US Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump

Par Edgar Saint-Hillier

On January 20^th, Joe Biden will replace Donald Trump at the White House, triggering a set of changes for the United States and its foreign policy. Biden has indeed campaigned on his opposition to Trump’s foreign policy and his objective to repair the damage wrought by President Trump. The two men indeed represent opposite conceptions of US interests abroad. On the one hand, Trump considers that the protection of the US’s interests may be realized at the expense of other countries and not through multilateral co-operation, contradicting decades of projection of American values. On the other hand, Biden claims a return to diplomacy and the defence of democratic values to restore American leadership on the world stage.

This dichotomy can be clearly observed in the Middle East, especially through the Iranian issue and the Yemeni civil war. During the past four years, Trump has led a hardline policy towards Iran as well as supported Saudi-coalition in Yemen. Biden, in opposition, has already announced his desire to relaunch diplomatic negotiations with Iran and withdraw US support from the Saudi-led coalition, accused of fuelling the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.