President Joe Biden’s legacy on national security and foreign policy will leave significant challenges for a future Donald Trump or Kamala Harris administration, with no easy or quick fixes in sight. .

During Biden’s tenure, wars broke out across the Middle East and Europe, and tensions with America’s adversaries, known informally as the “axis of evil” including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, rose dramatically. In the run-up to withdrawal, Biden officials have taken a series of moves to calm global tensions, but depending on which candidate wins, either Trump or Harris could take over in January. It won’t be enough to solve the obvious problems that need to be solved. Presidency. (Related article: US boots take a hit in Israel as Iranian threat looms)

“[Biden’s has] The president has had a very active foreign policy in the sense that there are many fires burning in different parts of the world, and the United States has managed them ineffectively. I think Mr. Biden’s legacy is going to be some kind of powerless giant,” Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy at the CATO Institute, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The next administration, whether it’s Harris or Trump, there’s going to be a lot of fires to put out.”

The Biden-Harris administration is seeking to quell the ongoing wars currently engulfing parts of the Middle East, including conflicts between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, terrorist networks based in Syria and Iraq, and Iran. He is working relentlessly. The conflict initially began between Israel and Hamas (which invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people), but has since evolved into a broader regional dilemma, leaving the regime with no control or control. There is little management ability.

Biden officials proposed various ceasefire proposals, but none of the parties accepted them. Diplomatic attempts have also failed to ease tensions or persuade Israel, Iran, and their terrorist proxies to rein in the conflict. Israel is expected to attack Iran directly in the coming days in retaliation for the Iranian attack in early October.

Biden officials reportedly believe behind closed doors that there is virtually no chance of calm in the region between now and January, and some of the United States’ Arab partners also He seems to have similar feelings.

Arab official: ‘There’s no chance of that happening right now’ said The Wall Street Journal reported in September about a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. “Everyone is in wait-and-see mode until the election is over. The outcome will determine what happens with the next government.”

Mr. Biden gives an update on his administration’s response to Hurricanes Milton and Hurricane Helen in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 11, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Iran is a central player in the conflict as the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, using its funds to fund various extremist groups in the Middle East. The Biden administration has eased sanctions on Iran for the past three years in hopes of forging some diplomatic ties with Tehran. This seemingly failed, as the country remains as hostile as it was before President Biden took office, raking in billions of dollars in sanctions relief that were then distributed through terrorist networks.

Some of these funds are being used to further Iran’s nuclear program, raising serious concerns among Western nations that the regime will eventually build nuclear weapons. . (Related: Russia’s ‘merchant of death’ returns to arms game, sells to terrorists after being released under Biden administration: Report)

Iran’s nuclear program is accelerating so rapidly that it will be difficult to stop it at this point, even if President Trump wins and resumes his “maximum pressure” campaign against the Iranian regime.

“The most dangerous situation is probably the fear of a nuclear Iran, which has grown exponentially during the Biden term,” Victoria Coates, a senior executive at the Heritage Foundation and former White House national security adviser, told DCNF. “This development makes the Iran case much more difficult than it was four years ago, and will likely be difficult to completely reverse by the time President Trump takes office.”

Elsewhere, Biden officials are also struggling to navigate the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. This war has been going on for two years and shows no signs of stopping. Despite the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives in the battle, neither side was able to gain significant territory or come even remotely close to victory.

Harris and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speak to reporters before a closed-door meeting on the White House campus in Washington, DC, on September 26, 2024. (Photo by Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images)

Billions of dollars in U.S. aid have only done so much to provide Ukraine with enough defense to deter Russian forces, and some lawmakers and commentators say the Biden-Harris administration and Ukraine I fear there is no strategy to end the war.

“[Russian President Vladimir Putin] He saw an opportunity in Ukraine and sensed the Biden administration’s reluctance to engage and lead on the world stage. So he probably saw an opportunity to take over Ukraine,” Morgan Vigna, a former Pentagon official and adviser to Ambassador Nikki Haley, told DCNF.

“The United States definitely supported Ukraine and enabled Ukraine to deter Russia. But if the United States had given Ukraine the ability to win, this war would have been over,” Binya said. “We see this conflict becoming protracted because of Biden’s reluctance to provide these tools to Ukraine.”

The two wars only explain some of the global problems that will arise during President Biden’s term. The relationship between the Biden-Harris administration and China (which is rapidly improving its military capabilities) has been incredibly rocky over the past three years, with the administration trying to protect Beijing from a series of espionage operations that infiltrated U.S. soil. I couldn’t stop it. own borders. (Related: World’s largest state sponsor of terrorism sets sights on new target: becoming a vacation destination)

China has its eyes on Taiwan and has threatened to return it to Communist China, either peacefully or by force. Chinese forces in the Taiwan Strait have become increasingly aggressive in recent years, regularly conducting invasion drills and simulating blockades around the island.

And while the Trump administration made historic progress in establishing diplomatic forays with North Korea, those efforts have collapsed under the current administration. North Korea has become even more isolated in recent years and continues to build up its already substantial nuclear stockpile.

President Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea on June 30, 2019 (Handout photo provided by Dong-A Ilbo, Getty Images/Getty Images)

Viña told DCNF that there is little chance that all of these issues will be even partially resolved between now and when Biden leaves office.

“If anything, I think there is potential for escalation. Biden is a lame duck president at this point, and he’s been a lame duck since Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee,” Bina said. . “He hasn’t been taken seriously by many of our adversaries and even by many of our friends in the past. He certainly isn’t taken seriously at all right now…Biden at this point. I don’t think they are in a position to gain any kind of trust.”

So either Trump or Harris will be in charge and will try to address some of these issues. Both Trump and Harris bring different experiences and different methods to navigating conflict.

Experts told DCNF that Trump’s “America First” brand of policy style would lead to very different actions than Harris. Between his election and his inauguration, President Trump vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine war – relying on his relationships with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy and President Putin to restore peace in the Middle East and Iran. apply more severe pressure on the government and contribute to its reconstruction. Strengthen relations with North Korea and take a competitive approach towards China, especially in trade relations.

“This unfortunate situation can be quickly corrected through the clear and decisive American leadership shown by former President Trump,” Coats told DCNF, citing Trump’s track record in his first term as president. pointed out. (Related: ‘Strategic disaster’: UK abandons islands hosting secret US military bases)

From left to right: Harris, Biden, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Trump, and vice presidential candidate JD attend the annual 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York City on September 11, 2024.・Mr. Vance. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Logan said some of Trump’s goals, such as ending the Russia-Ukraine war within months, may be difficult to achieve. Trump previously said He will end the war in just 24 hours.

“Trump is a little different because he makes a lot of statements that are impossible to disprove. “If I were president, the Russians would never have invaded Ukraine.” That would be great if it were true, but we don’t know why or how. “The exact mechanism is not clear,” Logan said. “President Trump said he would end the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours. How, we don’t even know.”

Harris, on the other hand, appears to have minimal foreign policy experience and will likely have to rely heavily on advisers to form a policy platform. She also seems to show a lack of basic knowledge about important geopolitical issues, or at the very least, does not show that she is familiar with them.

“As I listen to Kamala Harris speak, I end up asking even more of the questions I had in the first place,” Logan told DCNF. “There’s a mysterious quality to her statements on foreign policy that is frankly baffling.”

In her role as vice president, Harris has largely kept pace with Biden’s foreign policy, and is likely to inherit most of it during his four years as president.

Experts say current global conflicts and issues will likely be worse under Harris, given that Biden’s approach appears to have yielded few positive results or failed altogether. It is likely that the situation will worsen significantly.

“The Biden administration is leaving behind a world of rifts and conflict where adversaries and allies alike are deeply distrustful of American intentions and credibility,” Coats told DCNF. “Harris has shown no intention of breaking this terrible legacy and is likely to do more to sever it than pick up the pieces.”

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