Foreign Policy Update – USA Gov Policy

US PASSPORTS

As of this week, a State Department press official Jalina Porter announced, American citizens will be able to choose if they feel are a man or woman and self-designate their gender on their passport. A State Department official said this “announcement is another example of our leadership.” Secretary of State Tony Blinken confirmed the US “will no longer require medical certification if an applicant’s self-selected gender does not match the gender on their other citizenship or identity documents.”

AFGHANISTAN

In response to a question by a reporter this week, State Department Spokesman Ned Price said that the US is not diminishing its relationship, or abandoning Afghanistan, because Washington will have a diplomatic relationship with the country. “Obviously, that relationship will look different with the military withdrawal underway,” he added. Last month, The Diplomat, reported that “The fear of potential aggravation of the political situation and worsening of security in Afghanistan, as well as the expansion of instability, is a matter of great regional concern. The power struggle between interest groups and political factions inside the Afghan government, as well the Taliban’s growing power, has the definite potential to change the U.S.-secured power equilibrium in Afghanistan.” At this point no one is certain what will occur as external forces seek to fill the power vacuum when US forces are fully withdrawn by September 11. It may lead to further instability in the region. Currently it is estimated that over 70,000 Afghan citizens who aided the US during the war, along with their families, may be eligible to come to the US due to ongoing security concerns for their safety. The State Department said about 9,000 are in the initial stage of the process pending applicant action.

CHINA

July 1 marked the 100^th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. President Xi Jinping gave a speech in which he said that anyone “who dares oppose China will have their heads bashed bloody against the great wall….” When asked if the US had any pushback, Price said: “… we’re aware that the Chinese Communist Party commemorated its 100th anniversary today. We’re aware of President Xi’s remarks. We’ve taken note on them, but we’re not going to comment on the specifics. I think this administration, over the course of several months, has been very clear about our impressions of the CCP in general, but I don’t have a specific response for you on President Xi’s remarks today. To date, the Biden Administration appears to lack follow through on actions.

In response to reports that China is building over 100 new missile silos, Price said: “It reinforces the importance of pursuing practical measures to reduce nuclear risks.” Price added: “We encourage Beijing to engage with us on practical measures to reduce the risks of destabilizing arms races, potential – potentially destabilizing tensions. Given that earlier this year China refused senior US military officials’ requests to meet, this statement most likely will not change the level of danger posed by the silos or force China into talks.

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NORTH KOREA

Considering the challenging global issues faced by the United States and western democracies, it was interesting that in a shortened press briefing the State Department Spokesman took time to answer questions about the impact of North Korean President Kim Jong-un’s diet.

HONG KONG

The Deputy Assistant of State for East Asian Affairs, Jonathan Fritz, when asked about the situation in Hong Kong said that: “We hope Beijing will realize the truth: Hong Kongers aren’t the problem….” He pointed out that if Beijing doesn’t realize this the residents of Hong Kong will be “forced to flee.” Fritz added that he was “inspired to see the resilience of Hong Kongers in their pursuit of what the PRC promised them.”

DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government. Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.

Illustration: Pixabay

Quick Analysis

NATO’s Growing Challenges

Gen. Christopher Cavoli, supreme allied commander Europe and the head of U.S. European Command has warned of growing threats facing NATO. “There is a lot of work to be done, and there are big challenges looming — some of them are right in our face, right now,” he warned at the Aspen Security Forum. He is not alone in his concern. the Germany-based Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom notes that “The beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine … marked a deep break … Questions concerning Europe‘s self-image as a voluntary alliance of nation states, its ability to defend itself and the protection though NATO as well as the values for which it stands are further tested by refugees coming to Europe from Ukraine. The democracies of the European Union are vulnerable and their reaction to Putin’s war are carefully watched. Authoritarian states, such as China, predict Europe’s decline and emphasize their own superiority over the ‘Western systems.’” The most interesting fact General Cavoli emphasized was that, in addition to the renewed danger from expansionist Russia, is the growing threat from China. The German Marshall Fund describes the problem.. “Russia and China continue to deepen their partnership, mounting a common challenge to the West. They can advance their strategic objectives better together, undermining perceived Western domination of the global order and impacting Europe’s future security. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has de facto upended the post-Cold War security architecture in Europe and is a direct, existential threat to European security. Beijing plays an important role for Russia’s war efforts, regardless of China’s status as Europe’s largest trading partner or its desire to hedge on Europe to win its geostrategic competition with the United States. “ NATO has continued to concentrate on the potential threat from Beijing. . It developed its concern against the backdrop of China’s designation as a “long-term strategic competitor.” Both the Trump and Biden administrations have sought to expand transatlantic cooperation on China, motivated by the belief that greater European support to US policies is key to effectively addressing the economic, political and strategic challenges associated with China’s growth. While Washington has put much emphasis on discussing with the EU and individual European countries how best to tackle the geo-economic, technological and diplomatic challenges associated with China’s rise and behaviour, NATO has also become an increasingly important partof transatlantic cooperation on China. Some Chinese military threats to Europe are conventional. China and Russia have engaged in joint maneuvers in the Mediterranean, and the Chinese naval presence in the Middle East has grown. Others are of a different variety. The Atlantic Council says that some Chinese threats to European security are merely insidious. For example, China undermines Europe’s military capabilities by stealing defense-related intellectual property and sharing it with its own military and defense industry as China develops new weapons and capabilities. Similarly, Chinese investment in European infrastructure—especially shipping terminals, utilities, and telecommunications networks—provides an excellent platform for intelligence-gathering on NATO military operations. In a worst-case scenario, China could weaponize its ownership or operation of infrastructure in Europe to frustrate, limit, or prevent US or allied use. In other cases, the Chinese threat to Europe manifests in the form of outright attacks. Chinese cyberattacks on European government, industry, military, academic, and civil institutions—including, reportedly, on hospitals during the pandemic—are relentless and massive. In 2014, NATO declared that cyberattacks could trigger the invocation of Article 5, the Alliance’s mutual-defense clause. Increasingly, the links between Russia, China, and now Iran as well, are a source of deep concern to Europe, the United States, and other nations.