Is there a Biden Doctrine? President Biden made the centerpiece of his foreign policy the fostering of democratic alliances to push back against authoritarian aggression — from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to China’s economic coercion in the Indo-Pacific.
Mr. Biden ended the failed American project in Afghanistan after 20 years, although the final withdrawal was marred by bloody chaos and a Taliban victory. He has provided Israel with nearly unconditional support after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israeli citizens on Oct. 7, 2023, incurring the anger of those who argue Israel is using U.S. weapons to commit massive human rights violations in Gaza, where Hamas-controlled health officials say an estimated tens of thousands civilians have been killed.
In this episode of History As It Happens, historian Jeffrey Engel of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University compares and contrasts the ideas behind a “Biden Doctrine” to the policies of past presidents whose names were stamped on their approach to international affairs, such as Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan.
“My sense of Joe Biden’s foreign policy is that it was a reversion to the mean, the normal of foreign policy since 1945 … the importance of alliances, collective security, of free trade. The previous president had been perceived by the world as more interested in an ’American first’ agenda,” said Mr. Engel, who added that Mr. Biden has exhibited admirable restraint by making clear support for Ukraine would not be unlimited or unconditional.
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