Mr. Trump and even admitting two new members, Sweden and Finland, Mr. Biden mobilized a large portion of the globe to oppose Russia’s full-scale, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. He oversaw the delivery of tens of billions of dollars’ worth of American weapons to Ukraine, which prevented Moscow from occupying the nation.
However, Mr. Biden faced criticism from two separate angles: some said he was too hesitant to provide Ukraine more potent weaponry out of concern that the conflict might escalate with a nuclear superpower, while others said he was spending too much American money on someone else’s fight.
The other major problem of Mr. Biden’s administration was the war in Gaza, which broke out after the terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023. He supported Israel wholeheartedly and supplied weaponry for its full-scale attack on Hamas, but he finally became irritated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for rejecting American demands to take more action to reduce civilian deaths and alleviate humanitarian suffering.
Mr. Biden was criticized from all sides, much like Ukraine. He was referred to as “Genocide Joe” during demonstrations and accused of not doing enough to prevent the deaths of people. He received criticism for pressuring Israel to exercise self-control in the face of an existential danger from terrorists.
However, even in his last days, Mr. Biden is still working hard to reach a shaky cease-fire deal that would put an end to the fighting and free Israeli detainees in Gaza, including those who are U.S. citizens. When Mr. Trump becomes office on Monday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken stated on Monday that a deal may still be reached.
“We have never been closer,” he said to MSNBC. The ball is in Hamas’s court, but it’s a close race, and we’re really hoping that, after all this time, we can cross the finish line. Lucy-and-the-football situations, in which the ball is yanked away at the last second, have happened to us before.
