Grading the Biden Presidency (Foreign Affairs)
GRADING THE BIDEN PRESIDENCY:
FOREIGN POLICY
This topic deserves multiple subcategories. However, in the interest of time and space, I must make generalizations, Admittedly, what I’m about to write will be woefully incomplete.
Different grades should be given to various global regions and distinctive periods on the four-year Biden Administration timeline.
The world is constantly changing. One moment, we’re focused on North Korea. The next, it’s Syria. Then, it’s Afghanistan. The next, it’s Ukraine. Then, it’s Gaza and the West Bank. However, whichever hot spot makes headlines, foreign policy work continues non-stop 24/7 — everywhere. When a new President enters office, we never know where will be the next flash-points over the next four years. It’s a very different world in 2025, than was in 2021. Who would have guessed Greenland, Panama, and Canada would be in the presidential headlines, right now?
Foreign policy is by its very nature an imperfect, chaotic mess. That’s primarily due to the fact we (in the US) cannot control nor predict what will happen in other nations. American foreign policy must be a clear and consistent combination of reacting to global events, while also being proactive for unifying themes. It must also be flexible enough to achieve long-term goals.
We should credit the Biden Administration for numerous foreign policy successes, Most notably, the Biden foreign policy team (credit Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who has been surprisingly effective–initially, I didn’t like this cabinet pick) orchestrated a stunning consensus of international support for the besieged nation of Ukraine, then and now facing annihilation by Russia. Many experts thought Ukraine would fall in the first month of an invasion. Three years later, with international support led by the United States, that fragile and brave nation remains viable.
One extraordinary byproduct of the successful coalition led by the U.S. on Biden’s watch is that the NATO alliance is much stronger now than four years ago–which was starting to seem irrelevant and perhaps unnecessary after the fall of the USSR a generation ago. Now, it’s a powerful international alliance many nations wish to join. Broader strategic cooperation often leads to bigger and better things in terms of economics and trade, as well.
Ideologically speaking, Biden’s foreign policy has been centrist, which always alienates partisans on both sides. The obvious example of this is the Biden Administration’s policy towards Israel (and Gaza and occupied territories), particularly since Oct. 7, 2023, the date of the Hamas-led invasion and war of terror. Biden has given Israel a blank check both militarily and financially to right its war, continuing to supply American weapons and aid, with little or no conditions attached. This policy was entirely predictable, yet it cost the Biden Administration considerable support among progressives. Indeed, ignoring all the evidence of excesses and even war crimes while continuing to back Israel is troubling–to put it mildly. Oddly enough, it was Republicans who attacked Biden (and more recently VP Harris) unmercifully throughout the 2024 campaign for allegedly being “soft,” when all facts and data indicate that Israel received pretty much whatever it wanted to deal with the mess in Gaza (and elsewhere).
The Middle East has been a no-win, lesser-of-evils quagmire for several decades now, and Biden found himself in an impossible situation. Short of getting more involved in the crisis and putting American boots on the ground, I’m not sure how Biden could have done more for Israel’s defense, while also pledging support for a two-state “solution.” Important Note: A ceasefire was agreed to in the closing days of Biden’s term, but it’s too early to make any judgements as to its lasting relevance.
Moreover, the Biden Administration was widely criticized for the Afghanistan “withdrawal.” However, he inherited a war (started by neo-conservatives) and a bad deal made by his predecessor (Trump) with firm fixed dates of troop exits and was pretty much handcuffed by the terms of that agreement. Six months after taking office, we witnessed what appeared to be another “fall of Saigon” moment in American history. I’m not sure how things could have much different regardless of who was in office. Once the Taliban knew the U.S. was pulling out, chaos was inevitable. The truth is, the American military managed most of the withdrawal, a bipartisan apolitical undertaking. Where the Biden Administration deserves massive credit is in a hugely-successful evacuation of about 125,000 Afghans and others who faced certain death if they stayed behind. Unlike the fall of Vietnam, the U.S. largely took care of those in danger and in need. Of course, partisans criticized Biden for Afghanistan, citing frightful images of airplanes chased by desperate Afghans down the Kabul Airport runway. This was a clear example of misleading imagery. The imagery looked horrible, but the withdrawal and evacuation was an enormous success, given the circumstances.
Other international points of conflict were largely handled satisfactorily — including Syria, North Korea, China, Iran, Venezuela, and elsewhere. While those nations will continue to be problematic for American policymakers, it’s hard to point to any specific failures on Biden’s relationship and reaction to those events.
Finally, after a century of foreign policy on the global stage and international theater personified by often forceful and dynamic architects of change (FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy Johnson, Nixon, et. al. up through Trump), to the contrary, Biden often seemed to personify a quieter, more tactical approach to global affairs. IF and HAD a quiet, behind-the-scenes approach netted tangible, positive results (think of Carter’s brokering the Egypt-Israel agreement), he’d receive higher marks. Keep in mind, Biden’s personal strength was supposed to be foreign policy given his extensive background in this area while he served in Congress and the Senate. Unfortunately, we can’t point to many bold achievements, aside from the Ukraine coalition. For this reason, the Biden Administration merits an above-average score, but also a grade that recognizes a foreign policy era likely to be forgotten when that chapter gets written by historians.
Grade: 6.5 (on a 1-10 scale)
7/11
