Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, January 27, 2022

Q    And one more, Jen.  Besides the crisis in Ukraine, this week alone, ISIS launched the biggest attack in Syria in years; beheaded a police officer in Iraq — in a video again.  The U.N. chief said that Afghanistan is “hanging by a thread.”  People are starving and freezing after the United States left the country. 

So is this what American leadership or “America back” look like?  Can you say this is a winning foreign policy?

MS. PSAKI:  There was a lot wrapped up in that question.  What is your question exactly?

Q    I’m asking: We see things happening with ISIS that we haven’t seen in years, launching a big attack in Syria and Iraq.  We see people in Afghanistan hungry, starving, freezing.  And the United States — I’m asking — yesterday, you were asked a question, “What happened the last year after one year the President in office with foreign policy?”  And you say, “America is back.” 

So I want — my question is: Just yesterday, we saw so much happening the world.  Is this what “America back” means?

MS. PSAKI:  Well, ISIS has been a terrorist organization for many years through the course, before President Biden took office.  They’ve been terrorizing people for many years.  That is not new, as of the last year.  And we have spoken out about that at every time when it has been appropriate to do exactly that. 

I would say the President’s role over the last year, as I’ve talked about a bit in here, has been rebuilding our relationships around the world that had been frayed — were frayed during the prior four years; reminding other countries around the world that we are a reliable partner, a reliable ally. 

And the fact that we’ve had more than 100 engagements with countries around the world at a range of levels and formats, as we look to the aggressive behavior of Russia, speaks to that — speaks to — it doesn’t happen by accident.  That’s why we have a united front as we’re looking at the potential actions of President Putin. 

So, I think that speaks to the work the President has done over the past year.