“Look, folks, all of my colleagues I have served with in the House and the Senate up here, we all understand the world is watching, watching all of us today, so here is my message to those beyond our borders. America has been tested and we’ve come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage the world once again, not to meet yesterday’s challenges but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
“And we’ll lead not merely by the example of our power, by the power of our example.
“We’ll be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress, and security.”
The above quote – part of Joseph R. Biden Junior’s inauguration speech after his oath taking ceremony – is enough to undo his predecessor’s doings. Simple, yet powerful, unambiguous, and reassuring.
After all those impetuosity of Donald Trump, Biden’s speech was meant to win back friends. Some analysts termed it as ‘fiery’; one news report described it as “not a laundry list of proposals and solutions”. Indeed, his speech was remarkable for its tenacity. It very well represented his feisty personality. In India though, much is already being talked about Indian-American Cholleti Vinay Reddy, head of Biden’s team of speech writers, who has his roots in Telangana! However, as the saying goes, a team is reflection of its leadership!
More than his words though, his 17 executive actions as President are conveying the right signals to the world – whether on climate change, on immigration, public health, and so on. With his executive orders, Biden has just moved on to erase Trump’s agenda. He has moved on to freeze all of his immediate predecessor’s last-minute regulations pending further review.
The signals are well taken by the world. “We have… seen the press reports of expected executive orders.., notably on issues of climate, on global health, WHO, pandemic. We welcome these reports. We welcome these developments,” said Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Guterres, on his part, stated: “I warmly welcome [United States] President [Joseph R.] Biden’s steps to re‑enter the Paris Agreement on climate change and join the growing coalition of Governments, cities, states, businesses and people taking ambitious action to confront the climate crisis…We look forward to the leadership of the United States in accelerating global efforts towards net‑zero, including by bringing forward a new nationally determined contribution with ambitious 2030 targets and climate finance in advance of COP26 [the twenty-sixth United Nations Climate Change Conference] in Glasgow later this year.” He also welcomed the United States’ stated re-engagement with the World Health Organisation (WHO). “Supporting WHO is absolutely critical to the world’s efforts for a better coordinated response against COVID-19,” he said. Of course the USA’s reengagement with the WHO, when it happens, is sure to send a clear and strong signal.
President Joe Biden with Vice President Kamla Devi Harris.
No doubt that the UN today recognises that American leadership within many realms, including public health, is critical. That is understandable. Of course these are the real issues that today disconcert the world. For a beleaguered United Nations, badly bruised by Trump’s Devil may care attitude, Biden’s arrival at the scene has suddenly made things look differently.
Whether it is the looming threat of climate change, or the killer COVID-19 pandemic, or a confused international diplomacy trying to rediscover multilateralism when Chinese juggernaut is rolling on, all are looking at the fast changing developments in the world’s oldest democracy. It is not going to be an easy task. Today’s China impacts closest of US allies. Europe recently finalised an investment agreement with China overruling US concerns that the deal could be counterproductive. However, the new US President’s rebuke to China, which had imposed sanctions on outgoing Donal Trump officials on the day when Biden was assuming charge, is quite revealing. A news agency today quoted Emily Horne, a spokeswoman for President Biden’s National Security Council, as saying that “President Biden looks forward to working with leaders in both parties to position America to out-compete China”. This caught China, which had welcomed Biden’s inauguration after four years of hostile relationship with Trump, off guard. “I believe if both countries work together, better angels in the U.S.-China relations could defeat evil forces,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying reacted at a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday. She had also said: “After travelling an extraordinary period, we believe our two peoples deserve to embrace a better future. We hope Biden will be successful in governance.“
Biden is sure to have a larger acceptance even when many within the NATO countries too were having a relook at the USA as a trustworthy ally. This could well be gauged by a statement by the German President Frank Walter Steinmeier, who, a few days ago before Biden’s swearing-in, had remarked that he was “greatly relieved” and that democracy under the Trump administration had faced “tremendous challenges…”. Even the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, had termed Biden’s victory as “the victory of democracy over the ultra-right and its three methods – massive deception, national division, and abuse, sometimes violent, of democratic institutions.” Moreover, a EU invitation is pending before Biden to attend a top-level Nato meeting when he is ready, for “a new founding pact” to boost multilateral cooperation, combat Covid, tackle climate change and aid economic recovery.
Of course as POTUS, Biden has a key leadership role to play across international agenda. And the world is looking at him. Under Biden, the US has a key leadership role to play across the international agenda, including in the Security Council, on matters of peace and security. “We also look forward to working with the administration to advance sustainable development, human rights for all the world’s people,” UN’s Stéphane Dujarric said.
By Deepak Parvatiyar
Good analysis