No News Isn't Good News: Biden's Foreign Policy Challenges Begin at Home

Myanmar Manila Moscow Human rights a defense deal murder by chemical weapons If they were quizzed chances are many Americans couldn39t match the country or capital with the issue That global issues aren39t top of mind compared to careers children chores and COVID scrambled lives these days is understandable But it39s also a challenge for President Biden who hopes to build a consensus at home on reasserting US leadership abroadWinning public support for his foreign policy goals is far from the new president39s only hurdle Biden faces a toxic political topography that doesn39t stop at the water39s edge With elected Republicans mouthing former President Trump39s jingoism to curry his future favor oddsmakers likely would put Biden39s chances of winning their cooperation at zerotonone Add four years of his predecessor39s nationalist demagoguery Not only are the divisions at home deeper so is concern abroad that whatever Biden39s agenda the next president will rerun Trump39s tapeWhether Biden can hold onto his popularity when he gets down to pitching his policies also remains to be seen Biden39s style as well as substance are a welcome change from Trump39s insultaminute Don Rickles diplomacy as well as his rants against allies multilateral agreements and international institutions that alienated millions here as well as abroad But his quotAmerica Firstquot slogan still resonates among Republicans some independents and other Americans who are hedging their support for Biden39s key goalsA study from the Eurasia Group Foundation in 2019 illuminates the sources of their views The Foundation surveyed 1200 voters not surprisingly its poll found attitudes divided on foreign policy For example in identifying the greatest threat to the country Democrats and independent voters looked to the quotrise in populist and authoritarian governmentsquot while Republicans cited quothigh levels of immigrationquot As for US leadership abroad however the survey was unambiguous the party line split disappearedNo matter Americans39 political inclinations the Eurasia Group Foundation39s authors wrote quotthe public desire for a more restrained US foreign policy crosses party lines and generational boundariesquot The study39s conclusion put it this way quotOur survey results show the American public39s preference for getting its own house in order and avoiding international entanglements is broad based It is limited to neither the ultranationalist corners of the Republican Party nor the reflexively pacifist corners of the Democratic Party as pundits so often suggestquotBiden isn39t the first president making foreign policy choices whose fellow citizens want him to focus his attention at home With the public solidly behind neutrality Woodrow Wilson39s quothe kept us out of warquot sloganeering bolstered his 1916 presidential election victory barely a year before he led Americans into World War I Two decades later Franklin Roosevelt contended with similar sentiments as another world war loomed in Europe and Asia even as FDR prepared the country to confront Germany and JapanOne problem does face Biden however that didn39t bedevil his predecessors Americans are an increasingly tough sell The reasons why are complicated For one thing civic literacy is declining as schools pare courses on civics and citizenship The effects are hurting citizens39 understanding of how government works and why their civic role matters Globalization is a factor as well The promised benefits of international trade deals have brought economic pain rather than prosperity fueling cynicism about politicians and their policies So have the costs of 20 years of failed wars and interventions perennial claims of progress notwithstandingWhat people know about the world or don39t also is an issue Americans have earned failing grades on basic geography for decades A Council on Foreign Relations survey in 2017 asked about countries critical to US interests such as US allies Only 29 percent of Americans scored a D or better 66 percent on the test The Council National Geographic and Gallup ran a broader survey in 2019 Americans on average answered 53 percent of its geography questions correctly despite 70 percent acknowledging that global events affected their daily livesSchools colleges and universities obviously need to own up to the problem But more important for Biden so do the nation39s broadcast and cable networks where nearly half of Americans still turn first for their news With their airtime dominated by domestic political stories and redundant commentary absent a tsunami or terrorist attack the rest of the world is lucky to get three minutes on any program morning noon or night Unfortunately the shrinking share of the networks39 news hole filled by international reporting isn39t even quotnewsquotIn fact retrenchment abroad has marked print broadcast and cable news for 35 years Some outlets such as CNN NPR Reuters AP and Bloomberg have expanded their international presence And access to foreign news has grown dramatically on the web But as an FCC study chronicled a decade ago the consequences of cuts in foreign bureaus and coverage haven39t only affected the quantity of reporting With fewer reporters on the ground expertise has eroded and dependence on foreign partners grown affecting the quality of reporting as wellLike his predecessors it39s Biden39s chore to win the public39s understanding of his foreign policy priorities To make informed judgments however Americans who depend on broadcast and cable networks need more than four minutes of breaking news when the latest crisis erupts abroad As the late James Reston the famed New York Times editor and columnist said 20 years ago the job of the press is quotto help the largest possible number of people to see the realities of the changing and convulsive world in which American policy must operatequotThe question is will the news networks make the investments in international coverage to produce the content and quality that can deliver those goodsPhoto courtesy of Kent HarringtonClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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No News Isn't Good News: Biden's Foreign Policy Challenges Begin at Home

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Kent M. Harrington

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