Following months of preparation for Russia’s war against Ukraine, US President Joe Biden’s National Security Strategy Focuses on China, Russia and Democracy at Home finally unveiled his long-delayed national security policy on Wednesday.
The order that had overcome for three decades following the conclusion of the Cold War, according to Biden, “is decisively finished”, and he emphasized that a new period of “competition is begun between the great powers to decide what comes next.”
The president had maintained the interim national security directive he issued in March 2021, and his first official plan maintains its focus on China as the US’ lone near-peer global rival while highlighting the necessity to continue attention on Russia.
In a brief introduction to the 48-page report, Biden stated that “China harbors the intention and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order in favor of one that tilts the global playing field to its benefit, even as the United States remains committed to managing the competition between our countries responsibly.”
He also spoke on Russia’s nearly eight-month conflict with Ukraine, saying it “has destroyed the peace in Europe and harmed security worldwide” and is “endangering the global non-proliferation regime” because of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “reckless nuclear threats”.
He remarked, ostensibly referring to Russia and China, “Autocrats are working overtime to destroy democracy and propagate a model of governance distinguished by repression at home and compulsion abroad”.
These rivals are erroneous in thinking that democracy is weaker than autocracy because they don’t realize that a country’s power comes from its citizens. Because of our domestic strength, the United States is strong abroad.
In order to maintain a competitive edge, the US strategy aims to “successfully compete” with China while “contain[ing] a still deeply threatening Russia.”
Biden’s National Security Strategy Focuses on China, Russia, and Democracy at Home, it emphasizes the need of supporting US democracy, which was harmed by former President Donald Trump’s attempts to obstruct the orderly transition of power after he lost the 2020 election to Vice President Biden by more than 7 million votes.
Trump has persisted in sowing doubt about the outcome among his followers by making unconfirmed claims of election fraud, which have been rejected by the courts at every turn and by his former attorney general William Barr.
The campaign plan said that “as Americans, we must all agree that the people’s decision, as expressed in elections, must be honored and preserved”. “We also think that important adjustments are still required to strengthen our governance structure”.
