Joe Biden; saviour of the complacent US global dominance or the last nail to its coffin?

By- Adnan Pavel

We have seen that Joe Biden has been endorsed by numerous high-profile democrats including former President Barack Obama, Senator Elizabeth Warren and many more. Joe Biden could be the saviour of the complacent US global dominance or he could be the last nail to it.  The US and its allies’ vision of the enlargement of the democracy and democratisation is in tatter as we have seen the rise of authoritarian regimes all over the world. President Trump’s inward-looking leadership has damaged US dominance across the world.

Democracy is fighting for its survival. We have seen that democratisation has stalled globally since 2006. Tyranny has advanced in many countries across the world in last 15-20 years. In democratic countries citizens feel that democracy is unresponsive to the problems that they are facing. In developing countries, the rising democracy has been crippled by corruption, economic stagnation and personality cult. Globalisation has uplifted billions of people out of property, but it has also helped in creating inequality in societies. The global economic and military influence of China has added new dimension to the ever-growing threat of the democracy and democratisation. The Russian intervention in the democratic events to influence the outcome has mounted more pressure on democracy. The misinformation disseminated through social media and other social communications channel exhibit threat to democracy, democratic institutions and democratisation. The assault on freedom of expression, rule of law and free press is increasing.  We have seen how tyranny has emerged and thrived based on different social cleavages. The Chinese model of economy, trade liberalising and policing on citizens and initiating ethic cleansing seem more energetic. The power of citizens to dispose their incompetent leaders is becoming more remote gradually. Even during COVID-19 pandemic we have seen the expansion of illiberal democratic practices and power grabbing tendency in Hungry and Poland.

The US vision of the democratic enlargement was part of the foreign policy under every US president since Bill Clinton until the current administration.  Joe Biden may reignite this important fabric of the US foreign policy if he wins 2020 presidential election and if he loses that could be the last nail in this coffin.