National security adviser Jake Sullivan recently declared significant strides in international relations under President Biden’s leadership.
Jake Sullivan highlighted that under the current administration, the United States has fortified its alliances and weakened its adversaries, notably Russia, China, and Iran, contributing to enhanced national security, Fox News reported.
Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Sullivan detailed how under President Biden, the United States has seen a strategic improvement in relationships with allies. He emphasized that NATO and Asia-Pacific alliances are now stronger than they have been in decades. This strengthening of ties has inherently led to a decrease in power among America's key competitors.
The Biden presidency, however, was not without its controversies and critical international dilemmas. The mishandled Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021 and the challenging landscape of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 were significant.
Moreover, the repercussions of terrorist attacks such as the Oct. 7, 2023, strikes on Israel shaped a complex international scenario.
Defending the Afghanistan withdrawal, Jake Sullivan argued that remaining in the region would have continued to endanger American lives and provided Russia with undue leverage in global politics. This decision was pivotal in steering U.S. military and strategic focus away from prolonged ground conflicts toward broader global counterterrorism efforts.
Jake Sullivan reassured that ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release in the Middle East are approaching a crucial phase; however, the final agreements are yet to be signed. Brett McGuirk, Biden's principal Middle East adviser, has been pivotal in these negotiations, spending substantial time in Doja to cement the terms.
At this critical juncture, it is important to note that, despite ongoing investigations, there has been no proven connection between the Afghanistan withdrawal and the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans. Sullivan reiterated President Biden's assertion that the nature of terrorism has evolved, thus requiring a shift in focus from localized threats to a more distributed form of extremism that encompasses domestic radicals.
Furthermore, the geopolitical landscape as President Biden’s term concludes shows a nuanced shift. With increased U.S. aid directed towards Ukraine and intensified diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, America's foreign policy stance now appears recalibrated to meet emerging global challenges.
President-elect Donald Trump, in his Jan. 7, 2025, press briefing, sharply criticized the outgoing administration’s handling of international conflicts. He speculated that his approach could have averted the Ukrainian crisis and assured swift resolutions to ongoing conflicts.
Adding to the discourse, Trump issued a stark warning against Hamas regarding the ongoing hostage situation. He suggested that failure to resolve this before his inauguration could escalate tensions significantly in the Middle East.
Sullivan's comments convey a narrative of recovery and redirection in U.S. foreign policy over the past four years. As he puts it:
Our alliances are stronger than where we found them four years ago. They're stronger than they’ve been in decades. NATO was more powerful, purposeful, and bigger. Our alliances in the Asia Pacific are at all-time highs. And our adversaries and competitors are weaker across the board. Russia's weaker, Iran's weaker, China's weaker, and all the while we kept America out of wars. I think that the American people are safer, and the country is better off than we were four years ago, and we're handing off that to the next team, as well as having the engines of American power humming.
The current administration aims to hand over a more secure and strategically positioned United States to the incoming administration, marking a significant pivot in focus and a potentially stabilizing shift in global geopolitical dynamics.
