President Biden’s Foreign and Security Policy
Last Monday, at the US State Department, Mr. Biden delivered his last foreign and security policy speech as president.[i] His remarks were only words of praise for the achievements of his four years at the White House. The following from his speech reflects his broad assessment: “Compared to four years ago, America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker, and we have not gone to war to make these things happen… During my presidency, I’ve increased America’s power in every dimension… And now, America is more capable and, I would argue, better prepared than we’ve been in a long, long time.”
Four years ago, on February 19, 2021, President Biden addressed the global community for the first time. At the Virtual Munich Security Conference, he said “I speak today as President of the United States at the very start of my administration, and I’m sending a clear message to the world: America is back. The transatlantic alliance is back. And we are not looking backward; we are looking forward, together.” In an indirect reference to the Trump presidency, he said, “I know — I know the past few years have strained and tested our transatlantic relationship, but the United States is determined — determined to reengage with Europe, to consult with you, to earn back our position of trusted leadership.” He expressed his strong belief that democracy will and must prevail.
Four years later, President Trump is back.
At the Munich conference, he told European leaders that the West must prepare together for a long-term strategic competition with China. He accused the Kremlin of attacks on Western democracies. He said President Putin seeks to weaken the European project and the NATO Alliance because it is so much easier for the Kremlin to bully and threaten individual states than it is to negotiate with a strong and closely united transatlantic community. But he also said, “We cannot and must not return to the reflective [reflexive] opposition and rigid blocs of the Cold War. Competition must not lock out cooperation on issues that affect us all.”
President Biden referred to the Middle East twice, first in connection with the fight against ISIS and second in the context of “Iran’s destabilizing activities across the Middle East”. The choice of the adjective “destabilizing” instead of “malignant” used daily by the former Secretary of State Mr. Pompeo appeared to signal a change in Washington’s attitude towards Tehran.
Mr. Biden faced three major challenges during his presidency. First, on August 30, 2021, the US withdrew from Afghanistan, marking the end of a two-decade war. Second, on February 24, 2022, Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine. Third, on October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked Israel. The ouster of President Assad from power came as the last important development. All of these will continue to have far-reaching regional and global implications.
The negative impressions of the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan have lasted until today and will continue in the future. As UNESCO said last August, three years after the Taliban took power, Afghanistan stands out as the only country in the world where secondary and higher education is strictly forbidden to girls and women. The Guardian has reported that Afghan citizens who fled the country with American assistance after the US’s chaotic withdrawal remain stranded in third countries, new documents shared exclusively with the Guardian suggest, some at prison-like facilities and many with no clarity about their prospects for resettlement.[ii]
Since February 24, 2022, the Biden administration has reiterated America’s and the West’s iron-clad support for Ukraine against Russia “for as long as it takes”. As he said during his speech at the State Department, Mr. Biden believes that Ukraine is still a free, independent country with the potential for a bright future and that his administration has laid the foundation for the next administration so they can protect the bright future of the Ukrainian people.
For some, reacting to the Russian invasion was the dictate of the “rules-based international order”, a stand against aggression. For others, who also disapprove of Russia’s invasion, the whole story could have been written differently avoiding the loss of life and devastation in Ukraine. They saw the conflict essentially as a war to weaken and isolate Russia. After all, though a nuclear power, Russia is the world’s largest country comprising eleven time zones and a population of only 145 million.
Unfortunately, Ukraine would not win this war and restore its territorial integrity by force. On the contrary, speculation about “peace” between Russia and Ukraine increasingly refers to Kyiv’s loss of territory and the impossibility of Ukraine becoming a member of NATO. Moreover, Western support for Ukraine has moved Russia and China closer to one another.
Since the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, the Biden administration only expressed “concern”, “grave concern”, and “deep concern” over the plight of Gazans. Its military and political support for Israel remained unquestionable. Mr. Netanyahu had more of an impact on Washington’s policy toward the war in Gaza than the other way around. Gaza’s death toll and the survivors’ suffering kept mounting. During the past few days, Mr. Biden seemed desperate for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel to crown his policy in Gaza. After such a deal was announced yesterday, he said that he laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, which was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council.[iii]
AOAV’s (Action for Armed Violence) “Explosive Violence Monitor 2024” has shown a significant 67% increase in global civilian casualties from explosive violence compared to 2023, with a total of 61,353 killed and injured. Overall casualties rose by 39% from the year before. This was predominantly driven by airstrikes, which caused 63% of civilian casualties and doubled in lethality from the previous year. Israel accounted for 55% of reported civilian casualties from explosive violence, largely in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, marking a 139% increase from 2023.[iv] Needless to add, the so-called “two-state solution” was never on Mr. Biden’s agenda.
President Biden’s policies in Ukraine and the Middle East have not won favor with the global South, the large group of postcolonial countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. On the contrary, these countries now challenge the West’s global dominance and wish to take part in redefining the so-called “rules-based international order” in political and economic terms. They remember the West’s past support for trade liberalization and its present determination to impose high tariffs on imports.
As for Syria, former US Secretary of State Warren Christopher had paid twenty-nine visits to Damascus, on average a visit every two months during his term in office. However, convincing President Hafez al-Assad to change path proved mission impossible.[v] Thus, the “regime change” in Syria may be seen as an achievement of “strange partners”, namely Israel, the US, and Türkiye. And yes, Iran is weakened. Moreover, the future of Russia’s military bases in Syria is uncertain, to say the least. However, huge challenges remain not only for the future of relations between the three “strange partners” and Syria’s evolution but also for Washington’s standing in the broad Middle East.
In judging President Biden’s legacy, one cannot overlook how much his insistence to run for a second term contributed to Mr. Trump’s victory and Ms. Harrs’s defeat. A growing number of Democratic leaders urged him to leave the race. Because they believed that his mental faculties would not meet the requirements of the highest office in the US for another four years. He fought them bitterly until he finally concluded that he had no other option than quitting. But that came too late allowing Ms. Harris only 107 days to win the battle. Now, not only Mr. Trump is back at the White House, but the Democratic Party is in disarray.
As for Türkiye-US relations, they have remained problematic also during the past four years. And putting them back on track remains a recurring challenge for President Trump.
[i] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2025/01/15/remarks-by-president-biden-and-secretary-of-state-antony-blinken-on-the-administrations-work-to-strengthen-america-and-lead-the-world/
[ii] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/14/evacuees-us-withdrawal-afghanistan?CMP=share_btn_url
[iii] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/15/statement-from-president-joe-biden-14/
[iv] https://aoav.org.uk/2025/explosive-violence-monitor-2024-initial-data/
[v] https://diplomaticopinion.com/2024/02/12/the-middle-east-worlds-region-of-conflict/