The Biden administration's US national security strategy views China and Russia as two authoritarian regimes that reject democratic values and pose a challenge to international peace and stability. With their own personal ends and oppressive and authoritarian behaviors, the strategy nonetheless sees that the United States and its allies and partners have an opportunity to shape China and Russia's external environment in a way that influences their behavior even as they compete with them.
China and Russia have always been present in US national security strategies as key partners and allies with whom political, economic and technological cooperation is constantly being developed, but the situation has changed 180 degrees from the strategy of the administration of former President Donald Trump and after him the administration of President Biden, where the outlook has completely changed Both countries pose a direct threat to the security and international hegemony of the United States
The US position on China and Russia has changed
According to the website of the US Department of Defense, work began on preparing the US National Security Strategy "NSS" (NSS) as of 1987 during the era of former President Ronald Reagan under the Ministry of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, with the aim of sending it from the President to Congress to present the vision of national security From the executive branch to the legislative branch, the strategy allows discussing the proposed uses of all aspects of American power necessary to achieve the security goals of the United States, and 18 national security strategies have been prepared since the issuance of the resolution until now.
From the era of President Reagan until the end of the era of former President Bill Clinton, presidents committed to submitting it annually in most years, but it became a periodical every 4 years, starting from the era of former President George W. Bush, starting in 2002.
Since the start of work on preparing these strategies, China and Russia have always been present as partners and key allies. Aspects of political, economic and technological cooperation are constantly being developed with them through leadership meetings, committees, competent bodies and international agreements, but the situation has changed 180 degrees starting from the strategy of the administration of former President Donald Trump. Issued in December 2017, when the view of the two countries completely changed as they pose a direct threat to the security of the United States and its international dominance, especially the Chinese threat. The past five years, under its Republican and Democratic leadership, focused on the military, security, technological and economic threat that China has become to the United States, and then Russia.
Uncompetitive China Challenge
The strategy describes China as the only competitor with the intention of reshaping the international order, and it continues to increase its economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to achieve this goal, breaking away from the traditional competition advocated by the United States in the market of various economic interests.
The strategy identified 3 aspects to contain China, as follows:
Investing in the foundations of national strength: competitiveness, innovation, flexibility and democracy.
Alignment with the network of allies and partners, and joint work to achieve a common goal.
Compete responsibly with China in the areas of technology, economics, politics, military, intelligence, and global governance.
The strategy indicated that competition with China will be more visible in the Indo-Pacific region, but this competition is also increasingly global, as the race is taking place around the world to write the rules of the road and shape the relationships that govern global affairs.
The strategy emphasized that competition with China will make the next ten years the defining decade, that the United States is now at an inflection point, and that the choices the United States makes and the priorities it will pursue today will determine its competitive position long into the future.
Despite this leading position occupied by China among the challenges facing the United States, it was absent from the strategy of escalating force against China, this escalation that dominated President Biden's statements last year and accompanied the visit of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan last August, the strategy worked on Containing the escalation and giving priority to the diplomatic language by returning to the affirmation of the United States' commitment to the one-China policy that does not support Taiwan independence, but with an emphasis on its commitment to the Taiwan Relations Law to support self-defense, and to resist any Chinese resort to force or coercion against Taiwan.
This position has led the US administration into a clear contradiction towards the sincerity of its intentions with China, as the recognition of one China means that Taiwan is part of China, and that China has the right to extend its full sovereignty over it. It is interacting in a way that the diplomatic strategy that the US administration is talking about will not succeed, especially as it insists on interfering in the affairs of regions that it basically recognizes as part of China. Military rivalry between the two countries.
Once again, the United States put its interests ahead of its democratic principles and values when the strategy states, "We will always be ready to work with China where our interests coincide. We cannot let the differences that divide us prevent us from moving forward on priorities that require that we work together for the benefit of our people and the world ".
And the strategy repeated the contradictions of the United States again, saying, "We will deal constructively with the People's Republic of China wherever we can, not as a service to us or anyone else, and not in exchange for moving away from our principles, but because working together to solve major challenges is what the world expects." The United States is with the tyrannical China and establishes mutual interests with it without jumping on its principles and values?!
The strategy sought to contain the escalation and give priority to the diplomatic language with China by reiterating the commitment to the one-China policy, but also its commitment to supporting Taiwan for self-defense against any Chinese resort to force against Taiwan, which is a clear contradiction towards the sincerity of the US intentions with China, as the Recognizing one China means that Taiwan is part of China and that China has the right to exercise full sovereignty over it
In the face of unruly Russia
The strategy sees Russia in the past decade opting for an unruly imperialist policy aimed at overturning the basic elements of the international order, culminating in a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in an attempt to overthrow its government and bringing it under Russian control, in addition to its interventions in Syria, its destabilization of its neighbors, and its blatant attempts to undermine internal democratic processes. In countries across Europe, Central Asia and around the world, it brazenly interferes with American politics and sow divisions among the American people, violates human rights within Russia, suppresses dissent, and shuts down independent media.
The strategy mentions that the United States, over the successive administrations, has made great efforts to reduce competition between it and Russia, but President Putin rejected these efforts and it is now clear that he will not change, and Russia under his leadership has become a direct and continuous threat to international peace and stability, noting that this threat is not related to In the conflict between the West and Russia, it is related to the basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations, to which Russia is a party, in particular respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and the prohibition of the acquisition of territory by war, which Putin's Russia is not committed to.
Hence, the strategy justifies the United States leading a unified, principled, and resolute response to the Russian invasion, and mobilizing the world to support the Ukrainian people to defend their country. A broad and lasting international coalition was formed, organizing near-record levels of security, military, humanitarian, economic and development assistance to strengthen the Ukrainian government and help millions of refugees who They were forced to flee their homes.
The strategy indicated that the United States is working with its allies and partners to make Russia's war on Ukraine a strategic failure, and that NATO has united with the European Union in confronting Russia and defending common values.
The strategy argues that Putin's war has significantly reduced Russia's standing vis-à-vis China and other Asian powers such as India and Japan, and that the historic global response to Russia's war sends a resounding message against Ukraine that countries cannot enjoy the benefits of global integration while trampling on the basic principles of the Charter of Nations. This also contradicts the actions of the United States, which trampled on the United Nations Charter in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in support of the Zionist occupation state in Palestine.
The strategy defined the following approach to dealing with the Russian war on Ukraine:
The United States will continue to support Ukraine in its struggle for its freedom, help it recover economically, and encourage its regional integration with the European Union.
The United States will defend every inch of NATO territory, and will continue to build and deepen an alliance with allies and partners to prevent Russia from causing further damage to European security, democracy, and institutions.
The United States will deter and, when necessary, respond to Russian actions that threaten core American interests, including Russian attacks on infrastructure and democracy.
The Russian conventional military will be weakened, which will likely increase Moscow's reliance on nuclear weapons in its military planning, and the United States will not allow Russia or any other power to achieve its goals by using or threatening to use nuclear weapons.
The United States will support and develop pragmatic modes of interaction on issues on which engaging with Russia may be mutually beneficial.
Biden's US National Security Strategy recognizes that China represents the most important geopolitical challenge to the United States, while Russia poses an immediate and continuing threat to the regional security system in Europe, and is a source of turmoil and instability in the world, but it lacks the comprehensive capabilities of the People's Republic of China, and although the strategy states that The United States and its allies and partners have an opportunity to shape China and Russia’s external environment in a way that affects their behavior even when they compete with them. It has not forgotten to include an integrated deterrence plan that will bring the United States, its allies, and partners to victory in any upcoming confrontation with the United States, which we will present in the next article.
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