ABSTRACT
Biden had criticized Trump for withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Accords, the World Health Organization, and the multinational agreement with Iran to restrict the development of its nuclear program. When he took office, he announced that the United States would rejoin these groups, but Iran refused to participate in further talks if the United States was involved. Biden also approved a five-year extension of the New START nuclear arms treaty with Russia. Biden enlarged and restructured his National Security Council (NSC) staff to deal with the new priorities he established and the current issues that had to be addressed: cybersecurity, adverse climate change, and the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The United States offered to help India cope with a massive COVID-19 outbreak by extending technological and financial aid to produce the vaccines it needed. The debate and actions on climate change would remain a domestic and international issue throughout and beyond Biden’s term of office.
