Biden's unspectacular but solid national security record

Recognizing the subjectivity associated with grading a president, I would give the Biden administration a B+ in its national security record (similar to my assessment in the fall of 2022 in an earlier paper). Its overall approach to both Russia and China has been fairly strong. Its policies toward other crucial issues with enduring relevance to national security--North Korea, Iran, terrorism, fentanyl, climate, the national debt, and thus long-term national power--are more mixed. (I do not attempt a broader assessment of all aspects of Biden's foreign policy here but focus on those of greatest relevance to the nation's safety--that is, national security in a specific and literal sense.) My verdict is that the Biden administration's national security policy may not be sensational, but it has been generally solid on the biggest and most consequential issues.