Biden's foreign policy tested by Trump legacy

President Joe Biden is expected to highlight key points of his administration's foreign policy in a speech before American diplomats at the State Department Thursday, just as he is facing two critical tests of whether the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol has damaged America’s standing as a beacon for democracy.

Protests in Russia in support of opposition leader Alexi Navalny and a military coup in Myanmar come as American credibility on the world stage is the lowest in recent memory after last month’s storming of the Capitol by a pro-Donald Trump mob looking to stop the certification of Biden’s election victory.

Biden is seeking to fulfill a campaign pledge to dramatically reposition the U.S. as a global leader following four years of foreign policy driven by Donald Trump's “America First” mantra. That policy was marked by the frequent disparagement of democratic allies and the occasional embrace of authoritarian leaders.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Wednesday Biden's upcoming visit was largely focused on thanking the State Department staff. "This will not be a lay down of his vision for every issue and every foreign policy issue," she said.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow, Bruce Jones, says there is deep skepticism now about the durability of American commitment to multilateral institutions or alliances. Jones said many countries had difficulty handling the dysfunction of the Trump administration.

"So, there'll be a kind of huge sigh of relief," Jones told Associated Press, adding there "will be an underlying hesitation," knowing that the Biden approach could change in two or four years. Biden, in the early days of his presidency, has sought to send the message in a series of calls with foreign leaders that America is back.

He's reassured Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga that the U.S. has its support in an ongoing territorial dispute with China over islets in the East China Sea. He's sought to reset the relationship with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was belittled by Trump as "dishonest & weak." And he's told Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that the U.S. would send $4 billion to help development in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala — nations whose hardships have spawned tides of migration through Mexico toward the United States.

Biden's new Secretary of State described the relationship between the United States and China as "arguably the most important relationship that we have in the world going forward."

Stephen Pomper, the Interim Policy Chief with the International Crisis Group described the relationship between the two countries during the Trump years as filled with "really needless, foolish friction."

Biden has threatened to slap new sanctions on Myanmar after a coup that saw the military arrest the civilian leaders of its government, calling the episode "a direct assault on the country's transition to democracy and the rule of law."

But Jones believes the coup in Myanmar will pit the Biden drive for supporting democracy against "containing China's influence in the region."

The crises in Myanmar and Russia present Biden with difficult tests of his promise to reestablish global leadership that are likely to be far more complicated than mending fences with traditional allies.

In his first call with Russian President Vladimir Putin as counterparts last week, Biden raised concerns about the detention of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the crackdown on supporters backing his arrest. The mass arrests have only accelerated in the days since the two leaders spoke as protests have continued across the country.

Navalny's supporters wrote to Biden urging him to take meaningful action with sanctions against members of Putin's inner circle to demonstrate that he's serious about reclaiming the U.S. role as a champion of democracy. The events of January 6th, where a riotous pro-Trump mob attacked Capitol Hill, have weakened Biden's hand in promoting democracy abroad. "Key to the United State's strength and to the strength of its example overseas is the ability to get it's own house in order," Pomper said.

Image: AP