InterRegional for Strategic Analysis

The Senate Intelligence Committee held a hearing on 14 April 2021 titled "Worldwide Threats" on the expected global risks and threats President Joe Biden’s administration is likely to face during the coming period. The hearing coincided with the release of this year’s intelligence threat assessment report containing the views of the United States (US) intelligence community on the major security challenges facing Biden, particularly those related to climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. In the same vein, the US National Intelligence Council (NIC) of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) issued the forward-looking report it sets forth every four years to chart future scenarios and reveal challenges that could face new American administrations when they take office. At the same time, Congress discussed a bill to counter Chinese influence.

US intelligence chiefs’ hearing on worldwide threats

Official Vision:

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform and Committee on Homeland Security held a virtual hearing on 26 February 2021 to understand and discuss the SolarWinds attacks. The hearing was entitled "Weathering the Storm: The Role of Private Tech in the SolarWinds Breach and Ongoing Campaign." During the hearing, Sudhakar Ramakrishna, former CEO of Pulse Secure and the president and current CEO of SolarWinds Corporation, Kevin B. Thompson, former CEO of SolarWinds Corporation, Kevin Mandia, CEO of FireEye, Inc., and Brad Smith, president of Microsoft shared their comments. The key points from this hearing can be summarized as follows:

Signs of Escalating Cyberattacks against US Companies

Foreign Hackers:

On 16 April, Moscow announced a series of measures including the expulsion of senior US officials and a ban on their entry into Russia. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also revealed that his country had advised the US ambassador there to leave for "serious consultations." This most recent Russian step comes in response to an array of sanctions announced by the United States on 15 April, including the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats.

Three Possible Scenarios for US-Russia Relations

Controlled Escalation:

Throughout the course of US history, minorities, especially Asian minorities, have suffered from oppression. This persecution has risen to unprecedented levels in the Trump era, and has been exacerbated by difficult economic conditions, as well as the demonization of Asian countries. There are also other causes that have built up over history and ultimately produced stereotyping, rejection, and discrimination against Asian-American communities in the US. The characteristics of this escalating racist violence against Asians in the US can be summarized as follows:

What is driving the escalating violence against Asians in the US?

Bias Incidents:

On 4 March 2021, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a confirmation hearing for Colin Kahl, nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Committee members debated several issues related to the nominee. These include Kahl’s political leanings, which point to the type of the policies that he would favor as a civilian employee in the Department of Defense. The highlights of the hearing are as follows:

The Likely Policies of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

Countering Adversaries:

In mid-March 2021, the first meeting of senior United States officials with their Chinese counterparts since President Joe Biden took office was held in the US state of Alaska. The meetings resulted in the two sides agreeing to hold a virtual summit in April between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss climate change, but no "minimum" agreement was reached on any other issues, nor even a major declaration. Placed alongside clashes between the two sides that took place during the meetings, this points to how tense and turbulent relations between the two sides have become. The most significant developments in US-China relations in light of the recent bilateral meetings in Alaska can be discussed as follows:

A cautious escalation in US-China relations is on the horizon

The Alaska Meetings:

Yasmin Mahmoud‏‏

President Joe Biden was sworn in on January 20 this year, with the US facing several crises and challenges both at home and abroad. Former President Donald Trump’s administration had failed to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a large impact on the American economy, the health of Americans, and the rise in the unemployment rate to levels unheard of since the Great Depression of the 1930’s, not to mention Washington’s abandonment of its global role. Therefore, President Biden’s plan for his first hundred days in the White House involved tackling these challenges. Nearly two months into his presidency, Biden has already succeeded in implementing several of his promised goals both at home and abroad.

Assessment of Biden’s policies nearly two months into his presidency

Balance Sheet:

Amr Abdelaty‏‏

On 4 February, 2021, United States (US) President Joe Biden delivered his first speech on American foreign policy. Notably, he was keen to deliver the speech from State Department headquarters, in the presence of Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. In the speech, Biden raised the slogan "America is back," emphasizing the return of American diplomacy and pointing to the strong relationship between foreign policy and the domestic situation. The most prominent foreign policy issues addressed in the American president’s speech can be addressed as follows: 

Implications of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy speech

America is back:

Although there has been general optimism about a de-escalation between the US and China after the defeat of former US president Donald Trump in the recent US presidential elections, this has yet to be seen following President Joe Biden’s victory. The Biden administration has begun to work seriously on building flexible alliances to counter growing Chinese influence on the global level. US discourse seems to be more focused on restraining Beijing, and on preparing for a difficult and prolonged struggle between the two countries. This is what was laid out in the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance released in March 2021, which emphasized that the only foreign power with the capacity to take on the current international order is China.

USA

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