Joe Biden Has a Lot on His Plate in Europe

During his first trip abroad, the president will have a lot to do to patch up American international leadership that was severely damaged by his predecessor.

As soon as he exited his plane, Joe Biden took a big step forward for American diplomacy by showing that the spokesman for the United States is no longer an authoritarian, megalomaniacal nationalist trying to rally attention by pushing aside norms and denouncing the historic commitments of his country.

It wasn’t bad, but it will nevertheless be difficult to convince allies and adversaries that from now on, they can take the United States seriously concerning foreign affairs.

Tattered Leadership

It’s true that there were doubts about the soundness of American leadership before Donald Trump entered the scene.

Still, by cavalierly renouncing the Paris Agreement, slamming the door on the World Health Organization in the middle of a pandemic, basely trying to profit from the United States’ commitments with its allies, abandoning the promotion of democratic values and crushing them in front of Vladimir Putin, among other things, Trump did more in four years to undermine American international leadership than any number of his predecessors combined.

Biden has a huge reconstruction job ahead of him.

Impending Actions

Not being Trump is great, but that’s not enough.

Last week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen took a big step in reaching an agreement, in principle, for a minimum tax on multinational businesses. Biden will nevertheless have to convince European leaders that he will be able to get the needed legislation passed despite a Republican wall of opposition.

His promise to supply the rest of the world with 500 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines is an extraordinary gesture, but his political opponents will doubtlessly find a way to throw a monkey wrench into things.

Biden will also have a challenge at his face-to-face meeting with Putin, who will not be a treat for him and who is an old master at stoking domestic division in the United States.

Conquering Skepticism

Above all, in an internal political environment that is very uncertain, where the possibility of bipartisan consensus, even in foreign affairs, is at its lowest, it is a challenge for Biden to demonstrate that he is in good control of his government.

This will be difficult; the proof will not just depend on political orientations abroad, but equally on Biden’s ability to put his internal program in play.

The rest of the world depends on his success, first because a global post-COVID recovery will be difficult without a strong American economic recovery, but also because the international leadership of the United States depends on the confidence its partners have in the stability of the American democratic institution.

In brief, what the rest of the world is waiting for from Biden is assurance that they will not be seeing a powerful return of Trump or Trumpism. That will take more than just a trip.