Joe Biden will replace the Trump Clown Show with competent professionals. But, Tony Burman writes, the world has changed a great deal since the advent of Trump -- for several reasons:
1.The United States Is Much Weaker
The damage inflicted on the United States by the Trump presidency is virtually incalculable. By the time he leaves office in January, more than 400,000 Americans will be dead from the pandemic. The economy is in shambles and the key democratic institutions — such as the legal system, news media and public service — have been savaged. The country is also horribly polarized, with the majority of Republicans believing Trump’s nonsense that the election was stolen from him. That is the America over which a new President Biden will preside.
2. It's Not the Same World
Since 2016, the American reputation in the world has declined dramatically. Rather than being seen as “the shining city on the hill” — as Ronald Reagan once described it — the U.S. is now viewed by many as a failed state. In many parts of the world, the dictators of China and Russia — Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin — are now “more trusted” than the U.S. president. Even the fabled U.S. medical system is now viewed by many with disbelief as its horrific pandemic death toll climbs.
3. Europe Is Divided
There are divisions in Europe about how close an embrace there should be to the Americans now. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, is pushing for European “strategic autonomy” that would be more independent in military and industrial terms. Germany, in contrast, wants to resume the close relations of the past. The question is how trustworthy the United States is anymore.
4. The Problems Are Tougher to Solve
The U.S. will rejoin the Paris climate treaty, the World Health Organization and UNESCO and it will revive the nuclear agreement with Iran. But it will take considerable resolve to solve other issues. There is the need for the U.S. to end its role in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, to make sense of the farcical Trump approach to North and South Korea, and to deal with Russia. And the list goes on.
5. China Is A Force to Be Reckoned With
There is no country that has benefited more from the disastrous Trump years than China. Although the U.S. president and his acolytes were bellicose in their anti-China rhetoric, their actions accomplished nothing — except to strengthen China’s position. By weakening western alliances, abandoning America’s traditional allies in Asia and withdrawing the U.S. from any effective global engagement, Trump allowed the Chinese government to increase its power abroad and smother human rights and democracy in its own country. China, therefore, is far more of a dangerous rival to the U.S. than it was when Trump took over.
Throughout his life, Donald Trump has been a wrecking ball. During the last four years, he has set out to wreak havoc on the world. Rebuilding from the rubble he has left behind will not be easy.
Image: slate.com
