By Elishya Perera and Kaveesha Fernando
WASHINGTON DC (CWBN) – During the past four years, President Donald Trump’s foreign policy has been a sharp reversal from the policies adopted by his predecessor Barack Obama, and observers state that President Trump’s dealings with other nations are in stark contrast to how Washington usually maintains foreign relations. Unless events affect domestic policy or politics, the Trump Administration has largely avoided military intervention.
During the Republican’s tenure as president, it has been evident that the world order designed to function through unanimity and compromise had virtually no coping mechanism for the American president’s disruption.
After four years of Donald Trump’s manic leadership, which belittled, undermined, and in some cases abandoned US allies and partners, it is believed that the Democrat offers a steady, dependable hand on the tiller.
In an article penned by Biden earlier this year, he set out a “foreign policy for the middle class”, and insisted that strengthening the US at home was a prerequisite for restoring global leadership.
The newly elected president has promised to “take immediate steps to renew US democracy and alliances, protect the United States’ economic future, and once more have America lead the world”.
COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic took center stage at this year’s Presidential Election. Trump has been severely criticised for his handling of the pandemic, as it was revealed that he willfully downplayed the severity of the virus instead of confronting it head-on.
The Democrats therefore claim that the President’s abject failure to respond forcefully and capably to the COVID-19 pandemic—his failure to lead—makes him responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans.
Having been elected president amidst a global pandemic, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans and led millions of citizens to unemployment, Biden has promised a virus-first approach that predicates economic recovery on stopping the disease.
Accordingly, if a vaccine for COVID-19 becomes available, Biden will be required to adopt a co-operative attitude rather than a transactional approach in diplomatic relations, since this will pave the way to share the vaccine easily among nations, while also facilitating the reopening of borders and restoration of trade.
On the other hand, Biden will also be required to pass a huge “recovery bill”, which would finance short-term stimulus funds to support unemployment insurance, provide grants or loans to small businesses and help state governments and other local governments to cope with the budget holes.
In order to support these spending plans, in addition to increased taxes and reform in fiscal policies, the newly elected president would also have to make necessary adjustments in trade policies. Even though he will not immediately abolish the tariffs imposed by the United States, Biden is expected to depart from Trump’s nationalist approach on world affairs, and formulate a new framework in terms of foreign policy.
While the former vice president claims that he will not enter into any new trade agreements until the United States has invested in Americans and equipped them to succeed in the global economy, he does, however, intend to take down trade barriers that penalize Americans and to resist a dangerous global slide toward protectionism, which would make provisions for a stronger economic recovery.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
As the United States became an increasingly unreliable ally internationally, many observers feared for the United States support of NATO – predicting that a second Trump term would either mean that the United States leaves the organization entirely or remained institution’s most influential leader, sowing uncertainty and chaos from within.
“He can destroy NATO with one tweet,” former Polish Defense Minister, Radosław Sikorski, stated with regard to the US influence.
NATO member nations will most likely rejoice in the news of Biden’s win because Biden himself has heavily criticized Trump’s dealings with NATO. “He has taken a battering ram to the NATO alliance,” Biden said in an article, in which he also pledged to reinstate US relations with NATO, adding that he was proud of the work he did as vice president alongside then US President Barack Obama to strengthen NATO.
Biden’s win arrives in time to prevent further damage to NATO by some of Trump’s more controversial plans for NATO during his second term, such as the decision to relocate US troops from Germany to other NATO countries such as Italy and Belgium, in what many believe was a decision to embolden Russia.
Battered US – China relations
The Trump years have redefined the US-China relationship from one of strategic competition to one of direct confrontation. Trump has imposed tit-for-tat tariff against China alleging that China unfairly benefited from global trade, and that the nation has violated copyright and intellectual property laws.
Under the Trump administration, the United States has openly campaigned to ban the Huawei 5G network as well as Chinese-made telecom gear, which uses 5G technology, based on claims espionage and cyber-attack vulnerabilities.
However, Joe Biden has promised that he would make China “play by the international rules”. The former Vice President claims that the effective way to tackle the issue is to “build a united front of U.S. allies and partners to confront China’s abusive behaviors and human rights violations, even as we seek to cooperate with Beijing on issues where our interests converge, such as climate change, nonproliferation and global health security”, Biden said in an article.
He further observed that there is no reason why the United States should be falling behind China when it comes to artificial intelligence, 5G, high-speed rail, or the race to end cancer, since he intends to invest in research and development, “so that the United States is leading the charge in innovation”.
During the Trump administration America pulled out of international deals and regional alliances, through which the nation had exercised major global influence. The United States has announced its withdrawal from the WHO and the Paris climate accord, has badmouthed the UN and sanctioned the International Criminal Court.
On the other hand, China is gleefully filling this power vacuum, assuming leadership of multiple international bodies and launching its own initiatives.
However, Biden has promised that his foreign policy will “place the United States back at the head of the table”, and will enable the nation to work with allies and partners to mobilize collective action on global threats.
Russia and the Caucasus region
Trump has faced much controversy over his dealings with Russia, as the Trump campaign’s apparent collusions were examined following his 2016 presidential election win. Special counsel Robert Mueller led the Special Counsel investigation on the alleged Russian interference in the election.
The investigation produced a 448 page report, which stated that they did not establish that the Trump campaign criminally conspired with Russia to influence the election but did, however, state that the report did not exonerate Trump.
Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation did not find sufficient evidence to establish that Trump committed obstruction of justice, or that the president’s campaign coordinated with Moscow’s efforts to influence the 2016 election.
Although Trump seemed extremely favourable towards Russia, he has done little to improve relations between the two nations. However, his ‘America First’ policy which has seen him avoid siding with nations on international conflicts and his deep distrust of western alliances has benefited Russia immensely.
It appears that Russian President Vladimir has grown tired of Trump’s chaotic policy in the region; Putin springing to defend Hunter Biden could be viewed as an indicator of this. Putin is not likely to receive much support from Biden, though. “I think the biggest threat to America right now in terms of breaking up our security and our alliances is Russia,” Biden stated in a televised interview.
Ukraine, a longstanding ally of the United States, has been supported by Trump in its war against the Russian annexation of Crimea. Interestingly, while Obama hesitated to send aid to Ukraine over fears of sparking tensions between the United States and Russia, Trump has been willing to do so on the condition that Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, investigates the former US Vice-President’s son, Hunter Biden in his business dealings with Ukraine – a move which is in line with critics assessment of Trump’s foreign policy as being chaotic and often based on self-interest rather than the interest of the country.
Trump heavily targeted Hunter Biden’s position on a Ukrainian gas company’s board of directors but both Russian President Vladirmir Putin and mainstream US media have stated that such allegations are baseless. What is true, however, is that Biden plans to make Ukraine a U.S. foreign policy priority with plans which include increasing Western direct investment and support Ukraine’s energy independence from Russia.
The Middle East
In Saudi Arabia, Trump has stood by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) even after the murder of Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Turkey, ignoring efforts by Congress to hold the Saudi government responsible for the murder.
Democrats and even several Republicans in Congress have repeatedly attempted to limit ties between the two nations, in moves which included attempts to prevent US-Saudi arms deals. Biden has categorically criticized Trump’s policy towards Saudi Arabia. “I would end U.S. support for the disastrous Saudi-led war in Yemen and order a reassessment of our relationship with Saudi Arabia,” he stated during an interview.
Trump has also supported the increasing intervention by the Saudi government against the Houthi rebels (who align with Iran) in Yemen, vetoing a Senate resolution to end US support for military efforts in the region. This support will most likely end under Biden, as he has pledged to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
Iran has enjoyed the freedom to produce enriched uranium following Trump backing out of the historic 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported that Iran has increased production of enriched uranium since 2019 and states that Iran has amassed more than 10 times the amount of enriched uranium permitted under the agreement.
Trump also re-imposed sanctions to Iran, crippling the country’s economy.
Furthermore, observers feared that Iran would retaliate against the US assassination of the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Qasem Soleimani, should Trump be re-elected. While Biden may attempt to reinstate the Iran nuclear deal as best he can, experts say that his efforts will most likely pay off.
Centrist and progressive Iranian rulers supported the deal because of the economic benefits it offered, a decision they undoubtedly regret following Trump’s appointment as US president. With a presidential election scheduled for mid-2021 in Iran, it is unlikely that the deal can be renegotiated as Iranian rulers aim to win popularity among voters with anti-US rhetoric.
Trump was successful in enacting a new version of the “Muslim ban” – an executive order which bans the arrival of travellers coming from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. In 2020, the ban was extended to include travellers from Nigeria, Eritrea, Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar.
Biden has pledged to end the ban during his first day in office after accusing Trump of sowing seeds of distrust among Muslim Americans as well as Muslims across the globe.
Indo- Pacific relations
Just a few days prior to the election, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, carried out a tour in Asia, which was called an “anti-China roadshow”, paying visits to India, the Maldives, Indonesia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka in a bid to bolster allies against Beijing in the Indo-Pacific region.
During the visit, several important agreements were signed between the United States and India, including several landmark agreements to share military information and vowed to ramp up security and strategic ties as top U.S. officials emphasized the need for enhanced cooperation to confront Chinese assertiveness in the region.
Pompeo’s Asia tour followed his visit earlier to Tokyo, in October, for a meeting between the U.S., India, Japan and Australia, a group known as ‘the Quad’ that also aims to be a counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific region.
However, critics believe that under the Biden administration, US-India relations would deal with many obstacles, while propagators insist that Biden will keep an open mind.
Even though 2020 Democratic Party Platform refers to India as “a growing Asia-Pacific power”, and states that the United States will continue to invest in our strategic partnership with India, many of the issues that have been swept under the rug, like India’s new Citizenship Amendment Act and repeal of “special status” attributed to the Jammu-Kashmir region, under Article 370, may turn out to be problematic.
Not just India – several countries with rights issues in South and Southeast Asia, such as the Philippines, could find themselves under scrutiny by the US.
Nevertheless, the Democratic campaign believes that Biden’s near four decades of experience in diplomacy will work in his favour, even if he disagrees on certain issues. “The thing about Joe Biden that makes him special is his ability to find common ground. He also has the ability to very clearly let you know – foreign leaders and other countries around the world – where the US doesn’t agree,” Moe Vela, the former Director of Administration under Obama and Senior Advisor to Biden, during his vice-presidency.
The US – Mexico border
The Republican candidate failed to fulfil the No. 1 promise of his 2016 campaign, which was to seal off the US-Mexico border with a wall paid for by Mexico.
Moreover, the Trump administration imposed a “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which resulted in thousands of children being separated from their parents, and even though many of them were reunited following a court order, just a few weeks ago it was reported that parents of more than 500 children could not be located.
In an interview with CNN in July 2019, Biden said he opposes decriminalizing crossing the border without documentation, something other candidates in the field have supported. “I think people should have to get in line but if people are coming because they’re actually seeking asylum, they should have a chance to make their case,” he said.
Meanwhile, the newly elected president has promised that within 100 days of taking office, he would inform the United States Congress of means to provide citizenship to over 11 million undocumented people and “all of those so-called dreamers, those DACA kids, they’re going to be immediately certified again to be able to stay in this country and put on a path to citizenship”, Biden said, at the final presidential debate.
Edited By Chathushka Perera
