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| President Joe Biden leaves the stage after a speech at the US State Department in Washington, DC. January 13, 2025 | Photo: Reuters |
Joe Biden says the USA is 'stronger' on the world stage in defense of his administration's foreign policy during his farewell speech. He said, "In these four years, we have faced crises, we have had to take tests. I think we have come out of the tests stronger than we started in."
Biden made these remarks in a speech at the US State Department on Monday. Donald Trump will be sworn in as the new president on January 20. This was Biden's last speech on foreign policy before that.
In his speech, Biden said, "We stand at a turning point. The post-Cold War era is over. A new era has begun. New challenges will arise in the months and years ahead. Yet it is clear that my administration is leaving the next administration in a very strong position."
While Biden has praised his administration, critics have given it low marks in several areas, especially its blind support for Israel in the Gaza war.
Biden said the United States is stronger and its enemies weaker than when he entered the White House. "We are leaving behind an America that has more friends and stronger alliances. Our enemies are weaker and under greater pressure. We are leaving behind an America that is leading again, bringing countries (allies) together, setting the agenda, and rallying others behind its own plans and goals," he claimed.
Trump was a vocal critic of Biden's foreign policy during the campaign, accusing Democrats of rapidly weakening the United States' position abroad by allowing wars to spread to Ukraine and the Middle East.
But Biden said otherwise on Monday, saying that under his leadership, the US technology sector, the economy, and the US strategic position vis-à-vis China have been strengthened.
Biden also praised his administration's role in mobilizing NATO support for Ukraine after Russia invaded. Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Not leaving the war in Afghanistan
Biden also defended the extreme chaos that arose over the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021.
The United States reached an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan during Trump's first term, not Biden's. However, Biden was in power when the final troop withdrawal took place.
"When I took office, I had the opportunity to make decisions. But ultimately, I saw no reason to keep thousands of troops in Afghanistan," Biden said, adding that he was the first president in decades not to leave a war in Afghanistan for his successor.
War criminal slogan
The situation in Gaza is even more serious and worrying than what Biden said in his speech about the Israeli invasion. As he was coming to deliver his speech, protesters outside were chanting "war criminals."
Critics allege that Washington's military support for Israel (since the start of the Gaza war) amounts to supporting atrocities on foreign soil.
Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, 46,584 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks. UN experts have warned that what Israel is doing in Gaza is tantamount to genocide.
The United States provided Israel with about $17.9 billion in aid in the first year of the Gaza war and is still providing funds. Experts believe that Biden's unwavering support and assistance to Israel in the Gaza war has left a permanent scar on his image.
In his speech, Biden also talked about his Gaza ceasefire plan, which was approved by the UN Security Council in June last year. But no ceasefire agreement has yet been reached.
Biden said, "A proposal I made a few months ago is now on the verge of becoming a deal. It is finally going to be implemented." He also said he recently spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on this issue. Biden also said that he would soon speak to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on this issue.
Biden said, "Over the years of serving in government, I have learned never, under any circumstances, to give up hope."
Regarding the situation in Gaza, Biden said, "Many innocent people have been killed, and many communities have been destroyed. The Palestinian people deserve peace." He also spoke about other countries including China and Russia.