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Taiwanese newspapers celebrate Biden’s victory. But the euphoria is not the same everywhere. image: keystone
Biden goes around the world: Europe is happy, but one trembles tremendously
No more “bastard” rhetoric and back to the Iranian nuclear treaty: this is how the new US president wants to reposition America in the world.
Exactly four years ago, Barack Obama expected a distinguished visit to the White House: Donald Trump, the newly elected president of the United States, stopped by to arrange the transfer with his predecessor. The “excellent conversation” (Obama quote) was the prelude to the traditional “handover talks” that are always necessary when a new president and about 4,000 new officials move to Washington. Several hundred people work for weeks to make delivery as easy as possible. And, of course, the troop that resigns will play a trick on the newcomers. When the George W. Bush folks took over their Clinton administration computers, the “W” was missing from all keyboards.
But in November 2020 everything will be different. Trump did not acknowledge Joe Biden’s victory. That’s why Biden started out on his own and established a new Corona task force yesterday. What Biden will be able to address depends on whether Republicans can maintain their majority in the Senate and thus make it difficult for Biden to rule. That will be decided on January 5.
United States Elections: All the news live.
It is clear that Biden wants to change the course of foreign policy quickly. He has announced that he will rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization on his first day in office. Such promises raise hopes and fears around the world. Biden’s expectations are very different:
Europe takes a deep breath: Boris Johnson miscalculated
The climate between the United States and the “Old World” has cooled under Trump. Luxembourg’s Jean Asselborn, Europe’s oldest foreign minister, said in an interview with this newspaper: “In recent years nothing in common has been created, only divided. Now someone you can talk to sensibly is coming back to the White House. “
Boris Johnson. Image: keystone
Europe only played a minor role in Trump’s foreign policy. The United States has practically withdrawn from the UN or the World Trade Organization. “The most urgent thing now would be for the United States and Russia to agree to a new nuclear disarmament agreement,” says Asselborn.
For now, however, we have to wait and see: the Russian government has yet to acknowledge Biden’s electoral victory. And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is visibly disappointed. The swift free trade deal that Trump’s confidant wanted to conclude with the United States after the final exit from the EU is likely a long way off under Biden’s presidency.
China relies on “old friend” cooperation
Biden has already visited China several times, and Xi Jinping even referred to the then vice president of the United States in 2013 as an “old friend.” Biden’s victory speech received more than 1 billion views on social media from China.
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in 2013. Image: keystone
However, the Middle Kingdom is cautious after Biden’s election victory. In the Chinese state press, however, cautious optimism blazes: Trump’s “ruthless gamer mentality” is over, writes the loyal government newspaper “Global Times.” The Chinese ‘greatest hope is that Beijing can renegotiate the so-called “Phase One Agreement” with the United States. It stipulates that China must buy an additional $ 200 billion in American goods annually to balance the trade balance.
However, so far, the Chinese government has been significantly delayed. Beijing says the import burden is unrealistic. Washington could ask for human rights or intellectual property concessions in exchange for relaxing the trade agreement.
Saudi prince fears prosecution, Iran smells morning air
Biden aims to change course in Middle East politics. He praised his adversary Trump for initiating the peace accords between Israel, the Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. But Biden thinks little of Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy in Iran. He’s ready to go back to the nuclear deal Obama negotiated in 2015 and Trump abandoned in 2018.
Mohammed bin Salman would have preferred Trump. Image: AP / Saudi Press Agency
Furthermore, Biden wants to end support for the Saudi war in Yemen and emphasize human rights more strongly. For Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, these are bad omens. So far, Trump has protected him from prosecution for the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi.
Mexicans celebrate in the streets, Brazil is silent
In neighboring Mexico, many reacted with euphoria to Biden’s victory. The reason for this: the Democrat wants to deactivate his predecessor’s immigration policy. During the election campaign, Biden promised to give the children of people living in the US illegally a route to a US passport.
The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, is silent. The head of state, who, like his American counterpart, has always looked down on the corona virus, never hid his closeness to Trump.
African evangelicals pray, but expectations are too small
In 2018, Donald Trump described several African countries as “bastard” countries. And for the rest, the Republican showed little understanding of the complex continent. When a dispute broke out between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan over the Ethiopian mega-dam “Great Dam of the Ethiopian Renaissance”, Trump suggested to his Ethiopian counterpart that he should simply “blow up” the project of the century.
Will Africa’s politics change? The Egyptian ruler al-Sisi had a good relationship with Trump. Bild: AP / AP
On the other hand, Trump had found friends within the growing evangelical circles in Africa. Massive prayers for his re-election were held in several countries. The idea that Joe Biden will put relations with Africa on an entirely new footing is wrong.
He threatened Egyptian leaders, for example, that direct US aid would be cut off if the country did not release its political prisoners. For the moment, Biden will be busy with domestic political issues (corona pandemic and police violence). As is often the case, Africa ranks last on the priority list.
