Biden @100 and the Trump Legacy – Prof K Nageshwar

President Joe Biden completes 100 days in the White house. After a historic win over the Trump regime that shook the US and the world in many ways, American observers feel that the 100 days of the Biden administration has been momentous and comparable with that of President Franklin D. Roosevelt following the great depression. Notwithstanding such a comparison, the fact remains that Biden took decisive steps to tackle the challenges before him which are mainly the vestiges of the Trump era.

The challenges are as follows. Trump drove the mighty nation into COVID 19 quagmire. His disdain for science and unilateral measures proved disastrous for the United States. The world’s most powerful nation became the world’s most pandemic-affected country. President Biden swiftly swung into action. He called for 100 million vaccinations in the first 100 days. By the last week of April, over 36 percent of Americans got the full vaccination, while 52 percent were vaccinated at least once. The Biden-led US is expected to vaccinate entire America within a month, thus saving lives and the economy. Biden launched a $1.9 trillion stimulus by putting money into the hands of people. He intends to unveil an economic package worth trillions of dollars to boost infrastructural and welfare spending. Despite the Republican resistance, Biden wants to tax the corporates and the rich Americans to finance its massive fiscal spending. Capitalist America may describe that the ghost of socialism has engulfed the Biden administration. But, undeterred by such criticism, Biden is attempting what is prudent in a pandemic-induced economic distress scenario. Trump ignored the health implications of the pandemic excessively focussing on the economy. Not imprisoned by the lives vs livelihoods debate, Biden combined measures to mitigate pandemic with that of stimulating economic revival.

The white supremacist Trump inflicted grievous wounds on the social fabric of America. As the slogan of black lives matter reverberated across America, Trump responded with an iron fist. Calling the protest a national security threat, Trump warned of reigning in the demonstrators using National security guards. Biden while in the electoral fray met George Floyd family members offering solace to American minorities. The conviction of white police officers charged with the killing of George Floyd may not be a full demonstration of justice under Biden dispensation, but certainly an indicator of things to come.

Finally, Trump’s America first policy has deprived this great power of its legitimacy to the global leadership. Trump walked out of the Paris climate deal, the Iranian Nuclear deal, WHO, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), etc. Biden is entrusted with the responsibility to revive the American role in the global order. Until now, the democratic regime in the White House has a mixed record in this regard. Imprisoned by domestic political compulsions, Biden took a hostile position vis a vis China and Russia. However, striking a subtle difference from the Trump era, Biden promised no unilateral action. Biden, unlike the Obama administration, in which he was part, prefers to tread Trump’s path by pulling out US troops from Afghanistan. He refuses to explore diplomatic options to usher in peace and stability with Korea and Iran. However, the US returning to the Paris climate deal, the WHO, provides a sense of relief. But, Biden chose to refrain from joining TPP and continues the policy of encirclement of China through the instrumentality of QUAD that caused tensions in the South China Sea.

The US aggressive posturing by unilaterally sending his warships into India’s Exclusive Economic Zone, refusal to relax the intellectual property rights regime on COVID supplies reflect no change in American policy despite the change of guard.