Remarkably early, the Biden administration has issued an Interim National Security Strategic Guidance. A full national security strategy document usually takes at least a year or two. The document overlaps significantly with Antony Blinken’s speech of March 3 and a report drawn up earlier by Jake Sullivan and his colleagues at the Carnegie Endowment. But after Donald Trump’s policy carnage, it’s necessary to tell government employees, the public, and other nations how the administration proposes to address national security.
The standard national security strategy focuses on how an administration sees military threats and intends to respond to them. Military equipment will be mentioned. Diplomacy and threats like climate change and pandemics each get a token paragraph or two.
That organization is upended in the Biden interim NSS. The priorities stated are:
- Defend and nurture the underlying sources of American strength, including our people, our economy, our national defense, and our democracy at home;
- Promote a favorable distribution of power to deter and prevent adversaries from directly threatening the United States and our allies, inhibiting access to the global commons, or dominating key regions; and
- Lead and sustain a stable and open international system, underwritten by strong democratic alliances, partnerships, multilateral institutions, and rules.
These words could be interpreted as they have been previously, in terms of international rivalries and weapons development, but those are not the specifics given here. After a tour of the global security landscape, with admonitions that diplomacy comes before military action, specific issues are given in this order:
- Reinvigorate alliances and partnerships
- “Move swiftly to earn back our position of leadership in international institutions,” working with the international community on the climate crisis and pandemic
- Address the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons
- “Make smart and disciplined choices regarding our national defense and the responsible use of our military, while elevating diplomacy as our tool of first resort”
- “Our trade and international economic policies must serve all Americans, not just the privileged few”
The public health and economic consequences of the pandemic loom above all. “Our strength abroad requires the United States to build back better at home.” Cybersecurity, revitalizing democracy, and rejecting politically motivated violence are part of that building back better.
The specific challenge of China is mentioned late in the report. The challenge is described as strategic competition rather than enmity or the “great power competition” so popular with neocons. That competition, however, should not preclude working with China “when it is in our mutual interest to do so.”
Change is a major theme throughout the report. Biden’s transmittal letter mentions change multiple times. At least one mention of change in the report alludes to the Obama administration, recognizing that many people in this administration served then.
The report ends with an admonition that we must not overrely on the military and a promise that other parts of the government that engage the world will be more substantially supported. Traditional separation between domestic and foreign policy has become less meaningful, which means that governmental functions must be rethought.
All this is consistent with the Carnegie report and the Blinken speech. The administration has a single foreign policy closely entwined with its domestic policy. The three documents together make a roadmap or checklist with which to monitor the administration’s actions. So far, the focus on controlling the pandemic and the American Recovery Act, expected to pass the House on Wednesday (March 10) and go to Biden for signature, has been job one, as these documents say.
New foreign policy initiatives are likely to take a back seat to rebuilding relationships and dealing with immediate issues, most notably the damage resulting from withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and the deadline for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. As the pandemic comes under control, we will see more initiatives. That could be as soon as this summer.
Previous posts in this series:
Ken
Is there any way they could have been working on it for a year? It would reflect remarkable confidence from last March’s candidate Biden, but possibly also the perceived urgency of repairing Former Guy’s damage
Baud
I’m happy to see that the Biden administration recognizes my importance to the world order.
Omnes Omnibus
That’s good.
RaflW
It just horrifies me that previously not-totally-insane conservatives will keep thumping on about socialism or profligate spending or whatever absurd high horse they gored during the Trump years, rather than acknowledge that competent, experienced people are back in charge.
The traditional rightward infrastructure could critique the new Biden interim strategy document, and attempt to exert some influence on it, and see if they could re-gain some footing in rational America. But I’m pretty damn sure they won’t. The rot is too deep. The utter abandonment of discourse and debate will prevail on the GOP side of the sane/insane divide.
All that said, I am thankful that decent, capable people are moving fast and setting up the roadmap. I’m sure I’d have my questions, not the least is ‘what is the Biden plan and goals for Iran’, but we’ll get to that soon I think.
Cheryl Rofer
@Ken: The Carnegie report is dated September 2020, which means they were working on it during the summer.
Additionally, the Biden campaign machine was something to behold: position papers on everything, vetted all the way up. It’s clear in Blinken’s speech and the interim NSS that they are now pulling this material together and focusing it.
Cheryl Rofer
@RaflW: I Have Thoughts on the Biden plan for Iran but am not ready to share them. Nor is it wise for the administration to share all aspects of its plan and tactics.
I am delighted to see intelligent people working subtle strategies.
RaflW
@Ken: One of the benefits of Tr–p being a one term president is that Democratic policy apparatuses didn’t lie fallow for eight years. It does seem like the policy institutions were watching the multiple train wrecks of our Reign of Squalor and wanted to be ready with robust position papers and draft policies for the first 100 days. Good!
Omnes Omnibus
An administration with a cohesive, overarching, positive vision for the country. How refreshing. I can’t wait to see details unfold.
Also, I note the we don’t seem very foreign policy oriented as a group today – if ever.
Old School
@Omnes Omnibus:
It’s doing better than the reinsurance post – which is still waiting for its first comment.
Ken
@Cheryl Rofer: Ah, very impressive work first from the campaign, and now from the administration. Still, I’ll bet you that the first question Psaki fields today will be about the dog.
Villago Delenda Est
Sane, rational approach to our policy for interacting with the rest of the world.
Totally unlike the previous four years of crybaby tantrums about shit being “not fair” as if the zero-sum game is the only game in town.
WereBear
I think President Biden is serious about the FDR thing, and it’s just what we need.
Villago Delenda Est
@Ken: This is because the White House Press Corpse is composed of vile Villager scum.
Yutsano
@Ken: I’ll be surprised if she gets any questions about anything other than Champ.
Roger Moore
@Ken:
I could easily see them working on it that far back, even without remarkable confidence. The worst thing that would have happened would have been spending some time and money on a paper they never had the power to turn into policy. IMO, we should work harder at having policy papers ready to go as early as possible. It’s tricky because the party can’t really start working on them until there’s a candidate, but as soon as that’s true the party needs to put its resources into whatever policy stuff the candidate was working on.
This is a real strength of having a shadow cabinet in a parliamentary system and part of the reason they don’t need an extended transition period. I think it would be interesting to think about moving our primaries back 6-12 months, so the candidate has time to put together a full team well before the election. It’s crazy that we don’t have a good idea of what the cabinet is going to look like until well after the election; the cabinet should be something the candidate should be running on.
Gravenstone
@RaflW: If they’re not in direct, vocal opposition then they are tacitly approving what a Democrat does. That 1) absolutely cannot be allowed under any circumstances and 2) simply delays their pre-ordained ascension back into power.
Ken
@Villago Delenda Est: @Yutsano:
PSAKI: “The President has just signed the American Recovery Act, imposed sanctions on China over their actions in Hong Kong and treatment of the Uighurs, and announced that the US will be re-joining the Paris Climate Accord and the JCPA with Iran.”
PRESS CORPS: “What will you be doing to make sure Champ doesn’t bite the new White House cat?”
Unlike what Homer Simpson said, it’s not funny because it’s true.
Jay C
@Omnes Omnibus:
Is that “we” as in the BJ Jackaltariat, or “we” as in “The US in general”??
Because if the latter, it’s only a reversion to the normal American attitude towards foreign affairs: that weird mixture of arrogant neo-imperialism and disdainful isolationism. Which, disgracefully, the Trump Administration was only too adept at playing into (IIRC, Trump consistently got more “approval” for his foreign vs. domestic policies).
Don’t get me wrong: it is amazingly gratifying to see an Administration that views its National Security issues through some other lens than “What will play best on Fox News opinion segments?” …
germy
Biden hit the ground running. Move fast and fix things.
More interesting news:
Ruckus
@Omnes Omnibus:
Does a country need any policy when it’s entire governmental position is to protect the ego of its named “leader?”
KrakenJack
Not to give any credit to the failed presidency, but would Biden have had as much room to overhaul our foreign policy after a less nihilistic administration?
WaterGirl
@Ken: The repeat questions that are consistent seem to be:
Why won’t you use the word “crisis” about the border?
Something-something bipartisan
Why can’t we visit the border yet? You said you would be transparent.
WaterGirl
@germy: Oh, yay. That really needs to be done.
germy
@WaterGirl:
I’m assuming at some point Biden or his envoy will sit down with the president of Mexico and say “People sure do flee your country for a better life. Why is that, and what can we do to help Mexico?”
Doc Sardonic
@Yutsano: It was Major that ripped the arm off the Secret Service agent and beat him to death with the bloody end. Not Champ
germy
@Doc Sardonic:
Champ put him up to it.
Josie
I’m not surprised that there is a plan and that it is well thought out. We are so lucky to have Biden at this time. Thanks for posting this, Cheryl.
Doc Sardonic
@Roger Moore: The Cabinet should be something the candidate runs on, but why open another angle of attack. If Biden had said during the campaign using for example Neera Tanden, Eric Holder, and Rahm Emmanuel would be OMB, Atty Gen, and Sec State, the freak out on the left and right would have been heard by the Mars rovers.
cain
The press – will Champ need to be euthanized for not being able to protect as well as Major? ETA – why does the president not care about the safety of our brave Secret Service agents – keeping dangerous animals around? We have misgivings on what the cat will do. ETA2 – The secret service ensures the safety of the President. Champ and Major are there to ensure that is actually true.
Cheryl Rofer
@KrakenJack:
We’ve needed changes in how our government works in many areas, not just foreign policy, since before Trump. His breaking so many things opens up opportunities, as does the pandemic.
Doc Sardonic
@Ken: I could in no way do Jen Psaki’s job. My answer to your hypothetical
PRESS CORPS: “What will you be doing to make sure Champ doesn’t bite the new White House cat?” We will be selecting random press members to either slather with bacon grease or tie raw steak on and have them stroll through the White House. That should guarantee three things, the safety of the cat, exercise for Major and Champ, along with fewer stupid questions for me to deal with.
cain
@Cheryl Rofer:
I look forward to rational foreign power that understands the the past effects of colonialism and corporatism and focuses on long term value not short term gains.
gvg
I think the whole democratic establishment has been working out what we have to do when Trump is gone for the whole 4 years. Still Biden was the most experienced. I speculate that if Biden hadn’t won the primary, he would have been lobbying for Secretary of State or at least suggesting people and lobbying for policies. I think he might have gotten it too. I had been wondering before the election if he would ask Obama to be Sec of state because of the good will we need to rebuild.
cain
If Obama is willing to be a bachelor and not have a family – sure he can do that.
mrmoshpotato
@Doc Sardonic: LOL!
Also – slather mmmmmm
Roger Moore
@KrakenJack:
Biden wouldn’t have had nearly as much need to overhaul our policy if the previous guy hadn’t messed it up so badly.
germy
“After some debate, and in the interest of bipartisanship, we’ve decided to only slather the genitals of random press members. We believe this is a good compromise.”
Old School
@Doc Sardonic: Al Jaffee for press secretary!
JCJ
@Ken: When there were some initial complaints about President Biden bringing in Obama Administration alumni I believe there was a statement that he wanted people who “know where the bodies are buried.” Perhaps the quick strategy announcement represents the results of this approach
Baud
voting now on Covid bill
Cameron
I think Biden will be transformative (for the good) in domestic affairs. I think he’ll suck as much as his predecessors, of all parties, in foreign affairs. And that’s going back to WWII. Paris accord is flag-waving. Sanctions on Venezuela kill people. Demanding concessions from Iran before re-entering treaty is Trumpian and pointless. We have no business being in Syria, Afghanistan, or any of the other places the MIC has poked its snout into.
Benw
@Baud: you are? I missed Baud for Congress
cain
@Benw:
He better vote “yes, McConnell is a dick.”
schrodingers_cat
Interesting report about decline of democracies around the world in the year of the pandemic. It classifies India as an electoral autocracy, we do marginally better. It is good that we elected Biden and that Ds control the Congress
mrmoshpotato
@cain:
That resolution should pass unanimously.
germy
They failed.
Baud
Passed. BFD.
germy
This stunt didn’t work, but she got 3/4 of the Republicans to go along with her.
germy
Stacey Abrams Has a Plan to Dismantle the Filibuster and Protect Voting Rights
Old School
One Democrat votes no. Otherwise, straight party line.
germy
WaterGirl
@Old School: Who voted no???
Baud
@WaterGirl: Don’t know, but two Dems voted on the original House bill. I believe the Dem in ME CD 2 changed to yes.
Old School
@WaterGirl: Not positive. Golden (Maine) and Schrader (Oregon) were both no votes when the House passed the bill a couple of weeks ago. One switched to a yes on the amended version, but I’m not sure who.
James E Powell
COVID relief passes the house. Standing O! Tomorrow night Biden will deliver the address that defines the next year in politics.
germy
—$1,400 stimulus checks
—$300-a-week jobless benefits
—$3,000-$3,600 cash for kids
—$34B for ACA subsidies
—100% COBRA subsidies
—$350B state/local aid
—$14B vaccine distribution
—$25B rental aid
germy
It’s been a long time since 1980. Is this finally the end of Reaganism?
Old School
Biden expected to sign the bill on Friday.
Mike in NC
Attorney General confirmed. He must waste no time in investigating Trump’s treason.
Benw
I hope Major doesn’t eat the bill!
Old School
@Old School:
Rep. Jared Golden of Maine was the only Democratic Nay.
Baud
@Mike in NC: Yes!
Geminid
@WaterGirl: Probably Jared Golden (ME-2). He was one of two Democrats who voted no a couple weeks ago. The other was Kurt Schrader (OR?), who switched to yes on a vote preliminary to this one.
James E Powell
@Old School:
Purity Left twitter is on fire with claims that “Biden gave us less than Trump!”
How does someone become a person like that? What must their lives be like?
Yutsano
@Old School: He was given permission for the no vote and it didn’t affect the outcome. He seems to think it will help him in his district. It didn’t spike the bill, so I’m okay with it.
gene108
OT: Tim Ryan does righteous rant on House floor. Worth a minute of your time.
https://mobile.twitter.com/briantylercohen/status/1369403905956847618
James E Powell
@Yutsano:
Feeling even less bonhomie toward Maine voters.
Steeplejack (phone)
@Baud:
? Good one.
Baud
@James E Powell: I’m thrilled that there were no protest votes from the left in the House vote.
dnfree
When I watch PBS Newshour tonight it will be interesting to see if this is even mentioned. The indefatigable authors of Balloon-Juice are an important source of my information.
Baud
@gene108: That was on the TV earlier. I’m not a Tim Ryan fan, but that was good work.
rikyrah
@germy:
YES YES YES
Baud
@germy:
Only if the voters follow through in at least the next two, and more likely four, midterm/presidential elections.
dmsilev
I’m reading that the GOP policy suggestion in response to the relief bill is …to propose repealing the estate tax.
They are consistent, that’s for sure.
mrmoshpotato
@germy: Rethuglicans – reminding everyone everyday that they’re piles of shit who hate most of this country
Geminid
@James E Powell: I follow some of these folks on a site called common dreams. Can’t say what their lives are like. But they are very bitter and stubborn. I’ve noticed, though, that some of them, maybe new arrivals, are urging the others to take a more pragmatic view of things. The writers try to do this some, too. But most of the commenters seem like 1960’s and 70’s rads who stayed stuck.
The rose twitter people are, I think, younger. I am encouraged by the pushback they get, though, which is widespread and intense.
Ken
I assume their lives consist of tweeting most of the day, with a little time out for meals and cashing checks from shadowy conservative organizations and/or Putin.
WaterGirl
@Baud: @Old School:
Wow. I cannot imagine why any Dem would vote NO.
WaterGirl
@James E Powell: I don’t understand why Biden is waiting until Friday for the signing ceremony, but I suppose it’s so there can be some hype about it and the primetime address.
BruceFromOhio
Yeah but he dropped bombs on Syria so elections are meaningless. Or so my Instagram feed indicates.
time to get a new feed.
Thanks as always for breaking it down, Cheryl. Much appreciated!!
mrmoshpotato
How long until Moscow Mitch is begging for Garland to step down as AG and be appointed to an expanded Supreme Court?
Leave no traitorous trash stone unturned.
Cheryl Rofer
Big day.
WaterGirl
@gene108: That is good!
James E Powell
@Baud:
I remember when Tim Ryan was a rising star over at the Great Orange Satan because he gave a fiery speech against the Bush/Cheney Junta. His fortunes faded because it turned out he was not exactly pro-choice and he wanted to oust Nancy Pelosi. Maybe he will be a star again, running for senator. I fear that his congressional district will give us another Trumpist.
Cheryl Rofer
@WaterGirl: Not stepping on the primetime address.
It’s how he’s doing things. Expeditious but not rushed.
Also, I think there’s printing up to do and other routine stuff. Respect for the people who do that means not constantly rushing them.
Cheryl Rofer
Geminid
@WaterGirl: Golden will likely explain. You might have to google a Maine newspaper to see, though.
Golden’s ME-2 district was carried by trump. Noy an excuse, but possibly an explaination. I’m happy to see an otherwise cohesive Democratic House caucus. They had a very wrenching blowup in July 2018 over the emergency border funding bill, but seemed to have come out of it the stronger.
Cheryl Rofer
Benw
@mrmoshpotato:
I hope many bullets are being perspired
Baud
@Cheryl Rofer: He’s so fucking gracious.
Baud
@Cheryl Rofer: Ah, so the initial suspect pool is 30.
Baud
I’d make that trade if he can win OH.
JMG
@Geminid: My guess is Golden is the Maine Democrats equivalent to Susan Collins. That is, if his vote isn’t needed by Pelosi, he gets a pass to seem “independent,” which Mainers adore for no good reason, but if he was the deciding vote on an issue, the heat would be put on and he’d go along with the rest of the Dems.
cckids
I’ve gotta say, regarding both Ryan and Swalwell; I thought their Presidential runs were delusional, but now that they’ve gotten more exposure & interviews, I like them both.
Even delusional D candidates are more serious, smarter and generally better than the best R candidates. Yes, even Andrew Yang.
KrackenJack
@Baud: Is that “Me the People”?
Everything sounds better in French: “Les gens c’est moi”
cain
This smells like utter desperation.
ETA – I think these assholes have realized that Biden is exceeding all expectations and they were hoping to fundraise off what they thought was his failures and then use that to try to take over the party. Suck it assholes.
Cheryl Rofer
@Baud: I think it’s that he’s gracious, and a bit more than that.
Biden is modeling a presidency that is separate from Congress – separation of powers – and giving Congress credit so that it comes back into its own sense of power. Congress has been handing its power off to the president for much too long.
JWR
@germy:
It just might be now or never, but Godess, I sure do hope so! (That man was an atrocity, but you all know that, so I’ll just shut up now.)
Jay
Geminid
@James E Powell: I’m not too worried about Ryan’s district. He’s won all his races by 20 points, except last year he won by only 7.5 points. I suspect that there was a republican “trump bump” last year. Well find out next November. I’m actually hoping for a Republican post trump slump, but that can’t be counted on.
I was interested to see that while Ryan has been a Congressman since 2003, he is only 47 years old.
Gravenstone
@germy: That seems to have become her schtick since being removed from all committees. I’ve seen reports over several days of her trying to end all business on the floor essentially first thing in the morning. Bet she’s making all sorts of friends…
Mike in NC
@Jay: Ah, Norway. One of the few places The Fat Orange Bastard wanted people to immigrate here from.
Geminid
@JMG: One thing Golden and Collins definitely have in common is that last November they both benefitted from ticket splitting, carrying a district and a state won by the Presidential candidate of the other party. That was rare last year.
Martin
@Cheryl Rofer: Sounds like Biden wants to bring Iran in to relieve us in Afghanistan, which sounds like a good plan.
Amir Khalid
Off topic: something is wrong with YouTube. My laptop keyboard does everything wrong. When I try to comment there. The spacebar doesn’t work, the I key toggles me out of default view, and I’m afraid to find out what else is out of whack. Keyboard works as normal everywhere else. Has anyone else noticed this?
On topic: After the Former Guy, American foreign policy definitely needs to be on the building back better to-do list. My one misgiving is that, even at its most enlightened, American foreign policy — particularly its use of military force — hasn’t always been for the best interests of the world as a whole. I understand and accept that American foreign policy must necessarily put American interests first, but I’d like to see rather more sensitivity towards other nations’ interests and needs, and rather less “we say jump, you say how high”.
germy
Well she’s got 3/4 of the republicans going along with her.
Ruckus
@Doc Sardonic:
It may come to that.
WaterGirl
@Geminid: Yeah, I get that now. We need to keep that seat!
Dan B
@Amir Khalid: Sorry about your YouTube. I’ve been having lots of web issues with Kaiser Permanente in WA, the state. Frustrating.
The American foreign policy seems to have originated in WW II. There was a mindset that USA was the hero of the world and of Democracy. Kissinger and a host of others tied militarism and threats of its use to “Peace” and harmony in the world. It’s amazing that endless proxy wars have not impacted Americans’ perception. Small, but horrific, terrorism has excited bloodlust. Imagine what full scale combat on American soil, like Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries have endured would do to America’s crazed desire for revenge and control via military sorties and outright war.
Villago Delenda Est
@Amir Khalid: I’ve had the same sort of problem; unable to post a comment, reverting to another view. It’s odd, to say the least.
Betsy
Thank you for the summary and highlights. It’s rare to read a succinct, understandable overview of foreign policy like this — understandable, yet not dumbed-down.
If more of this kind of writing were available in the press, Americans like me might not be so ignorant of foreign policy and security.
And, this kind of succinct but sophisticated overview from a knowledgeable subject-matter writer is why BJ is my favorite political blog for over a decade.
That and all the other reasons.
YY_Sima Qian
I am glad to see a measure of humility in the document in saying that the US will “earn” back the international leadership. Of course, it is also a recognition of the obvious reality that the US is no longer in a position to simply assert leadership and expected to be followed, even by traditional allies. However, I think a lot of people in Congress and in think tanks (and not just new-con/conservative ones) have yet to recognize that reality.
As for not putting “Great Power Competition” in the document, we will have to see whether that reflects a rhetorical choice or policy choice. A number of Biden’s cabinet and sub-cabinet officials, particularly in NatSec area, have embraced the theme of great power competition. So have a number of individuals placed in policy shops within these departments, especially the DOD. Meanwhile, the US Indo-Pacific Command is openly espousing and executing strategies that take great power competition as its organizing principle. This could be policy inertia from Trump administration, while Biden administration is still in the process of formulating (let along implementing) its policies; or, it could simply be that Biden administration wants to avoid making great power competition explicit, and thereby escalate the conflicts, until the domestic fires are put out.
As I said before, “great power competition”, the words taken at face value are not necessarily bad in and of itself. Whether the competition prove destructive and damaging for all involved depends on the terms and boundaries. So far, the Biden administration is focusing on domestic restoration and renewal, which is as it should be. The so called “China-focused” bill being put together in Congress, as reported in WaPo today, is also focused on domestic investment in R&D and manufacturing. That is also as it should be. Competition is less likely to become destructive if the strategy is focused on striding forward to stay ahead, as opposed to keeping the competitor back and down.
YY_Sima Qian
@Cheryl Rofer:
Over the past decades, the US Congress has been energetically asserting itself to constrain the Executive’s freedom of action in carrying out diplomacy and economic engagement (with the only positive impact I can think of is undermining Trump’s pro-Russia slant), while completely abdicating its responsibilities in acts of war and peace (this is bi-partisan), and completely losing its ability to ratify treaties (this is due to R’s scorched earth obstruction). That is ass-backwards.