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Event Report

The event was held last February 17, 2021, the speaker was Professor Peter Trubowitz he is a professor of international relations, and director of the US center at LSE and associate fellow at Chatham House. His main teaching and research interests are in the fields of international security and US foreign policy.

He began this event by stating that these are still early days for the Bidne’s administration but still he says that we can see signs through words and actions, this provides for things to come under Joe Biden’s administration. In his speech he elaborated that there are three emerging things that he called Biden’s three R’s. They include repairing America’s brand, re-aligning America’s commitments and power, and reconnecting what America does abroad to the needs of working-class voters at home.

1. Repairing America’s Brand - He said that Joe Biden has lost little time when it comes to re-asserting America’s traditional commitment to human rights and the rule of law. He said because of Donald Trump’s indifference to human rights abroad and a flagrant abuse to the rule of law at home has taken its toll. He said that it is not the first time America has lost its image in the international community. The US also lost its image in the early 2000 with its war in the middle east. Also, in the 60’s in the Vietnam war. In each case the president will have to pick up the pieces, and look for ways to reposition America’s brand. In Obama’s case he did it with multilateralism, to work with other countries. In Carter’s case morality was front and center, he said America on his watch would have a fair foreign policy that was as decent as the American people. In Joe Biden’s case, he said that Biden is seeking to repair America’s damaged brand. He said that we can see it in the white house readouts, with Biden’s phone call with Putin and Xi Jinping, which emphasize Biden’s efforts to press the Chinese and Russian leaders on their government’s human rights abuses. Biden also has taken the steps to bring back the refugee program and distance Washington from Saudi Arabia, and impose sanctions on Myanmar. He also said that under Biden human rights and the rule of law will once again become a strategic asset in America’s diplomatic tool box.
2. Re-aligning America’s Commitments and Power - He also added that it’s not just liberal ideas that Biden wants to focus on, they are also aware about US security, how heavily to invest in order to protect its country. First it intends to focus greater attention on its strategic heartland of Eurasia and its predecessors. Second, it hopes to do this in close coordination with America’s traditional allies in Europe, Asia, and India. One of Biden’s recent calls with Moty, stressing its desire to build up the Quad (QSD) that is a partnership with Australia, Japan, and India. The call for greater coordination with America’s European allies over China in trade and investment.
3. Reconnecting to the Working Class - He said that Joe Biden won the presidency by promising “to build back better”, although the phrase is more likely to be in domestic policy but it has an international dimension as well. He said that his foreign policy needs to be better aligned with average Americans, and what America does abroad needs to pay larger dividends at home. He said, Biden repeatedly says that he is not going to pursue foreign economic policies that serve the needs of the few at the expense of the many. He added that Biden is looking for ways to keep his promise to the American people. Biden has signed an executive order strengthening American provisions and federal procurement policies, and publicly ruled out signing any trade agreement. Biden has also said that he plans to reform the structure of the national security council so that the domestic benefits and the causes of foreign policy are factored into its deliberations in a more conscious way.

In the Conclusion He said that, what unites these three elements, is the commitment to re-engaged internationally in a way that plays to America’s comparative strategic advantages, its allies, its huge economy and its tarnished values. He also explains that one of the biggest myths in America’s foreign policy is that presidents have a free hand. But he explains that in order for us to see a president’s foreign policy clearly, we need to consider its domestic and international circumstances that they will face. Joe Biden has taken office at a time where there is a mounting anxiety for American power. For the last few years, the US faced a lot of security threat such as terrorism, but this time it is facing a great power rival such as China. He said for obvious reasons Biden will be devoting his own time in rebuilding America’s economy and trying to control the pandemic. He said that if Biden hopes to win back those alienated working class voters, he needs to keep the financial and social cause of foreign policy in check and ideally pursue foreign policies that appeal to these constituents. He also said that Biden has 2 big bets on its foreign policy. The First one is to regain the support of America’s international allies in dealing with international challenges. Second bet is that he can reconnect achievements in the international realm to recognizable benefits for the average americans.  He said that there is a catch when playing the China card for domestic political purposes is not risk free. For one thing it is sure to fuel anti-American sentiments in China, which would likely complicate efforts to work with Beijing on important issues such as climate change and nuclear proliferation. Also it can be complicated to develop a coordinated approach with America’s allies towards Beijing.

Prepared by Anthony Mielle Vivar, Intern at NIICE