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WILMINGTON, Delaware: President-elect Joe Biden said on Tuesday (November 24) that the United States will be “ready to lead” on the world stage again, turning the page on President Donald Trump’s unilateralist policies when he promised to work alongside allies of United States. .
Introducing his new foreign policy and national security team, the former Democratic vice president noted that he intends, after taking office on January 20, to steer the United States away from the “America first” nationalism pursued by Trump.
The Republican incumbent has unsettled many US allies, in Europe and elsewhere, with an antagonistic focus on the NATO alliance and trade relations, abandonment of international agreements and warm relations with authoritarian leaders.
Biden said his team, which includes trusted aide Antony Blinken as its candidate for US secretary of state, would put aside what the president-elect described as “old unchanged thoughts and habits” in its approach to foreign relations.
“It is a team that reflects the fact that the United States is back, ready to lead the world, not withdraw from it, sit once more at the head of the table, ready to face our adversaries and not reject our allies. , ready to stand up for our values, “Biden said at the event in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
The world has changed a lot since the last time Democrats were in the White House four years ago. China is on the rise and emboldened, Russia has tried to further assert its influence, America’s influence has waned as it has withdrawn from various deals, and America’s moral authority has been affected by domestic turmoil.
Biden also appointed Jake Sullivan as national security adviser, Linda Thomas-Greenfield as the US ambassador to the United Nations, Alejandro Mayorkas as secretary of homeland security and John Kerry as envoy for climate-related affairs. They appeared with Biden and underscored his message.
US foreign policy under the Biden administration is likely to take a more multilateral and diplomatic approach aimed at repairing Washington’s relations with key US allies and seeking new paths on issues such as climate change.
Biden said he has been surprised in calls with about 20 world leaders “by how much they expect the United States to reaffirm its historic role as a world leader.”
His promise to embrace alliances, including in the Asia-Pacific region, follows a deterioration in bilateral ties between the United States and China, the world’s two major economies, which has drawn comparisons to the Cold War.
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This final year of the Trump administration was marked by frequent attacks on China as the two powers argued over China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, deteriorating freedoms in Hong Kong and territorial problems in the South China Sea.
While China is unlikely to find a soft alternative to Trump with Biden, diplomats and analysts expect a more measured tone and stepped-up efforts to strengthen alliances to counter Beijing.
In his comments, Biden said that working with allies would help keep America safe without getting involved in “unnecessary military conflict.” He made no reference to the country’s longest war, the Afghanistan conflict, as Trump moves to reduce American forces.
THE TRANSITION ADVANCES
Biden has moved quickly to rally his team and make cabinet decisions after defeating Trump in the Nov.3 election. Trump has waged a legal battle to try to overturn the results, falsely claiming that his election was stolen through widespread electoral fraud.
Biden urged the Senate to give its nominees who require chamber confirmation “a prompt hearing” and expressed his hope that he can work with Republicans “in good faith to move the country forward.”
“Let’s get that work started … to heal and unite America and the world,” added Biden.
However, some Republican senators indicated that they may be prepared to stand in the way of their cabinet appointments. Marco Rubio, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, wrote on Twitter that Biden’s cabinet elections “will be educated and orderly caretakers of America’s decline.”
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Trump has said he will never grant the election, but after weeks of limbo, his administration on Monday finally gave the green light for the formal transfer of power to begin. That process had been delayed despite the fact that Biden emerged as the clear winner and world leaders recognized him as the next president.
In another sign that Trump had all but accepted his electoral defeat, the White House gave Biden the green light to begin receiving the president’s daily intelligence report.
Critics have said that Trump’s refusal to accept the results undermined the incoming administration’s ability to combat the growing pandemic that has killed an estimated 259,000 Americans and left millions more out of work.
Pennsylvania became the last pivotal state on Tuesday to certify that Biden had won. The Nevada Supreme Court also confirmed Tuesday that Biden had won the state and sent the results to the Democratic governor of Nevada for final certification.
