The White House National Security Council on Wednesday (March 3) released the Biden administration’s Interim National Security Strategic Guidance (INSSG). The NSC said the strategic guidance is President Biden’s vision for engagement with the world and provides strategic guidance on national security for all branches of the U.S. government. The report singles out the Communist Party of China, an “authoritarian state,” as the only “major competitor” that has the potential combined power to challenge the international system.
At a White House press briefing Wednesday, White House spokesman Jen Psaki said the National Security Strategy Midterm Guidance aims to seize the once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild U.S. dominance both at Home and abroad. The strategic guidelines will provide a direction for all branches of the U.S. government to examine and develop a comprehensive U.S. national security strategy, with a final report to be released later in 2021.
The 20-page document says the current fate of the United States is inextricably linked to the rest of the world, including the ongoing fight against global epidemics, economic downturns, crises of racial justice and climate emergencies.
Global democracy under attack from within and without
The report warns that global democracy, including the United States, is increasingly under siege.
Liberal societies have been challenged from within by corruption, inequality, inequity, polarization, populism, and anti-freedom threats to the rule of law, and nationalism and nativism accelerated by the new coronavirus crisis have created a nations-for-themselves mentality that has left us all more isolated, less prosperous, and less secure,” the report says. Democracies are also increasingly challenged by external hostile authoritarian powers.”
The national security strategy guidance document goes on to say, “We face a world of rising nationalism, ebbing democracy, and growing tug-of-war with Communist China, Russia, and other authoritarian powers, while the technological revolution affects every aspect of our lives. Our times present unprecedented challenges, yet also unparalleled opportunities.”
In the foreword to this medium-term national security strategy approach, President Biden said the United States must reach out, not retreat back home, to demonstrate American strength around the world and dissipate threats before they reach the United States. He also said that just as improving global health can reduce pandemics that threaten the American people and economy, promoting American values in the world can also help the United States, so he believes that promoting equal rights for all people, whether women, girls, LQBTQI people, Native communities, people with disabilities, and people of different races and religions, will ensure that the rights of the next generation of Americans are also protected.
Communist China is the only major competitor with the combined power to continue to challenge the international order
The report notes that the changing distribution of power in the world poses new threats, particularly to the Chinese Communist Party, which is rapidly becoming more powerful and is the only U.S. competitor with the potential to combine economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to sustainably challenge a stable and open international system.
The report also noted that Russia remains determined to strengthen its global influence and play a disruptive role in the international arena, and that both Beijing and Moscow are investing heavily in attempts to “constrain U.S. dominance and prevent us from defending our interests and allies around the world.
In a speech earlier the same day, Secretary of State John Blinken elaborated on the foreign policy component of the Biden Administration‘s strategic approach, saying that the Chinese Communist Party is “the only country that has the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to make a difference to a stable and open international system – all those rules that we want the world to function that way. The Chinese Communist Party is “the only country that has the economic, diplomatic, military and technological strength to pose a significant challenge to a stable and open international system – all those rules, values and relationships that we want the world to function in. Blinken said the “greatest geopolitical test” facing the United States in the 21st century is its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party, competing with it when it should, cooperating with it when it can, and confronting it when necessary.
U.S. to Restore and Strengthen Relationships with Allies and Partners
Secretary Blinken said the United States will “manage” its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party from a “position of strength,” and that it will also work with allies and engage with international organizations.
This requires us to engage in diplomacy and in international organizations, because where we have withdrawn, China (the Communist Party) has taken advantage of the situation,” Blinken said.
The NSC’s strategic guidelines say the Biden administration will work with international allies such as NATO, Australia, New Zealand and allies in Asia such as Japan and South Korea to stand together internationally, move toward a unified vision and unite their efforts to establish more effective international norms to hold countries like China accountable for their actions. The report says that the strength of such international alliances is America’s greatest strategic asset.
The Biden administration believes that the Chinese Communist Party leaders seek unfair advantages in many areas and engage in aggressive coercive behavior that undermines the norms and values that are at the core of an open and stable international system. The United States will therefore confront unfair and illegal Chinese economic practices that harm American workers, while safeguarding the U.S. supply chain of critical national security technologies and medical supplies.
The strategic approach says the Biden administration will support the CCP’s immediate neighbors and business partners so they can make independent political decisions without coercion.
The report said the United States will support Taiwan, a leading democracy partner and an important economic and security partner to which the United States has a long-term commitment.
The report also said that the Biden administration would uphold democracy, human rights and human dignity in matters such as Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. The Biden administration will also seek cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party on issues that are in the common interest of the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, including climate change, global health and security, and arms control and nonproliferation.
President Biden has repeatedly stated that the U.S. must first build on its strengths – his vision of “rebuilding the good,” strengthening and securing the U.S. economy, focusing on cybersecurity to protect U.S. technology, and ensuring that American workers have good-paying jobs.
“An inflection point in history”
The National Security Strategy Midterm Guidelines conclude by stating, “This is an inflection point. We are in the midst of a debate about the future direction of the world. To prevail, we must show that democracies can still deliver real benefits to our people. It will not happen by accident – we must defend, consolidate and renew our democracy.
“That means building our economic foundations back up, restoring our standing in international institutions, revitalizing our values at home and defending them loudly around the world, modernizing our military capabilities while leading through diplomacy, and reviving the network of American alliances that make the world a safer place for all of us with partnerships.”
“No nation is in as good a position as the United States to lead such a future. Doing so requires that we embrace and restore our enduring strengths and engage the world with confidence and strength. If we do so, and work with our democratic partners, we will meet every challenge and outsmart every challenger. Working together, we can and will build back better.”
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