President Joe Biden came to office promising to restore competency to U.S. foreign policy after four years of Donald Trump¡¯s diplomatic bomb-throwing.
But eight months after taking office, a series of missteps have angered allies, drawn criticism even from supporters and raised concern that Biden isn¡¯t as sure-footed in international affairs as advertised. On Friday afternoon, France even recalled its ambassador, a dramatic escalation in tension between the two allies.
The most immediate reason for France¡¯s displeasure was Australia¡¯s decision to scrap a $66 billion submarine contract in favor of U.S. and U.K. technology. France recalled its ambassador to Australia as well, but officials were especially galled that the U.S. didn¡¯t inform its oldest ally in advance that the deal was in the works.
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