Why the US Experiences Difficulty Developing International Relations

Envisioning yourself in the role of the head of state of Saffronia, a midsized nation that turns to America for its safety, you are traveling to Washington for your initial official visit. This is in the hope of commencing deliberations over a trade pact that would benefit the populace who recently elected you. A tighter trading partnership would likewise shift Saffronia towards the US, which already provides certain security guarantees to your nation, and away from China. This appears to be what the Americans would call a win-win situation.

 In Washington, the level of your significance can be measured by who grants you an appointment. The highest honor would be a visit with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office with its grand desk and plush rug. Coming in second, above the Vice-President, House and Senate leaders, and cabinet members, is a meeting with the National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.

 The role of Mr Sullivan is of immense importance and unattainable. Despite the worries of a decline, the United States is still the most powerful military and economic force in history, and to Mr Sullivan goes the task of responding to what is transpiring in Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, China and all the other possible flare-ups that nobody is thinking about. As is traditional of all national security advisers, he is also the foreign-policy intellectual of the administration. His work is impossible because to think that the president can control the entire planet is unrealistic.

 Fantastic news! Your main assistant has verified that Mr Sullivan has time for you. Despite the strenuous requirements of his job, he has fewer hours available than the majority of influential people, and more--it appears he works longer than anyone else in the U.S. You read his Wiki page on the plane ride and saw that he went to Yale and Oxford, earned Rhodes and Marshall scholarships, was a remarkable debater and had already served as an advisor to a vice-president and two presidential campaigns before beginning his current job. He is only 46 years old. You daydream for a while about the possibility of your children someday collecting a similar list of credentials.

 As you re-examine the briefing book with copies of the latest speeches and works of Mr Sullivan, your awe changes to anxiety. These documents portray what repentant stars refer to as "a voyage". After Hillary Clinton was defeated by Donald Trump in 2016, Mr Sullivan, who was Mrs Clinton's policy consultant during the race, went off and re-evaluated his conceptions concerning economics and international policy.

 It was determined that the positive aspects of trade had been exaggerated for the benefit of American citizens, and that the widening of the gap between the wealthy and the middle-class was weakening the United States. In addition, it was concluded that the government was failing to prioritize the progress of science and technology, and companies were excessively avoiding taxes. He concluded that the only way for America to maintain its strength overseas was to become strong domestically. There had been too much focus on international economics and not enough on foreign policy, and the solution was to implement a foreign policy that works for the middle class. This does not appear to be a very attractive option.

 When you meet him in person, Mr Sullivan is pleasant and has the same degree of brightness and persuasiveness that Wikipedia had suggested. Most of the political bigwigs in Washington usually spend about half their time in a meeting emphasizing their own importance. However, Mr Sullivan doesn't bother with that. It soon becomes clear that there's nothing to be done about better market access. If Saffronia had the rare earths and other goods necessary to support the green transition, then some exceptions could be made. Unfortunately, a free trade agreement is not an option. This is obviously bad news for Saffronia. But could it also be damaging to the United States?

 The challenge for President Biden and his foreign policy advisors is that the so-called "Washington consensus" in favor of industrial policy to address climate change and uplift the wages of middle-class Americans may take a while to yield results, if ever. Furthermore, the direct connection between domestic and foreign policy, of which Mr. Sullivan is entirely accurate, is presently causing a decrease in America's reputation in Sofronie and other nations.

 Domestic matters

 The home front during wartime is a critical part of the overall effort. The citizens at home have a role to play in providing support in various ways. This is referred to as the home front, and it is a significant factor in the outcome of a conflict.

 On the plane journey home, you felt more and more irritated. It was perplexing to you that the United States, a country where a UPS driver can expect a generous salary and benefits package that adds up to $170,000 a year, could think that the international economy it so heavily contributed to had left the working class behind. Wages for those at the bottom of the income ladder have been steadily rising for the last decade and have even picked up pace since 2020. Inequality across the US had increased dramatically in the '90s and '10s, but has since leveled off. Of course, the need to reshape the economy in order to battle climate change is real, as is the requirement to keep cutting-edge technology out of the hands of the Chinese army. You would be delighted to have the US's economic issues.

 When you visited Washington, it became evident that even with Mr. Sullivan assuming a leading role in the government's foreign policy, the US appeared to be uncertain in its dedication to American values. The Republicans in the House of Representatives appeared to be on the brink of compromising Ukraine, without being able to present a clear explanation for their motives. If they are unable to back a nation that did not necessitate the involvement of any American forces, then how dependable are the security assurances that Saffronia so confidently relies on? China may be oppressive and tyrannical, but it is at least consistently unyielding.