By any accounting, Tuesday’s State of the Union was short on talk of foreign policy. President Biden made scant reference to America’s role in the world, absent a brief but cadenced assertion of commitments to “the most basic of principles;” namely, “sovereignty,” life “free of tyranny,” and “the defense of democracy.” About an hour in, the address showcased Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to Washington, but reference to American material support came only in passing assurance of “as long as it takes.” This stands in stark contrast to last year’s address, delivered during the opening weeks of Russia’s invasion, when President...
