[Politics] Washington Post: Is Biden normalizing Trump's foreign policy?

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Well-known American analyst and writer Fareed Zakaria wrote an article in the American newspaper "Washington Post" in which he criticized the foreign policies of US President Joe Biden, considering that he is maintaining the policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump, which was described as unilateralism and selfishness, which offended allies and increased hostilities with opponents.

Zakaria said that next week, on September 21, Biden will deliver his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly. This speech comes at a defining moment in Biden's presidency and will have a special impact on how he is viewed abroad. After nearly eight months of following the policies, rhetoric, and crises under the Biden presidency, many foreign observers were surprised - indeed shocked - to discover that Biden's foreign policy, in one region after another, is a faithful continuation of Donald Trump's approach and a rejection of that of President Barack Obama.

The writer added that part of this sense of shock resulted from the sudden and unilateral way in which Biden withdrew US forces from Afghanistan. A German diplomat told me that, in his opinion, Berlin was consulted more by the Trump administration than by this administration. He said some of Biden's behavior is specific actions, such as the submarine deal, that angered the French.

The writer added that the growing concerns go far beyond a single file. A senior European diplomat noted that in dealing with Washington on everything from vaccines to travel restrictions, Biden's policies were based on an "America First" approach in practice, no matter the rhetoric. A Canadian politician said that if Biden's "Buy American Products" plans are followed, they are actually more protectionist than Trump's. And despite his frequent criticism of Trump's tariffs on other countries, Biden has kept almost all of them. (Indeed, much has been expanded since most exceptions were allowed to expire.) Key Asian allies continue to pressure Biden to return to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a partnership that Biden so much praised when the Obama administration negotiated it (when he was Trump's vice president). Instead, the case was shelved.

Zakaria pointed to another glaring example of Biden's abrupt foreign policy is the nuclear deal with Iran, one of the Obama administration's notable accomplishments. During his election campaign, Biden argued that Trump's withdrawal from the agreement was a fundamental mistake and that, when he becomes president, he will join the agreement as long as Iran complies with it as well. His national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, described Trump's reinstatement of secondary sanctions against Tehran despite opposition from US allies as a "predatory unilateral" policy.

He added: But since taking office, Biden has failed to return to the nuclear agreement and has even extended some sanctions. Having long argued against trying to renegotiate the deal, officials in the Biden administration now want to "prolong and strengthen it." So far, the Trump-Biden strategy has not worked. Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium rose from less than 300 kilograms in 2018 to more than 3,000 kilograms last May.

Zakaria said: The same applies to politics towards Cuba. The Obama administration was bold enough to address one of the most glaring failures in US foreign policy. After Cuba was isolated and sanctioned since 1960 for bringing about regime change in that country, the United States instead reinforced Cuba's communist government. Fidel Castro stirred up nationalist fervor by blaming all of Cuba's problems on the American embargo, and instead of overthrowing him, he ended up staying in power longer than any non-royal leader on the planet.

As with Iran, ordinary people in Cuba paid for these policies. One of the harshest aspects of U.S. sanctions policy is that they are easily deployed because they gratify special interest groups in Washington and are painless for Americans, but they do horrendous damage to the poorest and most vulnerable, millions of ordinary Cubans and Iranians, and have no way of protesting or responding.

Obama has begun to soften these policies toward Cuba. But Trump has reversed course. Biden has maintained Trump's policy and has already tightened sanctions. In the recent UN General Assembly vote condemning the 60-year-old US embargo on Cuba, the vote was 184 to 2 (Israel was the only one to vote with Washington).

Biden and his team have often criticized Trump for his assault on the rules-based international order. But how can Biden rebuild such a system while embracing naked protectionism, unilateral sanctions, limited consultations, "America First" policies on vaccines and even travel?

He added: When I was returning from Europe last week, the British Airways employee said to me nervously: "I wish you had an American passport." I answered yes but asked him why she seemed so relaxed. She replied, "Oh, Americans have made it a nightmare for Europeans to come into their country. It seems unfair because we have much higher vaccination rates and much lower levels of your coronavirus." "It seems these days you Americans just want double standards to help you no matter what other people think," she concluded in exasperation.

Zakaria concluded his article by saying: Things should not be this way. Trump's selfishness should be to deviate from the norm. Biden can use the UN platform to return to his deep roots as a "internationalist" or "globalist" who understands that countries do not simply ally with America out of fear, bribery, or parochial security concerns. It does so because America's best presidents have formulated and pursued policies, while always attentive to the interests of the United States, they have also attempted to build an open, rules-based international order that helps others.