Biden launched his global efforts Friday afternoon with a phone call to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, CNN reported on Jan. 24.
Such calls are traditionally the first diplomatic act of a new president after taking office, but this one brought a certain tension: Biden withdrew permission for the $9 billion Keystone pipeline plan that would bring oil from Canada’s Alberta province across the border to the United States.
Trudeau said he was “disappointed” by the decision. In the Trump era, Trudeau has established himself worldwide as a champion of the fight against climate change.
It is unlikely that this incident will lead to a significant deterioration in his relationship with Biden: the same issue has arisen between Trudeau and President Obama, and the two seem to be getting along very well.
From Biden, Trudeau will find a like-minded partner on any kind of issue – including the environment. And he will find that Biden’s influence in Washington is more consistent than that of his predecessor.
Biden has long advocated building personal relationships with his interlocutors, and he came into office already knowing many of the people he will be dealing with at global summits, bilateral meetings and phone calls, according to the report.
His stated goal is to re-establish the U.S. as the global arbiter of the international order and – as he said in his inaugural address Wednesday – “to repair our alliances and engage the world again “
