Foreign policy plots
The world looks a lot different in 2024 than it did in 2020. Former President Donald Trump liked to boast about how calm the world was when he was in charge — no war in Ukraine, no war in Israel, and Chinese and North Korean leaders “liked” and “respected” him a lot. President Joe Biden hasn’t had the same international calm as Trump, though he has had the benefit of building and strengthening the international relationships that frayed under Trump’s stinging critiques of neighbors and allies.
Just how important those relationships are has been on display recently. A prisoner swap that released former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich wouldn’t have happened if Biden wasn’t prepared to loop four other countries into the deal — including convincing Germany to release Russian President Vladimir Putin’s favorite hitman.
