Can Joe Biden Lead?

From Afghanistan to Ukraine & Taiwan why is Biden a mayhem magnet?

Okay, this is not a picture of the U.S. president, but be honest, doesn’t it feel like it? Why does a president who seems so intent on avoiding problems around the world wind up with so many?

Nobody can honestly say Biden’s first big foray into foreign policy, leaving Afghanistan was a big win Then there was the finger waving at Russia not to invade Ukraine. That did not go so well. And, the latest donnybrook with Beijing over Taiwan was not the best day the White House ever had either. So what gives? I wrote a piece for Fox News describing what I thought the shortfalls of the Biden way in the world were. But what do I know?

So I gathered a cohort of Jedi-Knight good defense and foreign policy experts, whom I really respect, and asked them what the heck is going on? Here is what they told me.

Are adversaries testing the limits of American weakness? The consequences of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will also be felt beyond the Hindu Kush. Because America is a global power, its actions in one region can easily affect another region—and they often do. The chaotic and incompetent manner of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan will invite provocation in other places. Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea will be even more willing to push the envelope to see what they can get away with doing. Since the withdrawal, North Korea restarted a nuclear reactor that is key to its weapons program, Iranian proxies attacked U.S. forces in Syria, and Russia further invaded Ukraine. Non-state actors and terrorist organizations are emboldened. Many of these groups, riding the wave of the Taliban’s success, are conducting a major recruitment drive.

Are U.S. allies and partners questioning American resolve? Some of the Biden Administration’s foreign policy actions adversely affected America’s relations with its allies and partners around the world. Many long-standing partners are now questioning America’s resolve and commitment. In the United Kingdom (U.K.), for example, the House of Commons all but formally censured the U.S. President during an August 2021 debate on Afghanistan. Never in living memory has any American President received such criticism and condemnation by the parliament of the country’s closest ally. Publicly, many senior officials across Europe are now talking about the need for “strategic autonomy” from the U.S. because of President Biden’s aloof attitude toward global affairs.

Is the Administration’s approach to international relations really that lazy and unsophisticated? A great example of this was the Administration’s so-called Summit for Democracy, which needlessly and simplistically divided key U.S. partners, friends, and allies at a time of geopolitical flux. For example, two NATO members (Hungary and Turkey) were not invited at a time when NATO needed unity in the face of Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Guatemala, a democratic country in Central America, was not invited at a time when illegal immigration through America’s southern border is a major challenge. Surprisingly, Pakistan was invited (but later declined after Chinese pressure), but Singapore—a critical American partner and, according to Freedom House, a freer country—was not.

Why has the Administration failed to learn from its mistakes? President Biden is not interested in learning from his involvement in past foreign policy mistakes. For someone with half a century of foreign policy experience, this is simply inexcusable. A good example is his insistence that America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan be handled as it was. In 2011, as Vice President, Joe Biden was part of the decision taken by the Obama Administration to withdraw all U.S. forces from Iraq—even though critics of this decision called for a small training force to be left behind to assist the Iraqi security forces. By 2014, ISIS had captured a large chunk of Iraq including its second-largest city, Mosul. In the end, President Obama had to bring U.S. forces back to Iraq. It is clear from the current security situation in Afghanistan that President Biden is repeating Obama’s mistake in Iraq.

Doesn’t the Administration understand America’s role in an era of great-power competition? In this era, a superpower like the U.S. possesses two major advantages: economic influence and a strong national defense. Sadly, the Biden Administration shows little desire to advance either one. No meaningful push by the Biden

White House exists to secure new free trade deals. Instead, the Biden Administration has kept in force many of the protectionist economic policies that were implemented by the Trump Administration. The situation with respect to defense spending is similarly bleak. If President Biden gets his way with his 2022 budget request, the Department of Defense will get a paltry 1.6 percent increase in funding. This is in fact a real-terms cut in defense spending because inflation is expected to be at least 2.2 percent and likely much greater. Ultimately, the Biden Administration’s unwillingness to promote free trade and economic freedom around the world and properly fund the U.S. military in line with America’s global interests could further undermine its efforts to shore up U.S. alliances.

Why has the Administration failed to keep up as circumstances change? President Biden demonstrates an unwillingness to admit when he is wrong on major foreign policy issues. His Administration’s approach to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline are good examples. As vice president, Biden played an important role in bringing America into the 2015 agreement with Iran. Considering Iran’s behavior over the past six years across the region, it is unclear how any foreign policy practitioner could objectively support the U.S. reentering the deal. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is another example of the Biden Administration’s unwillingness to alter policies when circumstances change. After controversially greenlighting the completion of the pipeline early in his presidency, Russia immediately began to use energy as a weapon in Eastern Europe in the fall and winter of 2021. In part, this has led to an acute energy crisis across much of the continent. Then, Russia invaded Ukraine once again.

Anyway, this is what the experts are telling me.