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WASHINGTON
(AP) — The White House laid out a national security strategy Wednesday aimed at
checking an ascendant China and a more assertive Russia even as it stressed
that domestic investments are key to helping the U.S. compete in the critical
decade ahead.
The
administration’s first national security strategy, a document required by
statute, stresses the need for a foreign policy that balances the interests of
global allies with those of middle-class Americans.
“We
understand that if the United States is to succeed abroad, we must invest in
our innovation and industrial strength, and build our resilience, at home,” the
strategy states. “Likewise, to advance shared prosperity domestically and to
uphold the rights of all Americans, we must proactively shape the international
order in line with our interests and values.”
In broad
brushstrokes, the strategy sketches a “decisive moment” for national security,
as President Joe Biden faces an arguably more complicated world than when he
took office 21 months ago in the midst of the worst global pandemic in a
century. At the same time, the White House said policy-makers must “avoid the
temptation to view the world solely through a competitive lens, and engage
countries on their own terms.”
Biden came
to office championing a “foreign policy for the middle class” that sought to
put greater focus on China as a rising economic and military competitor,
reinvigorate alliances that had frayed during the Trump administration and
protect human rights, all while looking out for U.S. interests.
Administration
officials say that the focus on U.S. interests remains central to Biden’s
foreign policy vision. But the new strategy document also reflects the long
list of crises that has left the world facing shared challenges including
climate change, food insecurity, communicable diseases, and inflation.
“We’ve
broken down the dividing line between foreign policy and domestic policy to
make far-reaching investments here at home in our industrial and innovation
base that will increase our competitiveness and better position us to deal with
everything from climate to global health, to food security, to energy,”
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
The document
stresses the necessity of competing effectively with China, which the
administration says is the only competitor that has both the intent and,
increasingly, the capability to reshape the international order, while constraining
a dangerous Russia.
Biden is
dealing with a nearly eight-month Russian war in Ukraine that is wracking the
global economy, increasingly assertive action by China toward the self-ruled
island of Taiwan, mounting nuclear concerns in Iran and North Korea, and
strained relations with the oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“Around the
world, the need for American leadership is as great as it has ever been. We are
in the midst of a strategic competition to shape the future of the
international order,” Biden said in the introduction to the document.
“Meanwhile, shared challenges that impact people everywhere demand increased
global cooperation and nations stepping up to their responsibilities at a
moment when this has become more difficult.”
Sullivan is
set to deliver a speech at Georgetown University to outline the strategy.
On the issue
of oil, Biden said Wednesday the administration would “react to Saudi Arabia”
in response to the Riyadh-led OPEC+ alliance announcement last week that it
would cut oil production. The president’s comments came after he said a day
earlier that the Saudis would face “consequences” for the move.
Democratic
lawmakers are pushing legislation that would halt U.S. military sales to the
Saudis in light of the oil production cut, which White House officials say will
help another OPEC+ member, Russia, pad its coffers as it prosecutes its war in
Ukraine.
Biden has
already begun reviewing potential actions and will consider the call for a halt
on arms sales to Riyadh. Sullivan said a decision on arms sales was not
imminent.