Upon taking office, President Biden infamously stated that "America is back" on the world stage. His actions in his first 100 days have unfortunately proved that statement to be nothing more than empty rhetoric. America’s foreign policy has gone from a historic rebuilding of our military and seeking peace through strength based on a realistic perspective of our adversaries and allies – to Obama 2.0 — displaying weakness towards aggression due to a naïve and ignorant view of geopolitical realities.
During his campaign, candidate Joe Biden was critical of President Trump’s foreign policy from China and COVID, to Putin and Russia, and the Middle East. Biden slammed President Trump for pushing back on China’s false and deadly COVID-19 propaganda; but instead of condemning the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) narrative about the virus, President Biden tacitly accepted the CCP’s devastating lies and rejoined the World Health Organization without demanding necessary reforms. When China cracked down in Hong Kong, President Biden blamed President Trump and his "weak" response; yet while the Chinese Communists have continued their anti-democracy crusade, President Biden has weakened our posture towards combatting a rising China. Despite the impassioned rhetoric from President Biden and Democrats on climate change, the Biden Administration has boosted China’s global standing with an agreement to curb climate change with “urgency”. This agreement puts the naiveté of the Biden Administration’s attitude towards the CCP on full display: China built more than three times as much coal plant capacity as the rest of the world last year. In his first 100 days, President Biden has made clear that when it comes to China – he fails to put America First.
Against Russia, President Biden’s actions have been similarly weak. For four years, President Biden and the Democrats excoriated President Trump as Putin’s puppet. We know their narrative was nothing more than a lie for political expediency. Look no further than President Trump’s deliveries of lethal aid to Ukraine to deter Putin’s aggression, while the Obama-Biden Administration repeatedly refused lethal aid to fend off the Russian bear. In President Biden’s first 100 days, Putin continues to intimidate Ukraine, employ mercenaries, and suppress any domestic dissent. We know Vladimir Putin backs down to strength, but nevertheless, President Biden has rewarded the Russian strongman with a summit.
Perhaps most concerning of all is President Biden’s denial of the new geopolitical realities in the Middle East. Candidate Biden and the Democrats continuously said President Trump’s actions against Iran would result in war, but Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif admitted himself that President Trump’s policies devastated their hegemonic agenda. Now, as Iran continues to attack American interests, the Biden Administration is practically begging the terrorist regime to rejoin the failed JCPOA nuclear deal, blatantly ignoring President Trump’s historic diplomatic breakthrough that created new Arab-Israeli cooperation, and a strong regional opposition bloc to the terrorist regime in Tehran. In his first 100 days, President Biden has dismissed the leverage created by the Trump Administration, electing to revive a failed nuclear deal — with a terrorist state — from a bygone era.
Finally, in Afghanistan, President Biden has failed to learn from the devastating mistake his former boss made in Iraq. Ending the war in Afghanistan should be a national priority, but President Biden’s plan is strategically incoherent and exceedingly dangerous to our national security. After his planned troop pullout, America’s ability to eliminate terrorist threats in Afghanistan will rely on stand-off weapons – a strategy that President Clinton revealed does not work – or the efforts of an Afghan National Army that will be fighting off an emboldened Taliban. The move will have three momentous consequences: it will destabilize a dangerous region, eviscerate the ability of the United States to have effective counterterrorism and intelligence operations, and hand radical terrorists the enormous symbolic victory of driving Americans forces out of Afghanistan, 20 years to the day of their horrific attack on the West.
In his first 100 days, President Biden’s foreign policy has made the United States less secure, alienated our allies on the front lines against a fanatical terrorist regime, and rewarded authoritarian states with cooperation and summitry. Contrary to President Biden’s claim that “America is back,” the reality is the Biden Administration has significantly weakened America’s position on the global stage.
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik represents New York's 21st congressional district. She is a member of the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, and serves as the Ranking Member of the House Cyber Innovative Technologies and Information Systems Subcommittee.
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