Carter has been laid to rest, and Smokin’ Joe Biden is being sent out to pasture. Despite their presidencies being 40 years apart, both share the dubious distinction of ranking among the worst in U.S. history when it comes to foreign policy.
In his final foreign policy speech, President Joe Biden seemed intent on cementing his legacy by highlighting what he considered notable accomplishments in bolstering the United States’ global position. However, his administration’s track record tells a different story, marked by significant setbacks. The Biden-Harris presidency has been characterized by a series of actions that undermined U.S. power and influence.
Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sharply criticized the Biden administration’s foreign policy, arguing that three years of mismanagement have left America less secure and emboldened its adversaries. He pointed to key failures, including the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the inability to deter Russian aggression, and the lack of a robust response to China’s economic coercion. Risch also cited the administration’s failure to curb illegal migration, emphasizing that these missteps have weakened U.S. influence and created lasting challenges.
Biden’s foreign policy failures are compounded by his poor handling of the pandemic, which was marked by destructive mask mandates, prolonged school closures, extended lockdowns, and coercive vaccine policies. Despite these domestic setbacks, his foreign policy has arguably been just as disastrous. As Risch stated, “The Biden Administration’s bad policies have allowed Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea to transition from transactional partners to strategic allies. This is a severe failure of American policy that will have consequences for years to come.”
Energy policy has been particularly destructive during the Biden administration, with the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and restrictions on federal drilling permits. Biden apparently hates oil and hates American independence. By killing the Keystone pipeline, he cut thousands of jobs while driving up prices at the pump. Additionally, he drove Europe to be even more dependent on Russia, despite the fact that the U.S. is funding Ukraine’s defense. The U.S. has heavily sanctioned Russia in the hopes of ending the war, but Europe’s dependence on Russian oil and gas has kept Moscow afloat and perpetuated the war.
In other areas, the administration took actions that prioritized symbolic gestures over strategic outcomes. For example, the decision to rejoin the World Health Organization without demanding reforms ignored accountability concerns, particularly regarding the organization’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, the Biden Administration had planned to “reopen diplomatic missions” of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington.
This decision was in flagrant disregard of the fact that the PLO has been designated a terrorist organization. Because it is illegal to support terrorist organizations, reopening diplomatic ties, including allowing the PLO to occupy an office, required a waiver to the 1987 Anti-Terrorist Act.
Biden made the world less safe by extending the New START Treaty for five years “with no conditions to ensure Russian compliance or America’s ability to inspect nuclear stockpiles, enforce implementation of the treaty, or monitor Russia’s nuclear posture.” In 2021, he ended U.S. support for the Saudi offensive in Yemen. Afterwards, the U.S. experienced the highest gas prices in history, and the Yemen-based Houthis were free to attack U.S. ships.
This Biden gaffe, along with his characterization of the Saudis as murderers and a pariah state, made Saudi Arabia less willing to cooperate with the U.S. to lower oil prices or confront the rise of terrorism in the Middle East. In Biden’s defense, a justification he might offer for abandoning the Saudis in Yemen is that he removed the terrorism designation from the Houthis, a decision which baffles the mind.
Under the Biden administration, Iran’s influence in the Middle East has grown significantly, empowering groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, all of which contribute to regional instability. Key policy decisions played a role in this empowerment. The administration resumed nuclear negotiations with Iran in February 2021 without preconditions, despite Iran’s violations of the JCPOA, its support for terrorism, and ongoing destabilizing activities. This concession-driven approach emboldened Iran’s nuclear ambitions and malign activities.
Further actions included the revocation of snapback sanctions on Iran’s weapons sales, removing UN-imposed restrictions that had previously curbed Iran’s ability to supply arms to terror groups and other states like Russia. Additionally, the administration lifted travel restrictions on Iranian diplomats, allowing them greater freedom in the U.S. without securing any concessions. This raised security concerns, given Iran’s documented attempts to assassinate senior U.S. officials and target American citizens. Collectively, these decisions have strengthened Iran and its allies, undermining U.S. influence and stability in the region.
From COVID to Iran and countless places in between and beyond, the Biden administration’s foreign policy has weakened U.S. power, endangered national security, and made both the United States and the world less safe.
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