By Srdja Trifkovic

Chronicles

People are policy and Joe Biden has 2,000 of them. That is, according to reporting in Foreign Policy magazine that his team of foreign policy and national security advisors has swelled to more than that number. A contingent of that size could be expected to produce a torrent of interesting ideas and fresh proposals, from the fundamentals of grand strategy to the minutiae of specific policies. The fruits of their labor are modest, however.

Biden’s team would have America reenter the Paris climate agreement, and adhere to the pledge to cut America’s greenhouse gas emissions 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. Biden would also return the country to the World Health Organization and resume contributions. He wants the U.S. to head a global coalition to find a coronavirus vaccine, showing the world that America is back solving global problems and restoring the liberal international order.

Thus far, we have conventional Washington opinion. The devil is in the detail, and on the vital issue of managing relations with China we get none. Supposedly, the most effective way to meet challenges from Beijing “is to build a united front of friends and partners to challenge China’s abusive behavior, even as we seek to deepen cooperation on issues where our interests converge, like climate change and preventing nuclear proliferation.” A tall order indeed.

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