Lawmakers, experts grade Joe Biden's foreign policy: 'Higher grade on foreign policy than domestic policy'

Lawmakers and former government officials graded President Biden’s foreign policy, crediting him for his work on the NATO alliance, but acknowledging the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan was a "blunder." 

Joseph Nye, a former Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Clinton administration, gave Biden an A- when it came to Ukraine, Europe and NATO. 

"I think the ways we’ve responded there has been terrific," Nye told Fox News Digital at the Aspen Security Forum last week. 

In June, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden called Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which states an attack on one country is an attack on all, "a sacred commitment." 

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According to a 2019 report from the New York Times, former President Trump repeatedly expressed a desire to withdrawal from NATO. An NBC report later that year revealed former National Security Adviser John Bolton warned a private audience that a Trump reelection would pose a serious threat to the alliance. 

Related to Biden's foreign policy in Asia, Nye gave Biden a B+, noting there is a "gaping economic hole." 

When it came to the United States’ troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, though, Nye gave Biden a C or D. 

"That has not ended well," Nye said, referencing the Taliban takeover of the country shortly after the U.S. withdrew its military presence. 

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said he would give Biden a "higher grade on foreign policy than on domestic policy," crediting the president for his work "rebuilding" NATO, and engaging with countries in the Middle East. 

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Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, was more critical of Biden’s foreign policy. While she would not give the president a grade, she said he was at the "forefront of the ‘doctrine of appeasement.’"

"I just don’t see his engagement being very strong around the globe. Many countries look to the United States to provide leadership, and Biden has largely been absent," Ernst said. 

Jane Harman, a former Democratic U.S. Representative from California, compared Biden’s foreign policy to that of the last four presidents, saying the president is trying to "fix something that has been broken over four administrations." 

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"We haven’t had a roadmap for U.S. global leadership since the Cold War ended," she said. 

"Joe Biden is trying to articulate a vision for global leadership in Europe, in Asia, and obviously… in the Middle East," Harman added. 

President Biden visited Israel and Saudi Arabia earlier this month, where he was widely criticized for a fist bump with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salam, who heads an authoritarian government and has been implicated in ordering the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

Michelle Flournoy, who served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Obama administration, said she has learned not to grade either Republican or Democrat administrations, but gave the Biden administration "real kudos for their handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, their handling of rebuilding NATO cohesion and strength, [and] rebuilding cohesion with approach to the sanctions." 

"I think there’s a lot of goodness there," she added. 

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Flournoy also credited the Biden administration for the recent trip to the Middle East, but acknowledged there was a "stumble" regarding the U.S. troop withdrawal of Afghanistan.