Eas President of the United States in 2020, Joe Biden promised to put an end to “endless wars”. Four years later, while his mandate will soon end, a strange paradox is emerging. The leader kept his word, withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, even if the debacle of this withdrawal still haunts his administration. Since then, he has had to get involved in two conflicts with global shock waves: in Ukraine and Gaza. The United States brought all its military and diplomatic weight to bear, jeopardizing its reputation. Their credibility is today undermined, given the means used, the results obtained and, above all, the untenable contradictions in the way of considering these two crises. Seven months before the presidential election, the Biden administration seems bogged down, even though foreign policy should have been its main asset.
Considering the strategic interests of the United States coldly, the results are far from negative. No American soldiers died in Ukraine, while the Russian army suffered a historic setback in the initial phase of the war. Its ranks have been decimated, its capabilities diminished at sea, on land and in the air. In addition to this unexpected result, a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, in a conflict that would spill over from Ukrainian borders, was avoided. The objective set by the White House has been achieved. There was no escalation. It is in the name of this priority that Washington refused to offer Kiev a timetable for joining NATO, during the Vilnius summit in July 2023. As for relations with the allies, undermined under the presidency of Donald Trump, they have been reestablished and intensified, even if, at the prospect of a possible return to power of the businessman, apprehension is growing in Europe.
In the Middle East, on the other front, the United States is contemplating a precipice. After the unprecedented attack launched by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, the abuses of which shocked American officials, the Biden administration reacted without delay or trembling. “It’s not just about politics or strategy, it’s personal for us”, explained, ten days later, the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. From the start of the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza, Washington set itself a horizon: avoid a regional conflict involving Lebanese Hezbollah and Tehran. The objective was then held, thanks to the massive deployment of naval forces in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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