President-elect Joe Biden arrives to introduce his nominees and appointees to key national security and foreign policy posts at The Queen theatre.Credit:AP
The Republican incumbent has unsettled many US allies,in Europe and elsewhere,with an antagonistic approach towards the NATO alliance and trade relations,abandonment of international agreements and warm relationships with authoritarian leaders.
Biden said his team,which includes trusted aide Antony Blinken as his nominee for US secretary of state,would shed what he described as"old thinking and unchanged habits"in its approach to foreign relations.
"It's a team that reflects the fact that America is back,ready to lead the world,not retreat from it,once again sit at the head of the table,ready to confront our adversaries and not reject our allies,ready to stand up for our values,"Biden said at the event in his home town of Wilmington,Delaware,on Tuesday,US time.
The world is much changed since Democrats were last in the White House four years ago. China is on the rise and emboldened,Russia has sought to further assert its clout,US influence has waned as it has pulled out of various accords,and American moral authority has been dented by turmoil at home.
Biden also has tapped Jake Sullivan as national security adviser,Linda Thomas-Greenfield as US ambassador to the United Nations,Alejandro Mayorkas as secretary of homeland security and John Kerry as envoy on climate-related issues. They appeared with Biden and underscored his message.
US foreign policy under a Biden administration is likely to take more of a multilateral and diplomatic approach aimed at repairing Washington's relationships with key US allies and pursue new paths on issues such as climate change.