FP Live: Biden’s Foreign-Policy Report Card

Biden’s Foreign-Policy Report Card

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An illustration shows US President Joe Biden surrounded by the foreign-policy issues he has faced in his first two years in office.

To mark the halfway point in U.S. President Joe Biden’s first term in office, Foreign Policy asked 20 experts to grade his administration’s performance on relationships with Russia and China, as well as on issues such as defense, democracy, and immigration. The assessments ranged all the way from A- to a failing grade. But more broadly, is there a way to define his administration’s agenda? Is there a Biden doctrine?

FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke to experts with very different perspectives for insights. Nadia Schadlow was a deputy national security advisor in the Trump administration and is now a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Stephen Wertheim is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a longtime advocate for ending so-called forever wars. Perhaps surprisingly, Wertheim was more critical of Biden’s foreign policy—specifically on China—than was Schadlow. Is that because Biden has largely doubled down on former President Donald Trump’s China policies?

Watch the interview or read the condensed transcript to find out.

Stephen Wertheim explains how U.S. President Joe Biden’s overall foreign-policy vision is a tale of two different Bidens.

Stephen Wertheim explains his concerns over transparency regarding where U.S. objectives in the war in Ukraine lie and how it ends.

Nadia Schadlow breaks down where there are problems in Biden’s handling of the war in Ukraine and where his administration has taken the right approach.

Stephen Wertheim

Senior fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Stephen Wertheim is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Nadia Schadlow

Senior fellow, Hudson Institute

Nadia Schadlow is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former U.S. deputy national security advisor for strategy during the Trump administration.

Host

Ravi Agrawal

Editor in chief, Foreign Policy

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An illustration shows US President Joe Biden surrounded by the foreign-policy issues he has faced in his first two years in office.
An illustration shows US President Joe Biden surrounded by the foreign-policy issues he has faced in his first two years in office.

Are America and Europe Aligned on China?
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The war in Ukraine has propelled the United States and Europe closer on a variety of foreign-policy issues. But do Washington and Brussels agree on how to deal with Beijing’s growing clout...Show more

An illustration shows US President Joe Biden surrounded by the foreign-policy issues he has faced in his first two years in office.
An illustration shows US President Joe Biden surrounded by the foreign-policy issues he has faced in his first two years in office.

Inside the U.S.-China Tech War
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Over the last few years, the United States has moved to limit China’s technological rise. U.S.-led sanctions have imposed unprecedented limits on Beijing’s access to advanced computing c...Show more

An illustration shows US President Joe Biden surrounded by the foreign-policy issues he has faced in his first two years in office.
An illustration shows US President Joe Biden surrounded by the foreign-policy issues he has faced in his first two years in office.

Is America Making a Bad Bet on India?
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For decades, the U.S. foreign-policy establishment has made the assumption that India could serve as a partner as the United States jostles with China for power in the Indo-Pacific region. B...Show more

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