The Right Way for the U.S. to Engage the World Again
To revive relationships abroad, the Biden administration will have to act nimbly and creatively.
Biden’s victory alone won’t repair friendships abroad.
Photographer: Erin Scott/Bloomberg
Joe Biden needs no reminder of the value of alliances. The incoming U.S. president, unlike his predecessor, appreciates that America’s unparalleled network of partnerships strengthens its defenses, invigorates its economy, constrains its rivals, and preserves a world order friendly to U.S. values and interests. Biden has rightly declared that rebuilding those relationships will be among his top priorities in office.
America’s friends will welcome a return to sober and principled U.S. statesmanship — but few will simply embrace Biden’s agenda. Some will be content to see the U.S. bear the burden of confronting rivals such as Russia and China. Others, scarred by four years of Donald Trump, will look first to safeguard their own interests, as the European Union recently did in signing an investment pact with Beijing. U.S. competitors will seek to widen every crack between Washington and friendly capitals.