As President Biden enters the second half 2023 of his term, he faces complex global challenges such as Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, North Korea’s growing nuclear weapons threats, and China’s increasing military maneuvers toward its U.S. allies.

While administration officials may be quick to praise Mr. Biden for his role in rallying Western power against Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, analysts agree that the president had many foreign and national security missteps during his first two years.

There are many blunders in the long list, including Mr. Biden’s failed attempt to revive the Obama-era Iran nuclear agreement and his failure to take initiative to expand the historic Trump-era Abraham Accords among Arab powers and Israel.

Most glaring examples are the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal and quick Taliban takeover in Kabul. The repercussions of the withdrawal were felt throughout 2022. Some of Mr. Biden’s critics claimed that the failed exit damaged America’s reputation abroad and encouraged U.S. adversaries, including Russia.

Many foreign policy analysts still credit Mr. Biden for bringing together U.S. ally NATO to resist Russia’s February invasion. He also imposed collective sanctions against Moscow and arming Ukraine.

With regard to Ukraine strategy, the jury is still out. Some analysts believe that Washington’s foreign policy establishment is underestimating the possibility that the Ukraine war will escalate in 2023.

In an interview published by Foreign Policy, Stephen M. Walt, a Harvard University international relations professor, stated that “I believe we are underweighting failure in Ukraine”.

“I worry that we underestimate the possibility that [Russian President] Vladimir Putin will still be in power in a year, the Russian military actually doing well, and the Ukrainian forces have reached the end of its strength and this suddenly seems like a very different conflict,” stated Mr. Walt, who wrote a column for the magazine.

He stated that a stalemate is the best scenario for the next year, in which neither side can make significant military gains against each other. However, one caveat is that Ukraine will have suffered greater damage and destruction.

He said that the most likely scenario in Ukraine is a “protracted, hurting stalemate” for both sides where neither side is willing to compromise.

The China question

Many questions have been raised regarding the Biden administration’s China policies. Many Capitol Hill conservatives are concerned that Biden’s track record of pandering towards Beijing has been highlighted at the recent Group of 20 summit. Critics accused President Biden of appearing to be equal to Chinese President Xi Jinping after that high-stakes meeting.

In 2022, the “Biden is soft on Beijing” narrative picked up speed. During the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit held at the White House in December, most administration officials avoided discussing China’s increasing aggressive resource extraction and military base building activities on the continent.

For years, the Pentagon and well-respected foreign policy analysts have warned about Beijing’s attempts to undermine U.S. interests in Africa. China was the biggest trade partner to African countries in 2009, surpassing the U.S. and has recently established a major naval port off Africa’s west coast.

Many moderates and liberals give Mr. Biden a passing grade despite these factors. He frames the current era in great power competition around the world as one that is increasingly focused on rallying U.S. allies to face the Chinese Communist Party’s increasing military prominence and Beijing’s diplomatic and financial muscle-flexing within international organizations.

Washington is worried about the possibility of a sudden U.S. – China escalation in tensions resulting from Mr. Xi’s promise to use force if necessary for Taiwan’s island democracy to be under the control Chinese Communist Party.

The Council on Foreign Relations ranked Tensions over Taiwan high on its list for foreign policy issues to be watched in 2023. It stated that U.S. military officers are among those who “warn that China might invade Taiwan prior to 2024.”

According to the think tank, such an invasion is unlikely. However, President Biden stated that the United States would defend Taiwan in case of attack.

James M. Lindsay (senior vice president of Council on Foreign Relations) wrote a separate assessment. He noted that China could instead of militarily invading Taiwan. This is similar to what Beijing did in retaliation to Nancy Pelosi’s August trip to Taiwan.

Too little, too late?

The White House’s foreign policy critics claim that it isn’t doing enough to prepare for possible confrontations with China, officially the People’s Republic of China.

Some analysts were critical of the strategy’s lack of attention to Russia and China after the White House released its long-awaited National Security Strategy in October. This document took nearly two years to create.

In a critique published in Arab News, Luke Coffey, senior fellow at Hudson Institute on national security, stated that the security strategy is 47 pages long and only four pages are dedicated to China.

“Only one page is dedicated to the U.S. Military in dealing with these dangers,” Mr. Coffey wrote. “Much of this document is dedicated to the political causes of America’s left, such as climate change or’social justice.’

M. Coffee also cautioned that the National Security Strategy was published far too late in the presidency’s term. It is unlikely to be a practical roadmap for U.S. foreign policies. It’s simply too late.”

The top advisors to Mr. Biden disagree with this view. Jake Sullivan, National Security Adviser, led the charge in October. He stated that “National Security Strategies are often criticized for not setting priority,” while reality shows that America is dealing with a broad and shifting array of global threats and issues.

“There is a lot going on in the world and we must deal with it all. “We have to keep our eyes on multiple balls at once,” stated Mr. Sullivan. He highlighted North Korea’s threats and cited competition with China as a “core priority”.

“[North Korea] is not stopping its forward progress. Iran continues to advance its nuclear pr