Biden Diplomacy: Toward Tolerant Leadership

Published in Tokyo Shimbun
(Japan) on 1 March 2021
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by D Baker. Edited by Laurence Bouvard.
The declaration from President Joe Biden was “America is back.” After having been guided by the “America First” policy during Donald Trump's tenure, U.S. diplomacy has now been restored to a spirit of international cooperation, and I welcome this policy shift. I hope that America will now show the kind of leadership that can overcome global issues.

The online Group of 7 summit was the first multilateral conference Biden attended since assuming office.

Biden announced that the U.S. would contribute up to $4 billion to COVAX, an international vaccine distribution network which the previous Trump administration had refused to support. This puts the total contributions from the G-7 at $7.5 billion.

In the G-7 Leaders' Statement, the leaders declared that they “will work together and with others to make 2021 a turning point for multilateralism.” After having fallen into dysfunction due to Trump, the G-7 is now able to strengthen itself and start afresh. The real test of whether the G-7 can take the lead in fighting COVID-19 starts now.

Although the U.S. has returned to addressing international issues, it does not have the will nor the resources to take up the role of the “world's police.”

Instead, it should look to allies that share the values of freedom and democracy to make up for its deficiencies. The Biden administration is seeking to promote the idea of burden sharing, and its allies must prepare themselves to shoulder a reasonable amount of this burden.

America's leadership of the liberal world is welcome. Equally, we should not get ahead of ourselves. I hope that the U.S. will coordinate its views with its allies; it is an obvious point, but each country has its own national interests and positions.

Let's take the example of the U.S. and what Biden sees as its most serious competitor, China. There is a difference in intensity between the relationship between China and the U.S., which is competing with China for dominance, and China and Europe, which does not want to damage economic relations with China. Japan sits in the gulf between the U.S. and China, wanting to avoid being drawn into the deterioration of relations between the two countries.

“We’re at an inflection point between those who argue that, given all the challenges we face — from the fourth industrial revolution to a global pandemic — that autocracy is the best way forward, they argue, and those who understand that democracy is essential — essential to meeting those challenges,” Biden said.

In addition to the above, at a special meeting of the Munich Security Conference after the G-7 summit, Biden also stated that, “democracy will and must prevail,” and called for solidarity among allies.

I hope that America's future is one of a tolerant approach to leadership.


<社説>バイデン外交 懐の深い指導力発揮を


「米国は戻ってきた」(バイデン大統領)−。米外交がトランプ流の自国第一主義から国際協調路線に回帰した。この政策転換を歓迎する。米国は地球規模の課題克服に指導力を見せてほしい。

 オンライン方式による先進七カ国首脳会議(G7サミット)が、バイデン氏が就任後初めて臨んだ多国間協議だった。

 バイデン氏はトランプ前政権が参加を拒否したワクチン供給の国際的枠組み「COVAX(コバックス)」に、最大で四十億ドルを拠出すると表明した。G7全体では総額七十五億ドルの拠出となる。

 G7は首脳声明で「二〇二一年を多国間主義のための転換点とする」と宣言した。トランプ氏によって機能不全に陥ったG7が、たがを締め直して再出発することになった。G7がコロナ対策で世界をリードしていけるのか、真価が問われる時だ。

 国際問題に関与する米国が戻ってきたとはいっても、もはや「世界の警察官」を引き受ける意思も余力もない。

 自由や民主主義といった理念を共有する同盟国に、己の足らざるところを補ってもらう−。バイデン政権が進めようとしているのは、バードン・シェアリング(責任分担)だ。同盟国は相応の負担を覚悟しなければならないだろう。

 米国が自由主義陣営を引っ張っていくのは歓迎だ。ただし、先走っては困る。同盟国との意見調整を重ねてほしい。当然のことだが、各国にはそれぞれの国益、立場がある。

 例えば、バイデン氏が「最も重大な競争相手」と見なす中国との関係だ。中国と覇権を争う米国と、中国との経済関係を損ねたくない欧州との間には温度差がある。米中の狭間(はざま)にある日本も、この両国関係の悪化に巻き込まれるのは避けたい。

 「われわれが直面する第四次産業革命や感染症のパンデミック(世界的大流行)といった課題を前進させるには、独裁が最善の方法か、それとも民主主義が不可欠なのか−。われわれはこの議論のまっただ中にある」

 G7サミットの後に開かれたミュンヘン安全保障会議の特別会合で、バイデン氏はこんな認識を示したうえで「民主主義は勝たなくてはならない」と述べ、同盟国に結束を呼び掛けた。

 指導力を発揮するにあたっては、リーダーとして懐の深さを見せてほしい。
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

Hot this week

Sri Lanka: Qatar under Attack: Is US Still a Reliable Ally?

Spain: Trump, Xi and the Art of Immortality

Guatemala: Fanaticism and Intolerance

Germany: When Push Comes to Shove, Europe Stands Alone*

Venezuela: China: Authoritarianism Unites, Democracy Divides

Topics

Malaysia: The Tariff Trap: Why America’s Protectionist Gambit Only Tightens China’s Grip on Global Manufacturing

Singapore: Several US Trade ‘Deals’ Later, There Are Still More Questions than Answers

Venezuela: Charlie Kirk and the 2nd Amendment

Spain: Charlie Kirk and the Awful People Celebrating His Death

Germany: Trump Declares War on Cities

Japan: US Signing of Japan Tariffs: Reject Self-Righteousness and Fulfill Agreement

Russia: Trump the Multipolarist*

Turkey: Blood and Fury: Killing of Charlie Kirk, Escalating US Political Violence

Related Articles

Malaysia: The Tariff Trap: Why America’s Protectionist Gambit Only Tightens China’s Grip on Global Manufacturing

Dominican Republic: Trump Is Rigorously Consistent

Japan: US Signing of Japan Tariffs: Reject Self-Righteousness and Fulfill Agreement

Germany: It’s Not Europe’s Fault

Spain: State Capitalism in the US