Aaron Kliegman | Gingrich 360 - Biden’s Foreign Policy Would Be Obama 2.0

By Aaron Kliegman Following what the media’s been saying, you’d think the world was at peace until Donald Trump entered the White House and ruined our global bliss. Consider how the press is reporting on foreign policy in the wake of the 2020 election. Prominent outlets are proclaiming that friendly foreign leaders are relieved that President Trump appears to have lost the election, that Trump’s “impulsive” policies have made the world a darker and more turbulent place, and that other countries have lost faith in America because of how Trump has alienated allies. Indeed, according to the media’s narrative, which echoes the talking points of Democrats and “Never Trump” Republicans, the president has withdrawn from the world while embracing authoritarians, who have filled the vacuum left by the US. And Joe Biden will repair this damage, the argument continues, by restoring a more traditional and multilateral American foreign policy. The obvious conclusion of this narrative — sometimes implied, sometimes stated explicitly — is that America got foreign policy right before Trump entered office and got it deeply wrong over the last four years. This is nonsense. Whatever one thinks of Trump’s foreign policy, America’s standing in the world didn’t suddenly decrease when he declared “America first” — nor did the global order suddenly erode. Most of the damage had already occurred during (and because of) the Obama administration, in which Biden served as vice president. But before we go there, let’s acknowledge that the world has been relatively calm over the last four years — certainly compared to the prior eight. That’s because President Trump’s foreign policy was objectively successful, even in ways that should please the political left. Yes, there’s the coronavirus, but serious people understand that the pandemic is China’s fault, not Trump’s. And despite what the media says, Biden’s plan to deal with the virus is nearly identical to what the Trump administration has implemented for months. The only real differences are that Biden wants to impose a nation-wide mask mandate and is more open to lockdowns — policies that are ineffective, unnecessary, and potentially harmful. Beyond the virus, President Trump is the first commander in chief in years not to start any new wars. He brokered historic Arab-Israeli peace deals in the Middle East, renegotiated major trade deals, and reinvested in an emaciated Pentagon starving for funds. The president also hurt Russia by expanding fracking, re-established deterrence toward Iran, and, most importantly, helped shift Washington’s thinking to recognize China as a serious rival, not an economic partner on the road to democracy. And regardless of what CNN or the New York Times says, Trump has maintained -- and even improved -- America’s relationships with most of its allies — from central and eastern Europe, to the Middle East, to east Asia. In fact, the only allies that have really been alienated by Trump are the western Europeans. True, it’s important to mend those relationships, but the notion that Trump isolated an America once beloved during Barack Obama’s presidency is deeply misleading. Remember, Biden was vice president in an administration that wasn’t exactly on great terms with America’s allies. Obama famously described both Middle Eastern and European allies as “free riders.” Obama even warned that the “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom would end if the latter did not spend 2 percent of its GDP on defense. “You have to pay your fair share,” Obama told then-British Prime Minister David Cameron. Who else does that sound like? And don’t forget when Obama scrapped a missile defense agreement negotiated with Poland and the Czech Republic, two NATO allies, without letting them know beforehand. By failing to do the necessary diplomatic work leading up to the decision, the administration looked “like a bunch of bumbling fools,” to quote the memoir of then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Those describing Biden as the great savior have short memories. Recall the carnage and chaos that occurred during the Obama administration. ISIS created a caliphate, ravaging Iraq and Syria and murdering American captives. Russia annexed Crimea, emerging as a true adversary for the first time since the Cold War. Russia also returned to the Middle East as a major force for the first time since the 1970s, massacring Syrian civilians. Syria became hell on earth, a mass grave overflowing with blood and poison gas from chemical weapons — in part because of Iran, which rampaged across the Middle East. China grew in power and spread its military footprint throughout the South China Sea. North Korea advanced its nuclear program. The list could go on. Some of these developments may have happened no matter who was president, but many were the result of flawed policies. And Biden was by Obama’s side for all the mayhem. They oversaw a collapsing world and were proud of their record. The simple truth is that there were far fewer major violent and destabilizing events across the globe during Trump’s presidency. Indeed, the world was much more volatile under Obama than under Trump — in large part because the latter’s policies were superior, advancing America’s interests through a more realistic worldview. The question is whether Biden’s foreign policy would be Obama’s, version 2.0. There’s good reason to think the answer is yes. Many of Biden’s advisers have been and will continue to be alumni of the Obama administration. Plus, it’s doubtful that Biden changed his views in his late 70s. There may be differences at the margins, but all evidence suggests that Biden would pursue similar policies: appeasing Iran, being softer on China, all but removing military power from America’s toolkit unless pressured immensely. Regardless, one thing is clear: Obama and Biden abandoned American global leadership, not Trump. And a Biden administration would revive many of the same ideas that caused so much destruction. Order Newt's Latest Book: https://www.gingrich360.com/trump-and-the-american-future

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