Running Head: POLITICS

Contemporary US International Politics

[Name of the Researcher]

[Name of the Tutor]

[Institute]

[Date]
 Politics 2

Table of Contents

Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Discussion........................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9
 Politics 3

Contemporary US International Politics

Introduction

The main aim of this study is to analyse the question “President Joe Biden's foreign

policy will likely mark a significant departure from that of former President Donald Trump”.

Researcher agreed that the President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden differ

on how the US should relate to the rest of the world. At a basic level, Trump promotes his

"America First" doctrine and Biden advocates greater international cooperation (Ettinger, 2021).

Whilst it is also believed that there are changes in form, but in terms of content, experts agree

that everything indicates that the priorities so far seem to be the same (Lemieux, 2021).

Discussion

Joe Biden ended, February 4, 2021, American support for the Saudi coalition in Yemen

and froze the withdrawal of American troops in Germany, whilst initiating a change of tone with

regard to Russia, breaking with diplomacy by Donald Trump (Biden Jr, 2020). "We are stepping

up our diplomatic efforts to end the war in Yemen, "which has created a humanitarian and

strategic catastrophe," said the President of the United States in his first foreign policy speech, at

the State Department (Sheppard, 2021). This war must end, he insisted, confirming the

appointment of a seasoned diplomat, Timothy Lenderking, as emissary for Yemen. And to

underscore our resolve, we are ending all US support for offensive operations in the Yemen war,

including arms sales.

Biden vowed to tackle Russian President Vladimir Putin's interventions and activities in

the US elections. "When he pays bounties to assassinating American soldiers in Afghanistan and
 Politics 4

tries in height to destabilise NATO, “I do not understand why this President is hesitant to

confront Putin," said Biden. The intelligence agencies reported that Russia had interfered with its

candidacy in the 2016 elections, naming the matter that led to his accusation "hoaxes" and "witch

hunts." He also pointed out the United States' sanctions against Russia as a test of his

administration's strength (Al-Alkim, 2021).

Nobody in Russia was more tough than Donald Trump. During his presidency, Trump's

policy towards China evolved. In the first months of his administration, after meeting with

Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit, the relationships became a trade war with higher

tariffs, before the first phase of an agreement in January finally became (Lemieux, 2021).

In 2020, Trump blamed China for the virus and tried to ban popular Chinese apps TikTok

and WeChat. Vice President Mike Pence said during an October debate, "The president has stood

up to China and will continue his strong position. In supporting Beijing's business practise Biden

fostered a stronger stance on human rights in China and Hong Kong (Lemieux, 2021). When the

US signed a 2015 agreement which limits the Iranian nuclear programme, Biden was the vice

president in exchange for sanctions relief, with five other world powers. It was described as the

"worst deal ever negotiated" and Trump withdrew from the deal and imposed new sanctions that

had hurt the Iranian economy and fuelled more of its nuclear activity. In efforts to achieve lasting

peace between Israelis and Palestinians, both candidates support a two-state solution.

Trump was an Israeli Prime Minister vocal supporter, Benjamin Netanyahu, moving the

U.S. ambassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Biden has criticised that decision but does not intend

to reverse that decision. It proposes instead the opening of a consulate for the Palestinians in East

Jerusalem (Al-Alkim, 2021). The Democratic candidate has recently credited the Trump

administration to mediate the peace agreements of Israel with Bahrain and the United Arab
 Politics 5

Emirates, but Trump still does not have a "coherent foreign policy plan" over and above US

interests.

In October, the President said that on Twitter he wanted a withdrawal to take place by the

end of 2020. He said that the withdrawal would be complete. The Trump administration agreed

with the Taliban by the middle of 2021. Biden's position was cautious on the basis of ground

conditions. Twice, Trump has talked with Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, and met him at

the inter-Korean border for the third time in an effort to denuclearise Korea (Biden Jr, 2020). The

discussions did not reach compromises, but since 2017 Pyongyang has not performed nuclear

and missile tests. Trump developed an excellent relationship with Kim," and his administration

has expressed hopes of another summit (Sheppard, 2021).

Biden is not unconditional in his position to meet Kim. One strategy would be to press

Kim to negotiate with sanctions. Biden proposes lifting Trump's travel bans, including one which

has a significant impact on several Muslim nations, including Nigeria, Sudan, and Somalia. As

necessary to national security, Trump defended those measures. Both candidates work with the

young leaders and diasporas of the continent as part of their strategy for relations with African

nations to stimulate economic development (Lemieux, 2021). Trump's priority for the interests of

the United States has led Trump to move beyond several international efforts, such as the PCA,

cutting the World Health Organisation (WHO) finances and withdrawing from the TPPA (TPP).

During his presidency, Biden supported the Paris treaty and the TPP and wanted to go back to

them and restore funds for the WHO.

In 2019 the Trump Government signed agreements for migrants to apply for asylum in

those countries with Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Without it, they will be sent back to
 Politics 6

the United States border with Mexico. Consultant Stephen Miller said similar agreements with

other nations would serve as a goal during the second term of Trump (Shavit, 2021).

Biden criticises the so-called "draconian immigration policies aimed at revoking our

policy on asylum and refugees" and says that he will reinvest some assistance to the region in

order to push governments to reduce migrants in the north. The number of refugees admitted

from the United States fell from some 85,000 President Barack Obama last year to a maximum

of 15,000 in this year under the Trump administration. This is necessary for "the safety and well-

being of Americans, particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic," (Sheppard, 2021).

Biden pledged that this trend would be reversed and the cap to 125,000 people. Trump

quickly started the alliance and demanded of other members an increase in their defense

expenditures from his 2016 campaign. Some countries met their NATO spending quota before

Trump became president in 2014, whilst others did not, and earlier this year Trump removed

12,000 soldiers from Germany accusing the US of benefiting. During a June 2019 debate, Biden

described NATO as "the largest alliance in American history" and warned that if Trump wins re-

election, it can be dissolved. The Jeo Biden wishes to make the restoration of those international

partnerships a priority (Lemieux, 2021).

The government of President Joe Biden continues to follow a very cautious policy in

which there are not many differences in relation to those previously followed. As far as China is

concerned, Biden has been emphasising the issue of human rights but will maintain the same

policy of facing China in commercial and technological issues (Ettinger, 2021). The appointed

director of the CIA intelligence services, William Burns, told a Senate confirmation hearing that

China as a growing and increasingly assertive power is a priority and an issue that the United

States will have to prioritise.

 Politics 7

Donald Trump himself did not pay any attention to the events in Belarus. However, Mike

Pompeo and other State Department officials pursued an active policy towards Belarus, in

particular, they did not recognise the legitimacy of the August 9 elections and urged the

authorities in Minsk to enter into dialogue with the protesters. However, this was not enough for

Biden. In late October, he issued a statement criticising the White House's approach: "Although

President Trump refuses to support, I continue to support the people of Belarus and their

democratic aspirations.” Biden called for a substantial expansion of sanctions against henchmen

of Alexander Lukashenko and the freezing of their accounts "in which they hold the stolen

wealth (Biden Jr, 2020).

The almost obsessive human rights of the Biden administration recently prompted the

American president to answer in the affirmative the question of a journalist. Vladimir Putin is not

an altar boy but let us not pretend to discover it through a report from the United States security

services and at the microphone of a journalist. This is not a clumsiness, but a serious fault. Joe

Biden also serves the country as a Vice President of the United States for eight years, he led the

Senate Foreign Affairs Committee for years, he cannot behave like a western sheriff or an NGO

activist. We do not treat the major security issues of the world with insults and invectives (Al-

Alkim, 2021).

Conclusion

In conclusion, based on the analysis above, it can be said that Joe Biden's foreign policy

is different from the way Donald Trump’s policy with rest of the world. After Trump's chaotic

foreign policy favourable to authoritarian regimes and marked by contempt for traditional allies

of the United States, we were glad to know that the new administration would return to the
 Politics 8

fundamentals of American diplomacy, fundamentals that include like everyone else the knows

the promotion of human rights and democracy. Like the Bourbons after the Empire, the

Democrats returned to power without having learned or forgotten anything. They still seem to

believe they are in the nineties, at a time when the American hyperpower could dictate its law to

the whole world and when no alternative system seemed able to oppose liberal democracy.
 Politics 9

References

Al-Alkim, H.H., 2021. US President Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy towards the Gulf. Open Journal

of Political Science, 11(3), pp.378-401.

Biden Jr, J.R., 2020. Why American Must Lead Again: Recusing US Foreign Policy after

Trump. Foreign Aff., 99, p.64.

Ettinger, A., 2021. Rumors of restoration: Joe Biden’s foreign policy and what it means for

Canada. Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, pp.1-18.

Lemieux, P., 2021. Joe Biden's Economic Agenda: An Early Appraisal. Regulation, 44, p.36.

Shavit, E., The Strategic Implications of Joe Biden's Victory: INSS Conference Summary.

Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).

Sheppard, B., 2021. United States: Biden's foreign policy no break with past. Green Left Weekly,

(1300), p.16.