Politics class: Biden vowed to stand by Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’. But will America?

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Specification:

• AQA Component 3.2.1.3: The executive branch of government: President

• Edexcel Component 3.4: Interpretations of the US presidency

Background: what you need to know

The article reveals the growing opposition of many Republicans to President Biden’s seemingly unconditional support for Ukraine, one year on from the Russian invasion. Figures like Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, are influential voices within the Republican Party.

Biden is under pressure to define America’s goals in the ongoing crisis, and to be clear about how he expects the war to end. This presents a potential source of weakness for Biden in the run-up to the 2024 election, in which he is still expected to be the Democratic Party candidate.

Click to read the article below and then answer the questions:

Biden vowed to stand by Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’. But will America?

Question in the style of AQA Politics Paper 2

• Explain and analyse three factors that may limit the power of the US presidency. [9 marks]

Question in the style of Edexcel Politics Paper 3

• Evaluate the view that the US President is more powerful in foreign policy than in domestic affairs. You must consider this view and the alternative to this view in a balanced way. [30 marks]

  TIP: Foreign policy is rarely as important as domestic policy in the eyes of voters when a president is facing re-election. But the restiveness of US public opinion over Ukraine points to a wider issue of political partisanship. The growing scepticism of rightwing Republicans in support for Ukraine is consistent with the isolationist tendency to which Donald Trump appealed as president.

Graham Goodlad, Portsmouth High School