Biden has no foreign policy plan – Trump does

The 2020 election has been anything but predictable. From COVID-19 to the presidential debate, nothing is reminiscent of the past. One notable aspect of this election is that it is missing discussions of foreign policy. As a conservative who favors a world order in which America is active and leading, this worries me. Foreign policy is not something that should be overlooked, considering the stark differences between President Trump and former Vice President Biden.

Biden likes to claim that American leadership needs to be restored abroad. However, despite what those on the left claim, Trump has been widely involved in directing of American interests abroad.

Trump prefers a policy of “America First,” which some see as abandoning our allies. This alleged abandonment was most notable in his call for South Korea and Saudi Arabia to repay America for our protection against regional threats. I do not see this as an abandonment of our allies, but merely an acceptance of the fact that American taxpayers subsidize these bases, and we should be compensated for it.

Biden has claimed that he will work with our allies instead of against them, which he protests that Trump does. This slander is nothing more than a political move by Biden to convince people that Trump has ruined relationships with our most important allies. However, Biden and any educated voter knows that our allies depend on us. We set the standard and goals for the future and it will take more than one president to change that dependence.

On the issue of China, Biden and Trump not only differ in approach, but also in their understanding of the situation. Trump correctly sees China as a threat. China’s growing economic hegemony over the region is an ever-growing peril to the sovereignty of Asian countries and global democracy. Trump has chosen to confront China on such issues, engaging in a trade war that has hurt China’s economic growth.

On the other hand, Biden has been critical of Trump’s handling of the situation. Biden states that America should increase naval presence and cooperate with Japan and South Korea. This is not only a dangerous idea, but is also antithetical to his global view of peace and stability. Biden also claims that China and America can work together to solve climate change with a continuation of the lackluster agreement signed in 2014 by President Obama and  Xi Jinping.

 Perhaps the most extraordinary achievement of President Trump’s foreign policy agenda is the signing of the Abraham Accords. The Abraham Accords uprooted years of diplomatic theory that peace in the Middle East region could only occur with the establishment of a Palestinian state through Israeli concessions. We have yet to see the full effects of this agreement, but it will surely open more doors for peace and normalization between Israel and Arab states.

Biden had eight years to normalize relations between Israel and the Arab states – he did not. His plan, four years later, now involves aiding Israel on the condition that they change course in the conflict with the Palestinians. This not only leaves our ally cold in one of the most consequential global regions, it could tear down everything that President Trump has accomplished.

Based on the information above, it is clear who the proactive and realistic candidate is: President Trump. Over the past four years, he has challenged the status quo, reimagined our China strategy, achieved diplomatic breakthroughs in the Middle East and much more. Joe Biden has no solid plan for his next four years. His foreign policy is more a ridicule of Trump than anything else. In an increasingly globalized world, we need a president who understands the reality of the situation, not one who claims to be an expert but has 47 years of experience to the contrary.

Maxwell Clegg is a sophomore studying public policy and public service and economics.