Biden Faces Test of Leadership Amid Fresh Outbreak of Conflict in Israel
As violence erupts once again in the Middle East, President Joe Biden finds himself navigating multiple global crises while dealing with political paralysis at home. The situation serves as a significant test of his ability to rally alliances both domestically and internationally, all while contending with Washington‘s dysfunction and the ambitions of rival world powers.
President Biden, with nearly five decades of experience in the American foreign policy establishment, touted himself as uniquely qualified to handle global crises when compared to his predecessor. However, the outbreak of conflict in Israel underscores the complexity of his task in restoring U.S. leadership on the world stage.
In response to the attack by Hamas on Israel, President Biden swiftly reaffirmed the U.S.’s unwavering support for Israel’s security. He assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of assistance, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announcing the deployment of a U.S. carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean as a deterrent. Additional equipment and resources for the Israel Defense Forces are also on the way, following detailed discussions with President Biden.
Yet, fulfilling Israel’s request for support is not without its challenges. The ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its second year, has seen waning public support in the U.S. for providing more weapons to Ukraine. Recent polling indicates that 41% of respondents believe that Washington should provide weapons to Ukraine, down from 46% in May.
Even before the crisis in Israel, the White House was grappling with how to secure additional funding for Ukraine amid division in Congress. Some hardline Republicans managed to remove billions of dollars in Ukraine assistance from a government funding bill. The initial enthusiasm for supporting Ukraine has dwindled.
The emergency in Israel occurs at a time when the House of Representatives is in a state of paralysis, lacking an elected speaker after Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster. Providing aid to Israel may face different dynamics than assistance to Ukraine, as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle widely condemned Hamas’s attack.
Israel is likely to request additional interceptors for its Iron Dome missile defense system, adding complexity to the task of securing support from a divided Congress.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, pointed out the challenges of governing amid dysfunction in Washington, emphasizing that it sends a negative message to adversaries.
The sudden eruption of violence in Israel caught President Biden and his team by surprise. Just over a week ago, Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, stated that the Middle East was quieter than it had been in two decades. However, Sullivan also acknowledged that the situation could change, and administration officials had been monitoring rising tensions in Gaza and the West Bank.
Biden had hoped to broker an agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia to establish diplomatic ties, a move that could have brought stability to the Middle East. While these efforts remain on the table, they have become infinitely more complicated due to the recent hostilities. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that disrupting the normalization talks might have been part of Hamas’s motivation for the attacks.
Sullivan’s earlier comments reflect the administration’s view that the Middle East no longer occupies the central role in American foreign policy that it once did. The last three administrations, including former President Donald Trump’s, sought to refocus American foreign policy towards Asia to challenge China’s rise.
President Biden made the restoration of U.S. global relevance a central theme of his campaign, countering the “America first” agenda of the Trump years. His extensive experience in foreign policy and his long-standing relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu were key selling points. However, their ties have faced recent strains.
The sudden outbreak of war in Israel contrasts with the lead-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which the U.S. had been warning about for months based on intelligence reports. Even for a president with Biden’s deep foreign policy experience, a ground war in Europe was likely not a top concern, while conflict in the Middle East, despite recent calm, was always a more foreseeable challenge.
In conclusion, President Biden’s promise to restore U.S. leadership on the global stage faces a critical test as he grapples with conflicts in multiple regions amid domestic political paralysis. His ability to rally support for American leadership, both at home and abroad, will be closely scrutinized as he navigates the complex and evolving landscape of international relations.
