The Biden Doctrine Is Not "America First Light"... It's Been Done Before

     I recently read a periodical in which it was stated that a clear "Biden Doctrine" was emerging and that it could best be described as "America First Light." I've never seen a more incorrect assessment of foreign policy, and I felt it necessary to rebuke this accusation.

     Donald Trump's "America First" policy was undoubtedly an absolute disaster. He left the World Health Organization, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Paris Climate Agreement, the Iran Nuclear Deal, and countless other agreements designed to protect Americans and bolster the economy while cutting off relations with the Palestinian Authority, slashing refugee admissions, trying to build a wall and separating families while cutting off aid to Latin America, banning Muslims, halting advocacy for human rights and environmental protection, and putting off our NATO allies. His "US-Mexico-Canada Agreement," the "New NAFTA," was only moderately different from the 1994 agreement and served mainly to piss off Canada and Mexico. 

     Joe Biden rejoined the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement and is currently negotiating with Iran on a nuclear deal. He restored relations with the Palestinian Authority, restored refugee admissions, cancelled the construction of a wall, stopped the family separation policy, announced the largest aid package to Latin America in history, ended the Muslim ban, restored a human rights and environmental priority (including the refilling of an LGBTQI rights envoy and the creation of a climate envoy) and reengaged with NATO, G7, EU, ASEAN, and other allies. Vice President Harris alone has already traveled to Vietnam, Singapore, and Guatemala. These agreements included the opening of a new embassy in Hanoi; the announcement of a new CDC in Southeast Asia; hundreds of millions of dollars in new investments in conservation, healthcare, business, manufacturing, cybersecurity, and more; the distribution of hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccines; the deployment of troops to train and assist anti-terrorism efforts in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and, significantly, the signing of a New Atlantic Charter with a focus on cybersecurity, climate change, and other, more modern, issues while reaffirming the same basic principles established 80 years ago.

     Wanting an end to war is not "America First Light." Joe Biden, while he voted for the 2001 and 2003 invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, became an opponent of President Bush in 2007 when the latter wanted to surge troops with no real plans for leaving the countries better than America entered them. Biden was assigned the task of overseeing the withdrawal from Iraq in 2011, and, while he was not successful, tried to persuade President Obama to leave Afghanistan when the first mission ended in 2014. He ran on the promise of ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is on track to keep both promises. Biden has also been a proponent of using foreign aid and diplomacy over military force since his career in Congress began.

     I think history would also serve as a good example here. Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush's presidencies focused on foreign affairs because they never had control of Congress, and George W. Bush used Iraq and Afghanistan to build political support when he didn't have control of Congress. (He ultimately got it between January and June of 2001 and from 2003 to 2007.) Bill Clinton did have a number of foreign affairs successes, including in Jordan, Haiti, Ireland, Bosnia, and Kosovo. However, foreign affairs was not a policy priority for Clinton, and he never waged a full-blown war with American troops. He was especially cautious after the Battle of Mogadishu killed America troops, not intervening in places like Rwanda. This was from 1993 to 1995, when he had control of Congress and focused on balancing the budget, controlling crime, implementing gun control, and passing leave for employees. Clinton conducted even less airstrikes than Biden is on track to, notably in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sudan. His main achievements in foreign affairs, aside from the aforementioned treaties, were 300+ trade agreements and the resumption of relations with countries like Vietnam, and these all occurred between 1995 and 2000, after the "Republican Revolution." Jimmy Carter, on the other hand, never fired a single missile or deployed any troops. He negotiated the Panama Canal Treaties and the Camp David Accords while withdrawing troops from South Korea. A young senator named Joe Biden also led the efforts to pass the SALT II Treaty. 

     Joe Biden is following an established policy by previous Democratic presidents of not using military power in a bullying fashion and instead focusing on responding to threats as they arose while building stronger relations with allies. Of course, this has been adjusted to the 2020s to focus on threats like terror in the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, cybersecurity, climate change, pandemics, and more. Thus, calling a "Biden Doctrine," which describing seven months into an administration is foolhardy to attempt, "America First Light" is more than just presumptuous-- it's wrong.