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Country Reports

What's next for the United States?

by Syreta Haggray

Part 4: Restoring Democracy in the United States and Abroad

How is the Biden administration changing the direction of the U.S.? The KAS Office USA takes a first look, in a series of five country reports. This report looks into the Biden administrations' efforts to strengthen and promote the tenants of democracy including human rights at home and abroad.

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In July 2020, while on the campaign trail, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden announced his plan for a new U.S. foreign policy – a plan that recommits the Unites States to her leadership role among the democracies of the world within multilateral alliances and marking a reversal of Trump's isolationist policies which undermined America’s democratic alliances and weakened her position and credibility as a world leader .  

In Biden’s essay in Foreign Policy on “Why America Must Lead Again - Rescuing U.S. Foreign Policy After Trump” , he argues that as domestic and foreign policies are closely connected – even dependent on another, the former must align with the latter. He echoed this conditionality once more during his first public speech on foreign policy as president on February 4th, 2021 at the Department of State. Before this, however, Biden had declared that the U.S. ”cannot re-engage with the world and re-establish herself as a global leader without first doing the hard work of rebuilding, strengthening, and expanding the tenants of her democracy at home first.” The Biden campaign’s foreign policy platform emphasized that for the U.S. to be seen as a credible force by her partners and rivals alike, she must, once again, lead by her example.

„But democracy is not just the foundation of American society. It is also the wellspring of our power. It strengthens and amplifies our leadership to keep us safe in the world. It is the engine of our ingenuity that drives our economic prosperity. It is the heart of who we are and how we see the world—and how the world sees us. It allows us to self-correct and keep striving to reach our ideals over time… As a nation, we have to prove to the world that the United States is prepared to lead again—not just with the example of our power but also with the power of our example. To that end, as president, I will take decisive steps to renew our core values. “

During his run for the presidency, Joe Biden created a label for himself as having “a plan” for every policy aspect and indeed he did. His vision for the U.S. "Restore American Leadership Abroad"  is a comprehensive blueprint for renewing and re-establishing America’s core values and exemplary leadership claim. This plan, characterized by introspection and self-correction consists of two main objectives; both the promotion of democracy at home and abroad.

 

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Contact

Paul Linnarz

Paul Linnarz bild

Director KAS office USA

paul.linnarz@kas.de + 1 202 464 5840
Contact

Syreta Haggray

Syreta Haggray bild

Program Manager

syreta.haggray@kas.de +1 202 464 5845

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About this series

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung is a political foundation. Our offices abroad are in charge of over 200 projects in more than 120 countries. The country reports offer current analyses, exclusive evaluations, background information and forecasts - provided by our international staff.