Breathe
By Raquel López-Portillo Maltos
"America is back" became the mantra Joe Biden repeatedly employed to define his foreign policy in contrast to the previous four years starring Donald Trump's isolationist "America First." In the final week of his term, Biden sought to define his legacy narrative on this issue with a grandiloquent, triumphalist, self-congratulatory and at times quite Trumpist discourse: the United States is winning the global competition, its economy is "the envy of the world." Its alliances are now stronger and its adversaries weaker. In short, Biden posited that he leaves a better country than he found. However, these statements do not seem to fit entirely with the current international scenario and the twilight of his administration.
In reality, it is difficult to conceive of a stronger and more powerful United States in the face of such a convulsive, complex and volatile international scenario. Although the return to diplomacy, the strengthening of its alliances and the commitment to multilateral organizations was a constant, Biden's main objective was also the commercial and technological war with China, promising to stabilize relations with Russia and to pacify the Middle East with a return to the nuclear agreement with Iran. Four years later, the results are diametrically opposed to that initial objective.
If one were to draw a timeline marking the beginning of Biden's foreign policy challenges, one could say that the departure of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021 was the beginning of a downward spiral. In fact, this episode can also be seen as the beginning of the decline in Biden's popularity, which declined from that moment until the end of his term. Although the final withdrawal of troops after 20 years of intervention was negotiated by Donald Trump, the burden of its execution fell on Biden, with the historic photographs of Afghans hanging from U.S. military planes becoming a symbol of the human cost of a chaotic withdrawal. Although around 125,000 people were successfully evacuated, thousands of Afghans were left in limbo as the Taliban retook control of the country.
This event was followed by the two major wars that detonated during his term in office. In Ukraine, although the United States has led the effort to support Kiev by supplying weaponry, unprecedented economic sanctions against Russia and consolidating alliances in Europe, diplomatic attempts have been insufficient to end a war that continues to escalate without a clear outcome. The prolongation of the conflict has tested the unity of the West, increasing pressure on defense budgets and provoking tensions in allied countries facing growing economic and social challenges stemming from the energy and humanitarian crisis.
For its part, far from achieving the goal of a more stable Middle East, his administration plunged into the Gaza conflict by unconditionally supporting Israel economically and militarily, while maintaining a contradictory rhetoric on the defense of the human rights of the Palestinian population. This stance has not only exposed a lack of coherence in its foreign policy, but has also exposed a diplomacy incapable of negotiating a sustainable cease-fire that would end the humanitarian suffering in the region. While the United States is not responsible for the resolution of both conflicts, Biden raised expectations too high at the beginning of his term with this return of diplomacy plagued by ambitions that failed to materialize.
As for China, although the Asian giant's economy has not surpassed that of the United States, containment has been relative, considering its growth and technological development. Likewise, the defense of Taiwan's autonomy as part of the U.S. strategy has suffered the impacts of defense cuts due to inflation. In addition, it is undeniable that China is on the right track in the expansion of its global presence and the generation of alliances in other latitudes, while U.S. leadership faces doubts, both in terms of its trade policy and its ability to project stability and credibility.
Both Mexico and Latin America were conspicuous by their absence in the discourse, perhaps because there were few achievements in this part of the hemisphere despite the cultural, economic and political ties that exist and demand greater collaboration. Although Mexico became the main trading partner of the United States during the Biden administration, the enormous challenges in terms of migration, security and drug trafficking overshadowed the benefits that this meant. Biden's lack of a strategic policy in this region is inversely proportional to the growth of China's influence, an aspect that the next administration will undoubtedly not overlook.
Ironically, it is Donald Trump and not America who is back, bringing with him a turn toward isolationism, an endorsement of multilateralism and the return of threats as a diplomatic tool. In a few years, history will judge more clearly the effects of the outgoing president's vaunted legacy. In the meantime, next Monday marks the beginning of a new era in a world order that seems weaker than it was decades ago.
*Master's Degreein Government and Public Policy from Universidad Panamericana, Bachelor's Degree in Human Rights and Peace Management from Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana and specialist in Political Analysis, Democracy and Elections from Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE). She currently works as a Strategic Analyst for Latin America in a multinational technology company. She is Executive Secretary of the Youth Program of the Mexican Council on International Affairs for the period 2024-2026. She is a columnist for the newspapers El Universal and Opinión 51, and collaborates as an international analyst for ADN40, El Financiero, Milenio, CNN, among others.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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