THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO
Channel: A Singaporean
Date: 17/11/2020

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO

Who is Joe Biden?

Though most Americans may be familiar with President-elect Biden, those outside of the US may not be as in the know, hence a short summary of his career may be in order.

Joseph Robinette Biden Junior, or Joe Biden for short, will most likely assume office on 20 January 2021, if circumstances permit. A political veteran, Biden has served as a Senator, Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Senate Judicial Committee Chairman, and more visibly as ex-President Obama's Vice President, where he worked to implement measures to promote economic recovery from The Great Recession, manage the debt crisis and deal with gun violence. Biden has led efforts to pass bills to curb crime and protect women from violence, as well as having contributed to decision-making during the US involvement in the Gulf, Yugoslav, Iraq and Libyan Wars.

As can be deduced from the above, Biden is a learned and principled leader who is probably America's best shot at healing the nation, having repeatedly preached reconciliation and understanding.

What does Biden mean for Singapore, and the world at large?

Biden is known to be a staunch admirer of the late former Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, of Singapore. When writing in the condolence book for Lee, he stated that one of his most cherished memories was that of interacting with the senior statesman, having been floored by his insight into global matters. One can assume that this bodes well for Singapore-US relations going forward, putting any potential worries to rest.

Biden is expected by most geopolitical analysts to reverse course on Trump's "America First" policy, and instead work on repairing alliances so as to ensure a world order where the US is solidly at the helm. Biden will probably not demand that nations hosting American troops pay a greater share than before.

Biden shall also snuff out Trump's crusade against globalisation and mulit-lateralism by rejoining the World Health Organisation and The Paris Agreement. He will most certainly attempt to restore the Iranian Nuclear Deal that previously fell through due to the US unilaterally renegading upon the pact and reimposing sanctions under Trump.

When it comes to the ASEAN, of which Singapore is a member, Biden is predicted to resume the Obama-era "Pivot to East Asia", which would probably indicate a new round of America attempting to court ASEAN as a whole.

A Biden Administration would be unlikely to humour North Korea as much as the Trump Administration, as Biden has communicated that he is only willing to accept complete capitulation to America's denuclearisation demands. North Korea would probably not agree to a binding document as nuclear weapons are central to their detterence strategy.

While Biden views Russia as the greater threat to America's democracy, he might be pressured to continue some measures against China as anti-China sentiment is almost universally shared between the Democrats and Republicans, with both of them leading a bi-partisan effort to contain China.

Tensions between Russia and America will also deepen as Biden tries to confront them. After all, Biden said not long ago that Russia "is the biggest threat to America right now, in terms of breaking up our society and our alliances." This will sour Russia's relations with America even further and likely drive them further into China's embrace.

The path forward for Biden is rocky

Biden's Democratic Party has a majority in The House of Representatives, while lacking a clear majority in the Senate. This will mean that many of his initiatives may be stalled or stopped in the Senate. He might be forced to yield to Republican demands, preventing him from fully executing his agenda.

Trump may also continue to reiterate rather baseless claims of electoral fraud. Such actions would generate instability in US. In any case, an America that is falling apart at the seams will force Biden to look inward to salvage his country, leading to a political vacuum forming which China or some other rival would gladly fill.

While Biden may signal a return to somewhat 'normal' American foreign policy, the world that Biden becomes President in will be a whole different ball game from the one Obama faced. One hopes that he will be able to navigate this treacherous new world and fufill his desire to ensure stability and consistency for America and the rest of the world.