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Opinion | How Biden’s foreign and trade policy flip-flops are confusing US allies
- Statements on Taiwan, the US-China relationship and trade in the Indo-Pacific are creating confusion and mistrust
- Biden needs a decisive strategy to keep his allies and supporters on board, something he could learn from Kissinger and other political realists
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US President Joe Biden faces many international challenges, such as reducing US dependence on China, managing South China Sea disputes, supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and the backlash over his stance on Israel. These issues are reminiscent of America’s geopolitical dilemmas during the Cold War, when Henry Kissinger was a key figure in shaping diplomatic and strategic relations.
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Can Biden learn from Kissinger’s approach? The answer depends on what kind of legacy Biden wants. His foreign policies seem to lack coherence and direction, and he needs to articulate a clear and consistent strategy to the world.
History is the ultimate judge of political leaders, and Kissinger is no different. Immediately after the death of the former US secretary of state at 100, he was hailed in the press as a brilliant statesman and also condemned as a shameless war criminal, loathed and loved, reviled and revered.
Kissinger is widely regarded as a realist in international relations, influenced by thinkers such as Thucydides and Machiavelli. Realism is a theoretical framework that emphasises the absence of a central authority above the state and the constraints of politics imposed by national interest.
Kissinger is credited for maintaining America’s powerful reputation – a vital national interest during the Cold War. For instance, as the Cultural Revolution in China was ending, he paid a clandestine visit to Beijing in 1971 to set up the historical meeting between US president Richard Nixon and Chinese leader Mao Zedong in 1972. This paved the path for the US to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing.
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Kissinger may not have agreed with communism, but he thought that establishing ties with China was a reasonable compromise; it would allow the US to drive a wedge between China and the Soviet Union, strengthening America’s influence in Asia.
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