Joe Biden came into power with a bold declaration: “America is back.” This signaled a strong focus on foreign policy and reestablishing U.S. leadership on the world stage as core elements of his presidency.
Throughout much of his term, Mr. Biden made significant progress on this front, drawing from his extensive foreign policy experience.
The administration successfully rallied a unified Western Europe to support a sovereign and Westward-leaning Ukraine, and revigorated NATO to counter the authoritarian threat posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Why We Wrote This
Defending democracy and opposing authoritarianism. Projecting leadership and coming to the aid of allies. President Joe Biden’s values-laden foreign policy has been a political asset … until this challenging election year.
Mr. Biden recently demonstrated confident leadership by becoming the first U.S. president to visit Israel during a time of war, earning significant praise from Israeli pundits.
However, as the president gears up for a difficult reelection campaign, foreign policy is no longer working in his favor.
The war in Ukraine remains at a standstill, leading to a decline in public and congressional support for additional military and economic assistance.
In addition, Israel’s conflict with Hamas has shifted into negative territory for Mr. Biden.