In his first major foreign policy speech, President Joe Biden delivered a strong speech against Russia and China, in a calculated balance with the idea that the United States will resume diplomacy at the center of its relationship with other countries of the world.
From inside the State Department, home of the US Chancellery, Biden said Thursday (4) that the days when the United States bowed to Russia were over, in its harshest public rejection of the practices. of Vladimir Putin’s government so far.
“The days when the United States bow to aggressive Russian actions that interfere with our elections, launch cyber attacks, poison citizens, those days are over,” Biden said.
The Democrat also said he spoke with Putin on Wednesday (3), and the two agreed to extend an agreement on nuclear security and stability for five years. “We will be more effective in our relations with Russia when we act in coalition and cooperation,” added the US leader.
During his nearly 20-minute speech, the Democrat announced several other practical measures, such as ending US military support for Saudi-led offensives in Yemen, in addition to freezing the withdrawal of US troops from Germany, and called for the army in Myanmar to abandon power and violence, citing possible consequences if the situation in the country is not resolved quickly.
Since arriving at the White House, Biden has indicated he will maintain – if not strengthen – Trump’s assertive China policy. In this Thursday’s speech, the Democrat showed that, despite softer rhetoric and space for dialogue that did not appear in the Republican government, Beijing continues to be seen as a threat.
Biden cited “China’s ambition as a rival to the United States” and “Russia’s determination to harm and disrupt our democracy” when discussing the current challenges of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic , climate change and to defend democratic rule and human rights.
According to the president, these must be the pillars of his chancellery in charge of the White House.
“The United States is back, diplomacy is back,” Biden said. “We will rebuild our alliances, we will re-engage the world.”
The break with Trump’s authoritarian, isolationist foreign policy was one of Biden’s main campaign promises, but one of the Democrat’s biggest announcements on Thursday, the end of support for the intervention in Yemen, is the reversal of a measure initiated within the Barack Obama administration.
Since 2015, when Biden was Obama’s deputy, the United States has supported the Saudi-led coalition to support the Yemeni government against Iranian Houthi rebels.
A Saudi ally, Trump has continued US military aid in a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives, mostly civilians, in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to the UN.
During an election debate, Biden had said he would make Saudi Arabia an outcast because of the war, which pleased the progressive Democratic wing.
Senator Bernie Sanders, for example, was one of the main supporters of ending US military support for Yemeni offensives, and his allies saw Thursday’s announcement as the peak of years of activism to raise awareness. of the reality of this country.
With his speech, Biden took a new step in his mission to restore American leadership in the multilateral arena. His plan is to put the country back at the center of the world, but unlike Trump, with a policy rooted in alliances to respond to the pandemic, oppose undemocratic governments and ensure environmental protection, a theme with consequences. direct to Brazil.
“Over the past two weeks, I have spoken with the leaders of many of our closest friends – Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany, France, NATO, Japan, South Korea and Australia – to start reforming cooperative habits and rebuilding the muscles of democratic alliances that have withered in four years of neglect and abuse, ”Biden said.
“US alliances are our greatest assets, and leading diplomatically means being once again side by side with our key allies and partners.”
The Democrat has yet to speak to President Jair Bolsonaro, and there is no date for that to happen. Brazilian diplomats believe a conversation between the two leaders will only take place when specific measures are discussed.
Last week, Biden signed an ambitious $ 2 trillion (nearly R $ 11 trillion) climate plan in which he directly cites protecting the Amazon.
The text, which has yet to be approved in the polarized US Congress, says the United States “will exercise its leadership to promote a significant increase in global climate ambition to match the environmental challenge.”
Biden criticizes the destruction of the Amazon and previously cited the forest in a debate with Trump last year. At the time, the Democrat said the United States would join other countries in offering a $ 20 billion (roughly R $ 108 billion) fund for biome preservation.
“Stop destroying the forest. Otherwise, you will have significant economic consequences,” Biden said.
Bolsonaro, for his part, said he did not accept what he called “corruption” and called Biden’s position “unfortunate.”
With a conciliatory profile, Biden specializes in foreign policy and was responsible for much of the Obama administration’s relations with Latin America, becoming one of the US presidents who knows and cares most about Brazil. .