Dem
51
GOP
49
This is foreign policy week for Joe Biden. Usually foreign policy doesn't play a big role in elections—unless Americans are getting killed in a war somewhere—but it comes with the job of being president, so Joe Biden is doing what he needs to do. There are four things he has done recently on that front.
First, he has approved the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine. These are weapons that are packed in artillery shells and fired at an enemy target. When they hit, they scatter small bomblets over a wide area. They can be used against tanks but also against troops. Since the Russians are dug in deeply in the areas of Ukraine they occupy, these weapons could wreak havoc among the Russian soldiers. The downside is that a few percent of them are duds and don't explode when they land. Years later, when a child finds one and out of curiosity picks it up, it could explode and kill the child. For this reason, over 100 countries have banned their use, but the U.S. never signed the treaty banning them. Neither has Russia. Many U.S. allies have signed it and are unhappy with Biden's decision to supply them. But he has said that Ukraine is running low on ammunition and besides, Russia is using them, so the ground is already full of their duds. Some Democrats disagree with Biden's decision. Other Democrats supported his decision. But their approval or disapproval is just an interesting sidebar, as the buck doesn't stop on Capitol Hill.
Second, on Friday Biden announced that the U.S. has destroyed the last of its stockpile of chemical weapons. In 1997, the Senate ratified a treaty stating that all signatories had to destroy their stockpiles before Sept. 30, 2023. Now the U.S. is in compliance. While the U.S. doesn't sign all weapons treaties (see above), it does honor the ones it signed. Chemical weapons, especially poison gas, were widely used during World War I with devastating effects. At least 100,000 people were killed by them, and some multiple of that were permanently injured. Another million were injured by them since WWI.
Third, Ukraine wants to join NATO. Biden said the time is not ripe for that, certainly not in the middle of a war. Furthermore, Ukraine doesn't meet all the qualifications for membership. Biden clearly understands that if Ukraine were to join NATO now, all the other NATO countries would be drawn into the war with Russia and it could easily lead to World War III. Starting WW III would make it hard for the Republicans to say Biden is "weak on Russia," but he is not going to accept the consequences of having Ukraine join NATO now just to forestall GOP talking points. NATO membership for Ukraine is not going to happen until the war is over and maybe not even then.
Fourth, Biden left on a European trip yesterday. It is all about NATO and the war in Ukraine. He will first meet with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing St. They have met before. In fact, they have met five times before. Although Sunak opposes the use of cluster munitions, the meeting is likely to be cordial. Biden knows that dealing with Sunak is a lot easier than dealing with the mercurial Boris Johnson. After meeting Sunak, Biden will travel to Windsor Castle to meet King Charles III. Biden will certainly talk about all his efforts to deal with climate change, a topic Charles is passionately interested in. This will be the first time Biden has met Charles since he became king. Next, Biden will go on to Vilnius, Lithuania, to meet with NATO leaders and discuss the war. There are many unsettled issues and some divisions in the alliance. Countries that border Russia want to take a much stronger approach to curtailing Russian aggression than countries far from the fighting. One issue that won't come up is who will replace NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, whose term is up. Since the members can't agree on his replacement, they have asked Stoltenberg to stay on for a bit and he has agreed. After Vilinus, Biden will take a victory lap and visit Helsinki, capital of the newest NATO member.
All in all, it does show that Biden has a quiet toughness and can take on Russia. Foreign policy probably won't be a major issue in 2024, but to the extent that it is, Biden has it well covered. (V)