'A state of whiplash': Will turmoil in Afghanistan hurt Biden campaign to repair U.S. reputation?

• Analysts predict turmoil in Afghanistan could sow doubts about U.S. reliability in foreign capitals.
• Polls show U.S. reputation on world stage had improved after Biden took office.
• Allies fear chaotic exit from Afghanistan will damage 'political and moral credibility' of the West.

WASHINGTON – On a sunny June afternoon, Joe Biden concluded the initial phase of his first foreign trip as president by confidently declaring that America’s reputation was on the rebound on the world stage.

“America’s back in the business of leading the world alongside nations who share our most deeply held values,” Biden announced from a seaside resort in England, where he’d just wrapped up three days of meetings with some of the world’s most powerful leaders.

Biden assured reporters at the close of the Group of Seven summit that he’d made progress “in reestablishing American credibility among our closest friends.”

Just two months later, Biden’s own credibility is in question and his campaign to restore America’s reputation abroad is in doubt after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the swift rout of the country’s American-backed government by Taliban insurgents.

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