“America is back”. It was with this message that President Joe Biden communicated to representatives of European countries and other allied countries of his intention to reposition the United States as the rulers of the West, in a new attempt to break away from it. the policies of his predecessor in the White House.
In a series of virtual events this Friday (19), Biden pledged more money for the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines around the world, confirmed the United States’ return to the Paris Climate Agreement , defended democracy and multilateralism, criticized China and Russia, and reaffirmed the importance of NATO – the military alliance led by Washington and suspected by Donald Trump.
With the exception of Beijing’s comment, all other statements represent a change from the US position under the previous government.
As the Republican advocated isolationist policies – symbolized by the slogan ‘America first’ – and criticized Washington’s traditional alliances, the Democrat called on Europeans to support the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and Chinese influence and Russian.
“I know the past few years have created tensions in our transatlantic relationship,” Biden said during a video speech at the Munich conference (an event that brings together world leaders to discuss global security).
“The United States is determined to reconnect with Europe. To consult them. To regain our position of trust and leadership once again,” the American told an audience made up mainly of Eruopeus.
“Our partnerships have grown stronger over the years because they are rooted in the richness of our common democratic values. They do not constitute a transaction [comercial]. They are not extractivists. They are built on a vision of the future in which every voice counts, ”Biden said.
The statement appears to refer to one of Trump’s positions, which he advocated running the country as if it were a business – the current US president did not mention his predecessor’s name in his speech.
In a message to Moscow and Beijing, Biden also argued that democracies must work together to protect themselves from threats from major competitors in areas such as climate change and digital security.
“We are in the midst of a fundamental debate about the future direction of our world. Among those who argue that autocracy is the best way forward and those who understand that democracy is essential to meet challenges . I believe, with every gram of my being, that democracy must prevail, “Biden will defend.” Democracy does not happen by chance. We must defend it, strengthen it, renew it “.
The American even cited what he called Russia’s “perverse” actions in an attempt to destabilize democracy in the West. President Vladimir Putin is accused of trying to influence the last two US elections to favor Trump, a practice denied by the Kremlin. We are a family business.
In common with his predecessor, however, Biden maintained a harsh rhetoric against the Chinese regime.
“We must prepare together for a long-term strategic competition with China,” he said. “We can fight against the economic abuse of the Chinese government and the coercion that undermines the foundations of the international economic system,” he added.
The Asian country was also one of the subjects of the G7 leaders’ meeting, which was held earlier. In the statement on the virtual meeting, the leaders of the entity’s countries (Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom) advocated unified actions against “anti-market policies”, with reference to Beijing.
The final text of the event also condemned the recent military coup in Myanmar and the arrest of Russian opponent Alexei Navalni for Russia and expressed support for the Tokyo Olympics this year – the event, scheduled for July, may be canceled due to the pandemic.
One of the most iconic moments of the Trump presidency happened exactly at the 2018 G7 meeting in Canada. At the time, disagreements between the Republican and other countries were clear in a photo showing the brooding American surrounded by Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of other countries.
Now, in 2021, the tone of the meeting was much softer, with a defense of multilateralism – a word almost forbidden in Trump’s diplomacy.
“Building on our strengths and values as open democracies, societies and economies, we will work together and with others to make 2021 a turning point for multilateralism and shape a recovery that fosters the health and prosperity of our people and our planet, ”the leaders added in the meeting’s outcome document.
The fight against the coronavirus has ended up monopolizing attention. According to the White House, Biden announced $ 4 billion in aid to speed up immunization in poor countries.
The United States will immediately donate $ 2 billion to the Covax consortium, a WHO (World Health Organization) initiative, and an additional $ 2 billion over the next two years, as other countries will donate. The goal is to reach US $ 15 billion (R $ 80.8 billion). Germany and the European Union have also announced contributions to this fund.
According to the White House, the Democrat also called for governments to increase public spending on programs to help their populations cope with this difficult time.
“Jobs and growth is what we will need after this pandemic,” Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Acting G7 President, summed up the priorities of the participants in the event.
After the meeting, Biden gave Europe another nod and reaffirmed his “full commitment” to NATO. “An attack on one is an attack on all. It is an unshakeable vote.”
The United States also formalized Friday the country’s return to the Paris Agreement, a commitment signed in 2015 by more than 200 countries to fight climate change. The deal aims to limit the rise in global temperature to 2 ° C above pre-industrial levels and continue the effort to lower it to 1.5 ° C.
Washington abandoned the deal at Donald Trump’s decision. He argued that reducing pollution would hurt the US economy. But Biden sees the transition to clean energy as a way to accelerate recovery from the pandemic crisis.
Special Secretary for Climate John Kerry was pessimistic about the current scenario and said more ambition is needed for environmental goals for the next 10 years. At the Munich Forum, he said the world was still a long way from stopping global warming and called climate change “threat multipliers” that should be viewed as a security issue.
Otherwise, says the American, they can “undermine the peace and stability of countries.”
“Sadly today, only one or two countries are really doing what they said they would,” said Kerry. “When we come together we need to be honest, humble and, above all, ambitious. Honestly to know that as a global community we are far from where we need to be and humble because we know that the United States has been inexplicably absent for four years. “
The secretary directly cited former President Donald Trump as synonymous with the delay. The Republican denied global warming and went against the scientific consensus he called “alarmist”. The United States is today one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, just behind China.
Called Biden’s climate czar, Kerry said “it is not acceptable” for countries participating in climate summits, such as the one scheduled for Glasgow in November, to appear “with a large number of projections in 30 or 40 years. “” It’s what people are going to do in the next 10 years that matters, that’s what we need to talk about. “
In 2016, it was Kerry, then secretary of state in the Barack Obama administration, who dedicated American participation in the Paris agreement, signing the pact in order to protect future generations and fight against global warming. climate.
Hours before the event, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that Biden’s foreign policy centers on the climate change debate and partnership with other countries. “Climate change and science diplomacy can never again be ‘complements’ in our discussions on foreign policy.”