Biden’s foreign adventure begins – oped

By James Fite* Joe Biden left Wednesday, June 9, for his first overseas trip as president. He’ll meet with America’s Group of Seven (G7) and NATO allies to discuss such things as the

continued coronavirus pandemic and the escalating aggression of both China and Russia. He might even sit down with Russia’s Vladimir Putin himself. Thus begins Biden’s first foreign

adventure as president. Biden landed in the United Kingdom Wednesday night. A bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson kicks off the itinerary Thursday. Over the weekend,

Biden will meet with leaders from France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada at the G7 summit. “This trip is about realizing America’s renewed commitment to our allies and

partners,” Biden wrote for an op-ed a few days before the trip. “Whether it is ending the COVID-19 pandemic everywhere, meeting the demands of an accelerated climate crisis, or confronting

the harmful activities of the governments of China and Russia, the United States must lead the world from a position of strength.” The president’s words inform what topics will likely come

up: coronavirus, climate change, and Chinese/Russian aggression, as well as how to put an end to them all. He also set the tone with “America’s renewed commitment.” The insinuation, of

course, is that President Donald Trump abandoned the nation’s commitment to allies around the globe, as well as the issues of climate change, COVID-19, and antagonistic rivals. On the topic

of China, Biden plans to focus on competitiveness in the market and the origins of the novel coronavirus. According to the president, the U.S. and other major democracies of the world should

invest in infrastructure to create a “high-standard alternative to China for upgrading physical, digital and health infrastructure that is more resilient and supports global development.”

Regardless of what _other _world leaders do, Americans can likely expect the president to push more federal spending to achieve these goals at home and abroad. For many, this would be a bit

of a mixed bag; the increased taxation won’t be popular, but the idea of thwarting Chinese global dominance – militarily, economically, and technologically – likely would be. As for Russia,

Biden says he wants to make it clear that “Europe and the United States are tight.” The Biden administration didn’t blame Putin after the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack and explained that the

U.S. did not officially believe Russia’s government was involved. The White House later said, however, that Putin and his government have “a role to play in stopping and preventing these

attacks.” The president is also expected to visit Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle before heading to Belgium for the NATO summit on Monday, June 14, where he will talk to President

Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey about Syria, Afghanistan, and other regional issues. Afterward, Biden plans to meet Putin in Geneva on June 16. On the docket for discussion with the Russian

president are the START nuclear arms treaty, the nuclear capabilities of Iran and North Korea, Syria, the Arctic, COVID-19, climate change, and, of course, the recent cybercrimes. Given all

the hate Russia and Putin got by proxy during the Trump presidency – including from the soon-to-be President Biden and nearly all his fellow Democrats – diplomacy may be difficult. Will

Putin push back against the “I’ll let him know what I want him to know” tough guy approach or let it slide like water off a duck’s back? If he challenges the U.S. president over the

anti-Putin, anti-Russia attitude of the last several years, will Biden stick to his guns or back down? *About the author: Editor-at-Large. James is our wordsmith extraordinaire, a

legislation hound and lover of all things self-reliant and free. An author of politics and fiction (often one and the same) he homesteads in the Arkansas wilderness. Source: This article was

published by Liberty Nation