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A Winning United States Allied and Engaged


President Joe Biden speaks about foreign policy during a speech at the State Department in Washington, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025.
President Joe Biden speaks about foreign policy during a speech at the State Department in Washington, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025.

“Our alliances are stronger. Our adversaries and competitors are weaker. We have not gone to war to make these things happen," said President Biden.

A Winning United States Allied and Engaged
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In a final speech reviewing his administration’s foreign policy, President Joe Biden said, “We’ve been tested. We’ve come through those tests stronger in my opinion than [when] we entered those tests:”

“Our alliances are stronger. Our adversaries and competitors are weaker. We have not gone to war to make these things happen. ... We’ve increased our diplomatic power, creating more allies the United States has ever had in the history of our nation.”

“NATO,” said President Biden, “is more capable than it’s ever been.”

“And look at the Indo-Pacific ... We did it, but few thought [it] was possible, to build a first-ever trilateral partnership between the United States, Japan, and South Korea. Then another, among the United States, Japan and the Philippines, drawing closer to our Pacific allies to defend our shared security and prosperity.”

President Biden also pointed to the AUKUS defense pactv; the strengthening of the QUAD group of nations; and the coalition the United States brought together to protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

To counter Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, President Biden hailed his assembling 15 nations to stand with Ukraine:

“[N]ow nearly three years later, Putin has failed to achieve any of his strategic objectives. He has failed thus far to subjugate Ukraine, failed to break the unity of NATO, and failed to make large territorial gains.”

Iran too, is weaker, said President Biden: its air defenses in shambles after it attacked Israel; its main proxy, Hezbollah, badly wounded; its economy in poor shape.

“I cannot claim credit for every factor that led Iran and Russia growing weaker in the past four years. ... But there’s no question our actions contributed significantly.”

Regarding America’s greatest competitor, President Biden said, “We’re in a better strategic position in the long-term competition with China than we were when I took office:”

“Critically, we enlisted our allies and partners to join us, building more convergence among our allies on a shared approach to China than ever existed.”

“It’s clear my administration is leaving the next administration with a very strong hand to play,” said President Biden, “and we’re leaving them and America with more friends and stronger alliances, whose adversaries are weak and under pressure. An America that once again is leading, uniting countries, setting the agenda, bringing others together behind our plans and visions.”

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