After two years of the Biden Administration, a report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) pointed out a series of shortcomings in terms of his foreign policy: Asia in general, received the main negative assessment, mostly highlighting the lack of determination when competing with China,
China's growth, and the threat it poses to the United States in terms of global leadership, has become the biggest concern for the White House, no matter who occupies the presidential chair. Thus, reviewing Joe Biden's actions in this regard, the FDD scholars acknowledged a "confused" strategy in addressing competition with Beijing:
Two years into its term, the Administration seems conflicted about how best to manage its strained relationship with Beijing, often erring on the side of caution rather than embracing full-throttle competition.
Against this backdrop, the report asserts that the policy of "compete and coexist" would have to mutate into one of "compete to win." "The U.S. should exploit China's systemic vulnerabilities, including its dependence on Western capital to drive its development," the paper adds.
The scholars also criticize Biden's "repeated contradictions" on Taiwan, the most sensitive and dangerous aspect of relations with China. Despite the Democratic president's statements about his willingness to defend Taipei, the report stresses that China's military maneuvers around the island in question have only increased:
China has also stepped up its cyber, disinformation and political interference operations aimed at convincing Taipei that reunification with the mainland is inevitable, one way or another.
North Korea and Iran
On the other hand, the FDD assessed relations with North Korea and several Middle Eastern countries. The academics who took part in the research offered negative conclusions, mainly because of the results in Iran.
In April 2021, the Biden Administration announced that it would seek a new approach toward Pyongyang. However, Kim Jong Un rejected all negotiating offers and continued to fire ballistic missiles at an unprecedented rate. "North Korea conducted more than 60 missile tests in 2022, more than in any previous calendar year, including eight intercontinental ballistic missile tests," the research reveals.
Diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang is also waning, as Washington has been unable to build a strong coalition to condemn Kim's actions.
Regarding Iran, it highlights the lack of capacity to stop its nuclear program, which has allowed Tehran to accelerate its uranium enrichment "while obstructing the work of nuclear inspectors":
Ironically, the people of Iran lost patience with their rulers long before Biden did. The Administration proclaims its solidarity with Iranian protesters, but still offers Tehran a deal that would involve sanctions relief of $275 billion in the first year alone.
In total, the research covers 17 areas, including Latin America and the Indo-Pacific. Of this final number, the report notes positive trends in only four areas: defense, Europe, Russia and cybernetics; special attention should be paid here to military support for Ukraine to counter Russian attacks.
