United States (US) President Joe Biden sought to turn the page on America’s ties with its NATO allies on Friday, as he sought to re-establish the US as a multilateral team player after four years of an “America First” foreign policy under the previous administration.
In his first major international (virtual) address at the 2021 Munich Security Conference, Biden pledged unwavering US support for its partners and vowed to work towards rebuilding trust with its allies. “I know the past few years have strained and tested our transatlantic relationship,” the president said. “But the United States is determined – determined to reengage with Europe, to consult with you, to earn back our position of trusted leadership.”
In seeking to undo the damage done by his predecessor – who had angered allies by abandoning global accords and threatening to cut off defence assistance unless they stepped up themselves – Biden reiterated America’s commitment to NATO, saying that it would honour the alliance’s mutual defence clause, also known as Article 5. “An attack on one is an attack on all. That is our unshakeable vow,” Biden said, adding: “Our partnerships have endured and grown through the years because they are rooted in the richness of our shared democratic values. They’re not transactional. They’re not extractive. They’re built on a vision of the future where every voice matters.”
Stressing that the world was at an inflexion point, Biden said that moving forward, defending, strengthening, and renewing democracy in cooperation with one another was at the core of meeting global challenges. He emphasiSed that this meant working towards levelling the playing field and establishing common rules – regarding the economy, and the advance of technology, be it in cyberspace, artificial intelligence, or biotechnology – to ensure not just accountability, but also the broad and equitable distribution of the benefits that come from growth in such sectors. “We must stand up for the democratic values that make it possible for us to accomplish any of this, pushing back against those who would monopolize and normalize repression,” the president said, noting that this was the way to deal with the myriad of threats posed by both, China as well as Russia.
However, Biden said that despite competition, it was important for countries to be able to find avenues for cooperation. To that end, he cited the US and Russia’s decision to extend the New START Treaty despite their differences and said that Washington was also preparing to reengage with the P5+1 on Iran’s nuclear program.
He stressed that cooperation was even more important on issues that affected everyone worldwide. He spoke about the need to strengthen international health security frameworks to address future crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and announced that the US was pledging $2bn to COVAX, with another $2bn over the next two years to urge other nations to step up as well. He also called on countries to take rapid measures to address climate change and said that the US’ readmission to the Paris agreement was a sign of its commitment to the cause. “The last four years have been hard. But Europe and the United States have to lead with confidence once more, with faith in our capacities, a commitment to our own renewal, with trust in one another, and the ability of Europe and the United States to meet any challenge to secure our futures together,” Biden said.
The US’ efforts to re-engage with international allies was well received by its partners, with UK PM Boris Johnson, in particular, hailing the return of Washington as the “leader of the free world”.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson: "America is unreservedly back as the leader of the free world and that is a fantastic thing." pic.twitter.com/zgcvNZJhTt
— The Hill (@thehill) February 19, 2021