The inauguration of United States President-elect Joe Biden marks a new era for not only the country, but also the world.
By
kompas team
·4 minutes read
The inauguration of United States President-elect Joe Biden marks a new era for not only the country, but also the world.
WASHINGTON, TUESDAY — Despite being overshadowed by security concerns, the inauguration of United States President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Wednesday (20/1/2021) at noon (the morning of Thursday, 21 Jan., in Indonesia) will herald the superpower\'s new course over the next four years. The transition of power from Donald Trump-Mike Pence to Biden-Harris, which has not been smooth and has been full of turmoil and even casualties from the storming of Capitol Hill, also marks a milestone in the increasingly sharp political divide among the American public.
On the other hand, the world cannot afford to close its eyes. As the strongest country in the world, whoever is elected as the US President will have a major influence on the global social order.
The post-Trump polarization of the American public is even greater than the pre-Trump era.
Biden has inherited a series of serious challenges from the Trump administration that he must solve, from the nation’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic to a teetering economy, and to a broken political system. According to Samantha Power, a former US ambassador, global leadership and public policy professor at Harvard Kennedy School and a human rights professor at Harvard Law School, Biden also faces the major domestic issue of restoring trust in US leadership among the American people, who are sharply polarized. The post-Trump polarization of the American public is even greater than the pre-Trump era.
Many Democrats said the best way for Biden to reunite the American nation and restore public trust in government was to achieve measurable results, including in the Covid-19 response and economic recovery. With regard to the former, Biden proposed last Thursday a stimulus fund of nearly US$2 trillion to recover the economy, which includes $20 billion to accelerate vaccine distribution and $50 billion for Covid-19 testing.
Multilateral approach
On the other hand, the international community is waiting for Biden to make good on the promise to restore America\'s "soul" that he made during his presidential campaign, which was framed in response to Trump’s policies. It is undeniable that during the Trump administration, the US tended to act unilaterally, an attitude that threatened the country’s geopolitical position in the world.
In this regard, Biden has said that his first foreign policy will be to summon world leaders and say, "America is back: You can count on us." Biden has drawn up plans to reverse the US’ withdrawal from world bodies, revoke harmful policies and restore alliances.
Anthony Blinken, Biden’s pick for Secretary of State, said that restoring alliances and normalizing relations with a number of US allies was vital to the post-Trump era.
According to a recent latest memo from Ron Klain, the nominee for White House chief of staff, Biden also plans to announce the US’ return to the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization (WHO) immediately after his inauguration. Anthony Blinken, Biden’s pick for Secretary of State, said that restoring alliances and normalizing relations with a number of US allies was vital to the post-Trump era. Blinken\'s incoming Foreign Affairs Deputy, Wendy Sherman, acknowledged that the Biden administration would have to work extra hard to regain its standing in the eyes of the world, including its allies, as a "major actor" in global politics.
"We will work hard on this because we have lost credibility. We are seen as weaker after Trump," said Sherman.
Strategy chair Anthony H. Cordesman of the US think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), agreed with revitalizing US alliances as expressed by Blinken and Sherman, in particular with the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
"US involvement in NATO since the 1960s and the decline that has occurred in just four years must end immediately," he said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg hopes to work closely with Biden and his cabinet. "The President-elect is very committed to Trans-Atlantic cooperation with NATO. I know he is very supportive of the idea of further strengthening North American and European cooperation," said Stoltenberg.
There is also hope that the US will be increasingly involved in Asia and ASEAN during the Biden era.
For ASEAN, both the US and China were important and it was hoped they would contribute to the region.
"For the US, ASEAN and Asia are becoming increasingly important," said Americas and European Affairs Director General I Gede Ngurah Swajaya at the Foreign Ministry. He expressed his hope that Biden would attend the ASEAN Summit at the end of this year. Biden\'s presence at the ASEAN Summit is expected to turn the event into a space for potential US-Chinese talks. For ASEAN, both the US and China were important and it was hoped they would contribute to the region.
"ASEAN will be proactive in encouraging dialogue," said Swajaya. (AP/AFP/REUTERS/MHD/ADH/ RAZ)