Introducing his foreign policy and national security team, the President-elect shows his intention to escape the “America First” nationalism pursued by President Trump, after he took office on January 20, 2021.
The incumbent Republican president has caused a lot of unease to US allies in Europe and elsewhere, with an opposing approach to the NATO alliance and in trade relations, as well as the abandonment of international agreement, according to Reuters.
The former Democratic vice president said his team, including trusted aide Antony Blinken as candidate for foreign minister, would discard what he describes as the “archaic and unchanged habit” of his foreign relations approach.
“The team will show that America is back, ready to lead the world, not withdrawing from it and once again sitting at the top, ready to face our enemies and not give up our allies, ready to protect our values, ” said Mr. Biden from his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
The world situation has changed a lot since the last time a Democratic president owned the White House four years ago. China is rising and increasingly bold, Russia seeks to further assert its influence, while American influence is weakened as Washington pulled out of the treaties and American morale was weakened by domestic turmoil.
On November 23, Mr. Biden announced the first six figures in his future cabinet dedicated to diplomacy and national security, signaling major policy changes.
Foreign policy under the Biden administration is likely to adopt more of a multilateral approach and diplomacy to repair US relations with key allies, at the same time pursuing new topics such as climate change.
Mr. Biden said he was impressed after the calls with about 20 world leaders “by what they expected in America to reassert its historic role as a global leader”.