The resurgence of Donald Trump into the White House means Joe Biden’s last effort in the foreign policy stage, especially in Ukraine and in the Middle Eastern conflict, would be ineffective. Countries in Europe have already started to change pole positions and are waiting to see which way the wind will blow in order to forge an alignment with America, if necessary.
Leslie Vinjamuri, an analyst with the British think tank, Chatham House stated, “European leaders are very quickly reaching out [to Trump]. They are congratulating him. They want to talk with him. They want to work with him because they understand that the stakes are very high.” She also stressed that European leaders would like to be wait and see how things would pan out, especially regarding commitments made with Biden that would not be congruent with the upcoming Trump administration. The risk of being at cross purposes with Trump’s policies as a sitting US president, Vinjamuri remarked could deal a heavy diplomatic blow on nations together with the threat of reprisals from America when he assumes presidency
Biden’s Foreign Policy Vision: the Last Day and the First Day
As a president, he has paid very much attention to two regions with the highest tensions, Eastern Europe regions and the Middle Eastern region. But since he has an administration which is nearing the end of their presidency, any action taken in this period by Biden will be regarded as a lame duck period where a possible reorientation will be undertaken by Trump.
Russia and Ukraine: What went wrong in Biden’s presidency?
One of the most remarkable features of Biden’s presidency was the strong encouragement of Ukraine in its struggle against the Russian offensive. Even with great efforts and resources allocated to repelling Moscow’s armies, there are still vast amounts of Ukraine’s lands occupied by Russia. It is an active war which continues with Germanic Russian assaults at great costs. Biden’s desire to curb Russian agression may be rendered useless if United States under Trump decides to shift or downplay the importance of the Ukraine issue in favour of other policies that will favour Moscow’s agenda.
Middle East: War makes any diplomatic effort seem futile
The attempts of the Biden administration to act diplomatically in the Middle East, especially its pre-election efforts to diffuse the Gaza and Lebanese situations, do not seem to bring any fruitful results. The fighting on the ground, air raids, and a dramatic rise in civilian casualties leads to the conclusion that effective ceasefire talks will not come soon. Following the major Hamas assault on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 individuals in Israel and around 250 individuals in captivity, the Israeli response has been very forceful. Since October 8, local health officials have reported that Israeli military actions have resulted in the deaths of more than 43,600 people in Gaza and more than 3,000 in Lebanon.
Trump’s policy towards other countries will possibly add a new dimension to the conflict zones. Biden’s partnerships with Europe on these matters may have to contend withthese issues might come under strain as it appears that now many leaders are keen to toe the line with Trump policies. For Biden, however, it makes his last manoeuvres in foreign policy more challenging and his track record more unclear.
The future of democracy in America is at a crucial juncture and as most of the world strategizes their future: They are looking at Ukraine and Biden’s final efforts to contribute in this region as Trump’s return to presidency appears inevitable.
