US Elections: What do you see with Biden’s new foreign policy team?

The three people chosen by United States President Joe Biden to lead his foreign policy team will bring decades of diplomatic experience to the White House, but with the luggage to carry over years of service to the United States government, They also received criticism from dissidents.

Here is a bit of information about them and what the experts say about the message that Biden sends, through the selection of top American diplomats.

All three will advise Mr. Biden on matters outside of the lesser-known US border outside of Washington DC. Antony Blinken, Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Jake Sullivan are all former members of Barack Obama’s White House, considered loyal to Biden and loyal foreign policy holders.

Blinken, 58, who has worked with Biden for nearly 20 years, was selected as the country’s top foreign minister, diplomat.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, one of the highest-ranking black diplomats in the United States, has worked for many years on African affairs and was nominated as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Jake Sullivan is a former Foreign Office official and assistant to Hillary Clinton, who played a key role in negotiating the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. He served as Biden’s national security adviser when he was vice president.

Mr. Blinken has worked with Mr. Biden for nearly 20 years, since Mr. Biden’s tenure on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Some critics blamed him for Biden’s invasion of Iraq in 2003.

That personal connection would serve the group well, some former US diplomats said, but it could also mean a lack of diversity of opinion.

And their long experience in Washington as veterans of foreign policy will not be to everyone’s liking. However, it marks the end of the war with Trump’s so-called “underground administrations,” with individuals in the administration that Trump sees as working against his own agenda.

Here are some observations.

PJ Crowley, Former Under Secretary of State: This is not a team of competitors. While they have a good history working together, they will also bring complementary perspectives to the Situation Room, with hands-on experience in global conflict. The value of strategic engagement will outweigh any groupthink potential. They are not cardholders of an underground government, but they will help run an American nation more effectively, focusing on common interests and values. They are pragmatic, not ideological.

Andrew Bacevich, President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft: These appointments represented a return to normalcy and the end of an erratic political approach. But the question is whether it is enough to return to normality. This research group has faith in the supremacy of the United States, which can make them reckless in using American military power.

Charles Kupchan, Former White House National Security Council Member: As a longtime foreign service worker, Ms. Thomas-Greenfield in particular represents the “unspoken power” that Donald Trump has always denied. For Donald Trump, foreign service officers were true soldiers of the international radicalism that he wanted to eliminate. This is part of the reason why staff morale at the State Department is currently so low.

At the forefront of the Biden group’s agenda will be rejoining the organizations, alliances and treaties that Trump has tried to weaken or dissolve in the past four years.

They will be tasked with bringing America back to the Paris climate accord and keeping America in the World Health Organization. They will also seek to amend the Iran nuclear deal, strengthen ties with NATO and pursue trade deals as a means to counter China’s growing influence.

Andrew Bacevich: One of the reasons Trump was elected was because a large number of Americans called American foreign policy a failure. The question is whether this team has enough experience to bring about the changes we really need, including reducing the military budget and limiting the use of military force.

PJ Crowley: Donald Trump never really built a national security team. Instead, he played the role of the ‘lone hero’ and teamed himself up with independent contractors that he could hire and fire via tweet. All three officials have worked at the State Department and will once again value diplomacy and international cooperation to address pressing challenges, from the global pandemic to climate change to China’s challenges. National.

Stewart Patrick, Director of the Council on External Relations of the Global Governance and International Institutions Program: A great challenge is convincing a foreign audience, including partners and allies, that America’s existential force is credible, that “America is back,” as the president-elect put it. This will be the second 180-degree change in foreign policy in the last four years. The next administration is determined to restore alliances the United States has relied on for more than seven decades, now divided. But this is a very difficult job.

Most experts agree that the team that Biden included has more experience than those appointed by Trump, such as Trump’s first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, who served as CEO of Exxon Mobil. .

But Trump’s legacy at the State Department, which has seen many disillusioned diplomats withdraw early with Tillerson and his replacement Mike Pompeo, runs deep and cannot be quickly turned into one early one afternoon.

Charles Kupchan: There has been a dramatic shift in contempt for expertise and experience under both Tillerson and Pompeo. The foreign service regulator has generally felt marginalized. Politics is usually given from below and filtered through a series of agencies before reaching the presidential hand. That did not happen with Trump.

PJ Crowley: They have a coherent view of the world. They are firm believers in American leadership and international alliances. All three have worked at the State Department and will place a new value on diplomacy and international cooperation to address pressing challenges from the global pandemic to climate change to the challenges of China.

(Report by Tara McKelvey and Max Matza)