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NEW YORK – US President-elect Joe Biden debuted key members of his foreign policy and national security team Tuesday, declaring a return to multilateralism and diplomacy led by seasoned professionals as the four-year experiment of America with President Donald Trump is nearing its end.
The new team “reflects the fact that America is back, ready to lead the world, not to withdraw from it,” Biden said at a news conference in Wilmington, Delaware, “ready to face our adversaries and not reject. to our allies, ready to defend our values. “
For the top US foreign policy post, Biden chose his former confidant and adviser Antony Blinken as secretary of state.
The career diplomat, with a Parisian education and decades of experience in foreign policy, held key positions in the Obama administration, including as a national security adviser to then-Vice President Biden and later undersecretary of state.
In his introduction Tuesday, Biden specifically highlighted Blinken’s role in “strengthening the alliance and America’s positions” in Asia-Pacific.
US President-elect Joe Biden listens in the background as his pick for Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware, on November 24. © AP
For national security adviser, Biden selected another of his national security advisers and a former director of the State Department’s policy planning staff. Jake Sullivan “played a key role in rebalancing Asia and the Pacific in our administration,” Biden said when introducing him.
The former vice president praised the “unparalleled experience and accomplishments” of the team that were made possible “through decades of experience working with our partners.” But he also argued that they embody “new ideas and perspectives.”
“Together, these public servants will restore the United States globally, its global leadership and its moral leadership,” Biden promised, adding that they will ensure that America’s foreign policy and intelligence professionals “can do their jobs. free from politics. “
Blinken said the United States still represents “the last best hope on Earth,” albeit imperfectly, but that “we must proceed with equal measures of humility and trust.”
Despite the rhetoric of “America is back,” the geopolitical landscape has changed since the days when Biden sat in the vice president’s office. That is especially the case in the Indo-Pacific. A simple return to the politics of the Obama era may not meet today’s requirements.
“The reality is that today China is much more confident due to its growing economic and military power,” said Derek Grossman, senior defense analyst at Rand Corp. “Beijing has leveraged its newfound strength by increasing pressure across the Indo-Pacific against Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, multiple counterclaims in the South China Sea and India high in the Himalayas. “
The election of US President-elect Joe Biden as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware on November 24. © AP
“Judging from Biden’s remarks on China, it would seem that he understands that things have turned for the worse and that the United States will not be able to simply reestablish ties in favor of Washington,” Grossman said.
Leaders of key Asia-Pacific allies Australia, Japan, South Korea and India were among the first to congratulate Biden by phone on his election victory.
The readings show Biden underlining the importance of “maintaining a safe and prosperous Indo-Pacific region”, a variant of the “free and open Indo-Pacific” concept pushed forward by the Trump administration, indicating the continued strategic importance of the region. for Washington.
“It is highly likely that President-elect Joe Biden and his advisers will uphold the Trump administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy, if not in name, at least with the goal of trying to roll back China by strengthening alliances and partnerships of United States throughout the region, “Grossman said.
He said Biden’s term “safe and prosperous” and the Trump administration’s “free and open” verbiage are ultimately “a distinction without differences.”
Blinken, pending Senate confirmation for his role as secretary of state, said at a Hudson Institute virtual event in July that the United States remains “under-resourced in Asia” and that “presumably” in a Biden administration “we would see more. emphasis on India. Pacific. “
Other foreign policy and national security picks announced by Biden on Tuesday were Alejandro Mayorkas for the secretary of national security, Avril Haines for the director of national intelligence and Linda Thomas-Greenfield for the US ambassador to the United Nations.
Obama-era Secretary of State John Kerry was named special presidential envoy for climate.
Another key figure in US foreign policy, the Secretary of Defense, remains to be named.
The crew’s debut came the day after the Trump administration approved the transition process, ending a 16-day delay since mainstream media called for the race for Biden. But even before the administration approved a transfer of power to Biden, the former vice president had been communicating with his future counterparts.
Additional reporting by Ken Moriyasu in New York.
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