The history and peoples of United States of America have given their verdict. Joe Biden is in and Donald Trump is out. And it hardly surprises anyone. Does it? Joe Biden has been destined to serve as the 46th President of United States of America. An irrefutable fact is that the follies committed by his predecessor i.e. Donald Trump have paved the way for Joe Biden to the White House. But the pressing question is: Can Joe Biden fill the leadership gap created by Donald Trump?
In one of his early speeches, Joe Biden declared that America will lead by the “power of example”. It is like smartly summing up the entire ambition in just three words. If the clarity of thoughts, selfless devotion to duty, ability to foresee the unseen and flawless execution of strategies are the hallmarks of a truly global leader, Mr. Trump proved himself a big disappointment to the world in general and USA in particular. It would not be a cruel assessment if we look into the follies and blunders he committed during his presidential years from January 2017 till January 2021.
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Irrespective of tall claims during polling times to impress the voters, a politician once assumes office acts with subtle, grace and “presidential fervor”, if you permit me to say so. But that was uncharacteristic of Donald Trump’s style of leadership. From his promises of tearing apart Iran’s nuclear deal, his stance on immigration, to his senseless Twitter fixation, the list is endless. President Trump proved time and again, on consistent basis, that elegance and international diplomatic delicacies were the concepts alien to him. To some, his misadventures were more like his strong personality traits as it made him tall among his peers. Nothing could be farther from truth.
It goes without saying that this style of leadership by Trump has put a dent on the US ability to lead the world in virtually everything under the sun. It created a void in the leadership capability of the USA, which was its hallmark and symbol of pride. Forget the adversaries like China and talk about friends and allies like Canada and France. His tussle with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and clash with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of NATO summit will remain fresh in the global diplomatic circles for a long time to come. Apart from it, his lukewarm attitude towards World Health Organization (WHO) and departure from Paris Climate Accord have damaged the very fabric of US global leadership.
Donald Trump’s actions or inactions have created a global leadership vacuum, which immediately needed to be filled. No prizes for guessing, it is the China, which can be dubbed as the most promising and potential candidate for this global role.
The incompetent handling of corona virus pandemic has exposed the leadership crises of Trump Administration to the core. USA, which was once considered to be at the helm of resolution of every conceivable global crises, appeared to be clueless as how to recognize this issue, let alone solve it. US silence over countering the pandemic is making huge noises.
In the backdrop of criminal follies of Trump Administration, US voters acted like a double edge Samurai sword and elected Joe Biden as the messiah for restoring the lost glory of US pride and prestige. In 2015, Biden announced his unwillingness to run for the 2016 presidency partly because of the painful death of his son due to brain cancer. His unexpected announcement was back then considered an emotional yet powerful and mature decision. Although, it may be premature but safe to say that with Joe Biden, new occupant of White House as the President, a lot of these problems and issues can and most likely be tackled.
According to the Deputy Director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Centre, Michael Kugelman, one of the Biden’s Administration’s paramount goals will be to restore and galvanize the US global leadership. A concern Trump never carted about. It covers revisiting international agreement and accords that Trump happily withdrew from, repairing the damaged relations with US partners in Europe and Asia and building global alliances to achieve common agendas like combating climate change and managing nuclear ambitions Iran and North Korea. It will surely send a signal that US is restoring its global credibility, winning back lost trust and ensuring the world that US continues to give greater emphasis to its global role of leading from the front.
Among other things, Biden plans to place emphasis, during the early segment of his administration, on uniting the country, recovering its lost glory and addressing urgent problems like COVID-19 pandemic, growing unemployment, racial prejudice and climate change.
“Let us be the nation that we know we can,” Biden declared in his victory address. “A nation united, a nation strengthened. A nation healed. The United States of America, ladies and gentlemen, there’s never, never been anything we have tried and we have not been able to do”.
