Joe Biden is the right man just for this moment
By experience and conciliatory style, Joe Biden is the right president for the heated social atmosphere in the US Ines Pohl believes that it is doubtful that he can provide answers beyond immediate crisis management.
The images of January 6, 2021 are the disturbing demonstration of the state of the United States after four years of the presidency of Donald Trump. They have been recorded in the collective memory, and not only in the United States. The world will not forget them. Outraged by hatred and corroded by conspiracy theories, the incumbent's supporters assaulted the heart of American democracy. Just two weeks later, the US has a new president and that was a process that Trump could not stop, despite his corrosive lies. That's good news and we can all breathe easy for a moment.
The Trump era is not over yet
Donald Trump is no longer the president of the United States, but his era is far from over. The country he leaves behind is as divided as never before since the Civil War more than 150 years ago. Political positions are irreconcilably confronted, and that phrase is applicable to both Parliament and the family table. A large part of Trump's followers live a building of lies towards which the former president has skillfully led them.
On foreign policy, Trump's balance sheet is also disastrous. Alliances of years were destroyed and authoritarian or dictatorial countries such as Russia or China rub their hands at the sight of the assault on the Capitol. Joe Biden inherits devastation, chaos and brutal economic fractures. On January 20, 2021, he assumes a White House in which nothing is ready or in order. For weeks now, the country, an atomic and economic power, has not been de facto being governed. That is dangerous for the United States, but also for international allies.
Compromises with political opponents
Never has an American president had as much experience coming into power as Joe Biden, who has been in politics for more than 50 years. As a deputy, he fought for compromises with political opponents and lived through the experience of power closely for 8 years as vice president of Barack Obama. Also in his first speech as president, Biden highlighted this important quality about himself, presenting himself as a professional reconciler, because he really is and it is something he can do.
Despite the extreme security measures that had excluded the American people from this celebration of democracy, he managed to dignify the moment of inauguration. He is capable of that. And this quality cannot be praised highly enough in this country that he has seen so much discredit in recent weeks.
The return of trust
For the international community, the Biden government represents the return of trust. Biden is clearly committed to NATO as a transatlantic alliance. He is a multilateralist who knows that the United States alone has no chance in a globalized world. Although that does not mean that Europe can hide behind its "big brother" again in the future. This American president will also expect a greater commitment from the Old Continent in financial matters.
Joe Biden is the right man for this moment. Also, a large part of his team is made up of experienced professionals, capable of assuming government tasks from day one. The new president will surely be able to avoid the worst and reach compromises with Republicans to finally immediately implement important programs to save lives in the coronavirus pandemic.
Find a new normal
But the biggest challenge will be to lead the country to a new normal after handling the crisis. What lasting concept can Biden and his administration offer to people who feel, justifiably, that big politics left them in the lurch? What is his program to combat social injustice, which is becoming more evident and worse? What can be done for people brutally harassed by police checkpoints just because of the color of their skin?
Joe Biden is a transitional president. That is something that he himself made clear at the beginning. However, conciliatory words alone are not enough to lead the country to a common future.
America needs to have a new idea of itself, an answer to the question of how American society wants to live in the future. What does it really mean to be "American"? Does the country want to remain open to immigrants? What is America's place on the world stage? But Joe Biden has no answers to these big questions, and hardly the strength to develop such a vision for his country for the foreseeable future.
