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Commentary
Wall Street Journal

Biden’s Foreign-Policy Doom Loop

As US power is seen to recede, risks rise in the South China Sea, and elsewhere.

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
A Philippine Coast Guard vessel and Filipino military personnel stationed in the Spratlys on December 10, 2023, in Palawan, Philippines. (Jes Aznar via Getty Images)
Caption
A Philippine Coast Guard vessel and Filipino military personnel stationed in the Spratlys on December 10, 2023, in Palawan, Philippines. (Jes Aznar via Getty Images)

With less than a year before a challenging election, the Biden administration risks getting caught in a political doom loop. President Biden’s perceived weakness at home undermines his authority in dealing with foreign leaders, while the deteriorating global picture erodes his popularity at home.

Mr. Biden’s foreign-policy efforts have not exactly been crowned with success. In Ukraine, Western squabbles and policy misfires have given Vladimir Putin reason to hope that victory might be heading his way. In the Middle East, as the original wave of Western sympathy for Israel following the Hamas terror attack fades, calls for a cease-fire that would leave Hamas in control of Gaza steadily mount. More ominously still, Iran’s proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq are stepping up their assaults, with the Houthis now attacking peaceful commerce in the vital Red Sea.

Read the full article in the Wall Street Journal.