Dear friend,

CODEPINK gives Biden a cumulative grade of D on foreign policy. On the domestic front, these 100 days have brought some exciting new initiatives that range from significant COVID relief and infrastructure plans to serious proposals to address the climate crisis. But on the foreign policy front, little has changed.

Grade Biden on the various aspects of his foreign policy — Iran, China, Latin America, Israel/Palestine, Yemen, and more — we’ll calculate the cumulative GPA you give his first 100 days.

There are bright spots, such as calling for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, extending the US-Russia START treaty another five years, rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, lifting sanctions Trump had imposed on International Criminal Court officials, and restoring aid to the dispossessed Palestinians. But the pluses are few and even then, compromised. In the case of Afghanistan, for example, adhering to the May 1 deadline negotiated by the Trump administration would have led the Taliban to continue peace talks and made the withdrawal easier. Then, there is:

• the proposed $753 billion military budget
• the incendiary rhetoric and potential for military conflict against China and Russia
• the refusal to lift thousands of onerous sanctions on countries including Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua, North Korea and Syria.
• the authorization of massive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and UAE
• the continuation of unconditional support to Israel
• recognizing the unelected Juan Guaido as interim President of Venezuela
• the refusal to roll back Trump’s sanctions and blockade of Cuba

What grade do you give Biden on each of these, and other foreign policy issues? Grade Biden’s 100 days now!

CODEPINK, along with many other organizations and activists, will be pushing the administration to improve its foreign policy record in the next 100 days, while also urging Congress to reject Biden’s increased military budget. Grade Biden’s first 100 days now and tell us what your priorities are for the next 100 days of his administration.

Toward peace,
The entire CODEPINK team