Biden offers a first draft of his foreign policy achievements
President Joe Biden speaks at the State Department in Washington
Washington (CNN) — President Joe Biden on Monday defended his foreign policy achievements in office, offering his own first draft of history on how his presidency has affected security at home and US relationships abroad as he prepares to depart a career in public service spanning more than half a century.
Biden sought to frame his presidency as a transformational one for American power abroad, saying in a capstone foreign policy address that he was handing off a nation better-positioned to compete in a new era to President-elect Donald Trump than the one he inherited from Trump four years ago.
“New challenges will certainly emerge in the months and years ahead, but even so, it’s clear my administration is leaving the next administration with a very strong hand to play, and we’re leaving them and America more friends, stronger alliances. These adversaries are weaker and under pressure. An America that once again is leading, uniting countries, setting the agenda, bringing others together behind our plans and missions,” Biden said in remarks at the State Department, one week before Trump takes the oath of office for a second term.
He heralded his administration’s actions, saying – in an implicit critique of Trump – that under his leadership, “The United States is winning the worldwide competition compared to four years ago. America is stronger. Our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker. We have not gone to war to make these things happen.”
The speech offered a bookend for Biden, who addressed the State Department early in his term, laying out his foreign policy vision.
Biden highlighted his efforts to bolster alliances, pointing to a strengthened NATO, partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, the defense pact among the US, Australia, and the United Kingdom, and the Quad alliance with Japan, Australia, and India.
For all of Biden’s proclamations about a stronger America, however, the subtext to his address was the imminent return of Trump to the Oval Office. Biden heralded strengthened alliances and restored American influence across the globe – ideals that he has accused Trump of undermining. Much of Biden’s foreign policy legacy – from Ukraine to the Middle East – could depend on Trump’s decisions in the coming months.
He detailed the state of conflicts abroad.
On Ukraine, Biden said his administration “laid the foundation to the next administration so they can protect the bright future of the Ukrainian people,” comments that come amid major questions for the future of US aid for the war-torn country.
Iran, he added, is “weaker than it’s been in decades” under his watch.
And the US is “in a better strategic position for long-term competition with China,” he said.
Biden defended his administration’s decision to end America’s longest war and withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, leading to a chaotic exit, the killing of 13 American service members in a bombing attack, and political disaster during his first year in office.
“I saw no reason to keep thousands of servicemen in Afghanistan,” Biden said, adding, “In my view, it was time to end the war and bring our troops home.”
Biden offered insight into his views on the foreign policy priorities in the coming years under the next administration: A “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine; ensuring the fall of Bashar Assad does not lead to the resurgence of ISIS; preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons; and a conclusion to the Israel-Hamas conflict as outlined in a proposal months ago.
He also charged the incoming administration to “stay in the lead” on artificial intelligence and ongoing leadership on clean energy, speaking in stark terms about what’s at stake.
“I know some in the incoming administration, some are skeptical about the need for clean energy. They don’t even believe climate change is real. They must come from a different century. They’re wrong. They are dead wrong. It’s the single greatest existential threat to humanity,” he warned.
The-CNN-Wire
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