As President Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan was involved in setting policy and strategies to deal with some of the world’s most pressing issues, including the global pandemic, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and relations with China.
Sullivan, who grew up in Minneapolis, reflected on the Biden administration’s foreign policies and the future of America on the world stage in an event at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs on June 5.
In conversation with Professor Larry Jacobs, director of the School’s Center for the Study of Politics and Governance (CSPG), he provided unique insights into the discussions and decision-making that occur behind-the-scenes at the White House.
Here are some key points he made during their discussion.
On the advantages that protect the US from global threats:
- Our leadership in the global economy.
- Our defense industrial base, ie: the manufacture of arms and weaponry.
- Our strong alliances with other countries.
- All three of these are under threat due to President Trump’s actions.
On the Israel/Gaza war:
- The attack by Hamas in October 2023, which led to the deaths and capture of hundreds of Israeli citizens, was horrific. Israel has also been attacked by other parties in the region. As an ally, the U.S. supported Israel in its initial response.
- Israel’s ongoing blockade of aid shipments, which is causing a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, is a morally bankrupt policy.
- The Biden administration pursued many avenues to try and mediate the conflict, and to deliver aid to Gaza. Those efforts were not all successful.
- It’s a tragedy all around.
On U.S. relations with China:
- China is taking advantage of the disarray in our foreign policy, and has the ability to replace us as the world’s leading economic, technological, and military power.
- We need to approach them with robust competition as well as cooperation on issues such as addressing climate change and artificial intelligence, not by starting a cold war.
- If China were to invade Taiwan, it would have a massive impact on the world economy. Taiwan produces the vast majority of the world’s computer chips, and many of the goods produced in northeast Asia are shipped through the Taiwan Strait. Those activities would be severely disrupted, and could lead to an economic depression.
On President Trump’s approach to foreign policy:
- There is no going back to our previous relationship with our European allies, even after Trump leaves office. They have decided they can’t rely on the U.S. anymore and are developing their own new alliances.
- Trump takes a ‘hard power’ approach to foreign policy, which is focused on confrontation. There’s also ‘soft power,’ which is the power to persuade. A successful foreign policy needs both.
- Under Trump, we are moving away from our founding principles, and that goes far beyond foreign policy.
- Our most important principle is the rule of law, and Trump’s administration continues to undermine it. Without that, our country and our democracy are at risk.
A group of honors students from Sullivan's high school alma mater, Southwest High School in Minneapolis, met with him beforehand for a q/a session, and attended the event.
Sullivan served as President Biden’s national security advisor from 2021 to 2025, and held various positions during the Obama administration. Currently, he is Kissinger Professor of the Practice of Statecraft and World Order at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Senior Fellow at the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire.
Sullivan’s appearance was part of the Nakasaka Dialogues, an event series produced by CSPG designed to stimulate conversations about the state of public life and encourage progress toward our shared bonds.
