Friday, 11 June 2021 -
Ahead of this year’s edition of the G7, the European Union and NATO meeting that kickstarts today and ends on the 13th of June, we examine how Biden’s favourable atmosphere, post-pandemic recovery plan, and his overall progressive agenda is especially great for Europe.
The G7 Summit is being hosted by the UK’s coastal town of Cornwall. Representatives, globally, are making their way to the UK, and so is Biden, in what comes as his first trip abroad since taking over from Trump. Global challenges will be discussed, as well as their solutions, but expectations are especially high for the following reasons:
The global economy is striving to steady the ship in the post-Covid-19 era.
Last year's summit was cancelled due to Covid-19.
President Biden is expected to make new acquaintances and as well renew old friendships that were sour on the backdrop of Trump’s administration.
Creating A Winning Post-Covid-19 Agenda to The West
Earlier this week, a senior French correspondent hailed Biden's progressive agenda as exactly what the West needs in these challenging times. He highlighted the U.S high vaccination rates and vaccine rollouts, Biden's decision to suspend steel tariffs imposed by Trump, and his recent agreement to set a minimum global corporate tax as positive steps towards cementing lasting bilateral ties. And while there are still things to be done or done, the overall feeling going into today's summit is that Biden is everything Europe could hope for.
The “Democracy Summit”
In a world where democracy is always under attack, some European leaders are concerned that Biden's 'America First' foreign policy bears a strong resemblance to Trump's era, and his proposed 'democracy summit' would stir Europe and indeed the world to break into two hostile camps. But given that Biden is the first Atlanticist after George Bush to take the power reigns, he represents Europe’s ultimate hope and fulfilment. Nevertheless, he is expected to make strike a balance between making Europe’s case in the U.S and making the U.S case in Europe.
Biden vs. Trump: The Value Contrast
With regards to values, Biden's default faith is deeply ingrained in the West and was certainly shaped by the previous Cold War. Trump, on the other hand, regarded the U.S western allies as freeloaders. And the contrast between the two couldn't be more stack. By comparison, anyone could look better at what they represent, but Biden has won over many Western hearts for reversing steel tariffs that had been the elephant in the room for a long time.
Biden’s Faith in The EU Agenda
Biden, in his few first months in office, has dynamically spearheaded the response to the pandemic. Through Congress, he muscled a $2 trillion package towards the same. The EU, by contrast, set a $900 billion package. Moreover, he is pushing an infrastructure package that is reminiscent of the West’s pledge in social democracies. Elsewhere:
Biden has called on pharma firms to waive patent and intellectual property rights in a bid to speed up vaccine production, which represents the EU’s plot to fuel post-pandemic economies.
Biden has pledged global support of 80 million doses by June’s end and a further 500 million by the year’s end.
What more could Europe hope for? Biden has a positive report to give not only on building bilateral ties with Europe but also on climate change, strengthening EU’s social democracies and economic recovery.
(Written and edited by: Richard Oyamo for The Decision Maker)
コメント