Biden’s dream of making the US the world leader once again can be realised only when it is able to restore its own credibility and influence.
Joe Biden has completed one year in his office as President of the United States. Though the year was tumultuous because of the pandemic, Biden’s commitment to bring back the US on top of the global radar seemed to be showing the sign of culminating intangibles to tangibles. Whether he has really charted out a different course of US strategy both at home and abroad or if there is a continuity in US thinking in dealing with the world is forming a part of the debate among the members of the strategic and academic community. The legacy which he inherited obviously has thrown open many complex challenges to bring the US on the centre-stage of global affairs.
The daunting task before Biden has been to restore the United States again as the nation of immigrants. There are some signs coming that he is not tough on this issue, as his predecessor was. He has been able to show his commitment fulfilled mainly in the context of the mission statement of US citizenship and immigration services.
The other important change Biden’s first year saw was the approach with which the United States was able to align its policies with the requirements of climate change obligations. Biden has a clear understanding that climate change affects everything, from geopolitics to economies to migration and overall development. The US withdrawal from the Paris Protocol seemed to be a big disaster in addressing the commitments and obligations of climate change negotiations. The US has been the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG). Moreover, all the plans laid out by a number of countries including the United States for reducing the concentration of GHG in atmosphere, known as Nationally Determined Contributions, still add up to a 2.4 C of temperature rise by the end of the century. CoP26 at Glasgow in November 2021 saw a reflection of the changes in the US approach and its assertion to follow the obligations has been a departure from Trump’s policies. The onus remains with the US to change its pattern of consumption and use of resources.
With regard to varying degrees of domestic issues, it is too early to see intangibles getting culminated into tangibles. Biden’s commitment to rebuild the middle class will take its own course. His plan to make sure every single American has access to quality, affordable healthcare, invest in infrastructure, raise the minimum wage to $15 and lead the clean economy revolution to create 10 million new jobs may get realised by the time he finishes his first term.
Biden’s dream of making the US the world leader once again can only be realised when it is able to restore its own credibility and influence. There should be reasons to trust and respect the word of an American President for the rest of the world. There have been renewed threats emanating from non-state actors as well as state institutions. The disruptive impact of new technologies is being witnessed. The existence of terrorist networks spread across the world remains a cause of concern for both the US and the rest of the world.
Without the dismantling of the terrorist networks, the US ended the global war on terrorism and withdrew completely from the epicentre of war—Afghanistan. Such US action paved the way for Taliban to occupy the seat of power. Al Qaeda and ISIS remain the potent force to spread their cadres and ideologies.
The United States has also been decreasing its role in West Asia especially in the last one year. Iran is taken as a force to reckon with by Biden’s Administration and hence negotiating with Iran again becomes a priority on the nuclear issue. US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen will get over soon as has been indicated by President Biden himself. Biden has also been showing signs of dealing with North Korea with a lot of caution. His well articulated policy towards Taiwan created much furore in China. It was made clear that the US would come to Taiwan’s defence in the case of any eventuality. The strategic ambiguity on whether it would intervene militarily to protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack got ended. It was seen as a quantum shift in US policy.
Geopolitically, China will remain a part of the problem for the US. China wants to be seen as a global hegemon built on communism. Biden has sent enough symbolic messages to China in the last one year with serious intent. China will keep posing a threat to US interests and elsewhere, through its ideology, espionage and commerce.
Biden’s plan to launch a top-to-bottom review of the US funding to Central America mainly to determine how the leaders of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras would make sincere commitments to get rid of corruption, violence and endemic poverty that drive migration will soon see dividends.
President Biden has made sincere effort to strengthen alliances with Japan, South Korea and Australia. The confidence level among allies of the US is being regained. Strengthening NATO in particular has been receiving sufficient attention in comparison to Trump’s Presidency.
Russia remains a major concern for the US. More recently, Biden has sounded tough about any possible Russian attempt to annex Ukraine. The Central European countries are aligning with US policies and seeking more commitment for their security. The strategic stability between the US and Russia needs to be maintained.
India will remain a trusted and responsible strategic partner of the US. India and the US will work together for greater convergences on pertinent important areas including in the maritime domain. The Indo-Pacific security architecture will have to guarantee stability for global interests. The US seems to have understood India’s potential and role in this regard. It is most likely that the US might change its “pivot to Asia” policy to “pivot to India” policy. India has become a part of regional and global solutions to the varying problems. Biden has found committed and shared interests with India on a number of pertinent global issues impacting global peace and stability.
Dr Arvind Kumar is currently Professor of the United States Studies at School of International Studies (SIS) at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is also the Chairman of the Centre for Canadian, United States and Latin American Studies at SIS.