No 12, Issue 1       

Biden’s National Security Strategy: A Different Type of American Primacy

Dario CRISTIANI

Pages: 75-91

Abstract.

 President Biden’s National Security Strategy (NSS), released in October 2022, provides a somewhat clear understanding of the administration’s primary focus areas, despite the complexity of a document that should summarize the points of view of all the pieces of the complex American administration machine. This specific NSS combines traditional Democratic features, such as an emphasis on alliances and democracy, with novel elements like the assertive identification of China as the primary strategic challenge. It highlights China’s rise as a global competitor, capable of shaping the international order, and acknowledges Russia as a threat. In this document, it is evident that the Indo-Pacific region is now the focal point of American geopolitical strategy, with the Western Hemisphere (Mexico and Canada) and Europe remaining crucial. Significant departures from the prior administration’s approach include a strategic reorientation towards competition between governance systems, encapsulated in the ‘democracy vs. autocracy’ dichotomy, and a heightened focus on climate change as an existential threat, advocating for international cooperation to mitigate it, even with strategic rivals such as China.

Keywords.

National Security Strategy (NSS); China; Biden; Climate Change; Terrorism.

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