Biden Pleads For Democracy Over Autocracy, Repudiating Trump
President Joe Biden urged U.S. allies to uphold democracy in his first major speech to an international audience on Friday, warning that the world faces an “inflection point” in history that could result in a tilt toward autocracy. Biden Pleads For Democracy Over Autocracy, Repudiating Trump
“We are in the midst of a fundamental debate about the future direction of our world,” Biden said in remarks delivered remotely to the Munich Security Conference. “Between those who argue that — given all of the challenges we face, from the fourth industrial revolution to a global pandemic — autocracy is the best way forward and those who understand that democracy is essential to meeting those challenges.”
The new U.S. president seeks to persuade other industrialized democracies that his country is ready to repair alliances and work collectively to confront global challenges, abandoning the “America First” posture of the Trump administration. In the opening minutes of his speech, Biden committed to observe NATO’s mutual defense guarantee, known as Article 5 — something former President Donald Trump initially declined to do while president, sparking controversy.
“We’ll keep faith with Article 5,” Biden said. “It’s a guarantee. An attack on one is an attack on all. That is our unshakable vow.”
Biden also said he had ordered a halt to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Germany that Trump directed shortly before leaving office, a move interpreted by the U.S. ally as a snub of Angela Merkel, the German chancellor who was an occasional foil for the former president.
Unlike his predecessor — who often complained that the U.S. had been exploited by its partners and demanded trade and defense concessions from longtime allies — Biden argued that partnerships “rooted in the richness of our shared democratic values” would pay the greatest dividends. U.S. relationships “are not transactional” or “extractive,” an implicit repudiation of former President Donald Trump.
Domestic strife in the U.S. and Europe has left “democratic progress under assault,” Biden warned.
“We must demonstrate that democracies can still deliver for our people,” Biden said. “That is our galvanizing mission. Democracy doesn’t happen by accident. We have to defend it. Fight for it. Strengthen it. Renew it.”
“We have to prove that our model isn’t a relic of history,” he said.
The president’s plea for multilateralism — which followed a closed-door meeting of Group of Seven leaders on Friday to discuss the pandemic response, Biden’s first as president — follows U.S. announcements that it will rejoin international institutions and agreements rejected by Trump.
“The change of government in the U.S. has strengthened multilateralism,” Merkel said at a news conference after the G-7 meeting. “The first decisions of the Biden administration have already shown that.”
Friday marks the official return of the U.S. to the Paris Climate Agreement, a multination pact designed to limit global warming. Biden invited other world leaders to participate in an April 22 climate summit to mark Earth Day.
And on Thursday, the State Department said the U.S. would be willing to meet with European partners and Iran to discuss restoring the agreement brokered during the Obama administration to prevent the Islamic Republic from attaining nuclear weapons.
Trump pulled out of the pact, which he said provided too much financial relief without enough concessions from Tehran, and imposed new sanctions on Iran. That prompted the longtime U.S. adversary to accelerate uranium enrichment efforts, which it has said it will cease if Biden first lifts Trump’s sanctions.
While Biden’s speech didn’t include specific timetables for returning to the Iran deal, senior administration officials said the U.S. hoped the gesture signaled a sincere willingness to find a diplomatic solution.
Biden is also expected to ask foreign leaders to match his efforts to make large investments in economic stimulus, infrastructure and technology as he seeks congressional approval for a $1.9 trillion relief package back at home.
“We must prepare together for a long-term strategic competition with China,” Biden said. “We can own the race for the future, but to do so we have to be clear-eyed about the historic investments and partnerships this will require.
He said that Chinese companies must be required to operate in the global economy under the same rules of transparency that apply to Western businesses.
“We have to push back against the Chinese government’s abuses and coercion that undercut the fundamental values of the international economic system,” he said.
The U.S. also announced Friday that it will contribute as much as $4 billion for low- and middle-income countries to acquire coronavirus vaccines through a World Health Organization alliance known as Covax. The administration will match some of that assistance — to be distributed over the next two years — to other contributions, in a bid to step up Western aid for vaccinations.
Other G-7 leaders also announced their intention to donate to the Covax project, though some have voiced concern that nations like the U.S. — which has said it will only donate actual doses after its own population is fully vaccinated — are making it tougher for poor countries to secure vaccines, particularly from Western manufacturers.
Biden also addressed additional international security challenges, including global competition with Russia and China, cybersecurity, nuclear proliferation and the pending U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
But a senior administration official said the U.S. has not yet decided how, or if, it will implement Trump’s order to cut U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan and remove the remaining 2,500 American forces by May 1, with some officials worried that following through could further embolden the Taliban or endanger NATO forces still in the country.
Biden stands to gain international applause simply by re-engaging with allies and by making traditional declarations of U.S. commitments to mutual defense.
Just 10% of Europeans believe the U.S. would intervene on their behalf during a military crisis, according to a survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations. Nearly six in 10 Europeans surveyed said they would want their country to remain neutral in a conflict between the U.S. and either Russia or China.
Still, some European leaders remain skeptical that the U.S. president’s “middle class” foreign policy will sharply depart from Trump’s “America First” approach, particularly when it comes to trade confrontations.
Related Articles:
Senate Moves Forward With Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Covid-19 Relief Plan
The $2.1 Billion Case For Building A Federal EV Fleet
Cathie Wood Amasses $50 Billion And A New Nickname: ‘Money Tree’
US Productivity Falls 4.8% In The 4Th Quarter To Mark Biggest Drop Since 1981
Senate Democrats Move To Put Biden $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Plan On Fast Track
Biden Lays Out His Blueprint For Fair Housing
McConnell Says He’ll Make Deal, Backs Off On Filibuster
Biden’s Student Loan Freeze Shows Path To Erase Billions Of Debt
Trump Leaves Town An Outcast, Trailed By Record Pandemic Deaths And Job Losses
Trump Turned Republicans Into Losers
Trump Ends Historically Unpopular Presidency With 34% Approval
After Capitols Become Fortresses, Far-Right Protesters Are Mostly A No-Show
Bank of America Sued Over EDD Unemployment Debit Card Fraud #GotBitcoin
Civil Rights Groups Warn Of A Grim Future For Black Voters Without Court Intervention
Internet Detectives Make Up To $1000 Identifying Pro-Trump Rioters. Some Have Already Been Fired
CEOs Consider Ways To Smooth Biden’s Presidential Transition, Including Holding Back Campaign Money
Cash-Strapped Americans Are Drawing Down Savings As Pandemic Divisions Widen
Democrats Take Senate Control With Georgia Wins
Financial Inequality Grouped By Race For Blacks, Whites And Hispanics
Google Staff Launch Union, Escalating Tension With Leaders
China Tells Inefficient Firms To Toughen Up Or Prepare To Fail
Nigerian Stocks Head For Best Annual Run Since 2013
The Goldman Sach’s Solution Could Work Out Fine For Alibaba’s Jack Ma
Investors Double Down On Stocks, Pushing Margin Debt To Record
Trump Signs Virus Relief Bill After Deriding $600 Checks
How The Central Bank Collapse Will Likely Play Out #GotBitcoin
Housing Boom Brings A Shortage Of Land To Build New Homes
Africa’s Richest Man Initiates Nigeria’s First Share Buyback
Mar-a-Lago Neighbors Tell Trump That They Don’t Want Him To Live There
Trump Strutted Like A Player, Then He Got Played
Meet The Electoral College, America’s Most Important Voters
Supreme Court Rejects Texas Challenge To Biden’s Victory In Presidential Election
Unsold US Hotel Rooms Near 1 Billion As Lodging Crisis Deepens
Hunter Biden Says His Taxes Are Under Investigation
Lawyers Across The Country Urge Bar Associations To Investigate Trump’s Legal Team
Did Rudy Giuliani Fart Twice At A Michigan Election Fraud Hearing?
‘Jim Crow’ Land Ownership Spurs Black Farmers’ Appeals To Biden
Can President Trump Pardon Himself And His Family?
Historians Sue To Force Trump Administration To Preserve Records
Bribes For Presidential Pardons Scheme Investigated by DOJ
Why Withholding Evidence Until They (Giuliani/Trump) Gets To The Supreme Court Is A Stupid Idea
Pro-Trump Group Donor Sues Administration Over Failure To Expose Election Fraud
Giuliani Drops Sidney Powell As Trump ‘Strike Force’ Splits
Joe Biden The Oldest President Ever Will Help Young Americans Confront A Generational Wealth Gap
Biden Asks For Donations To Fund Transition
Governor Cuomo Gets Emmy For ‘Leadership’ During Pandemic. Trump Gets Nada, Zip, Bumpkis, Zelch!!
Fed To Return Lending-Backstop Funds To Treasury As Requested #GotBitcoin
Thriving New York Times, Fox News Ponder A Post-Trump Scenario
Trump Unveils ‘Platinum Plan’ For Black Americans (BS!!!) #GotBitcoin
The Record Economic Boom Is A Mirage! Just More Trump BS! Keep Moving #GotBitcoin
US States Face Biggest Cash Crisis Since The Great Depression (#GotBitcoin?)
Trump Issues Executive Order Making Some Civil Servants Easier To Hire And Fire
Black Homeowners Pay $13,464 More On Their Mortgages, Study Says
Trump Weighs Prospect Of Defeat After Insulting Both Seniors AND Women
Wealthy Nations Defy Trump With Debt Lifeline To Ailing Cuba
Who Is Helmut Norpoth And Why Does He Say Trump Will Win Big?
Companies Raise Inability-To-Pay Claims Amid Pandemic, Justice Department Official Says
Homeland Security To Grant Millions To Groups To Combat White Supremacists And Other Extremists
Prediction (Betting) Market Doubts Trump Will Complete First Term After COVID-19 Diagnosis
Trump Used Facebook To Try And Convince 3.5 Million Black Americans Not To Vote In 2016
Trump’s Tax Revelation Destroys Successful Business Mogul Image
Cost Of Racism: U.S. Economy Lost $16 Trillion Because Of Discrimination, Bank Says
Bloomberg, Others Rack Up $20M To Register 32K Florida Felons Deeming Them “Time Served”
Some Wealthy Americans Are Already Prepping Their Finances For A Joe Biden Presidency — Here’s How
Kamala Harris Woos Black And Latino Voters As Joe Biden’s Running Mate
Biden Appeals To Florida Latinos As Polls Show Trump Gaining
Poll: Should Trump As A Civilian Face Class-Action Lawsuits For Minimizing Severity Of Covid19?
Trump As A Civilian To Face Avalanche Of Lawsuits!!!!
Trumponomics Forces Amazon Drivers To Hang Cellphones From Trees Desperate To Get Gigs
Trump Is Silent While Russian Navy Conducts Biggest Drills Near Alaska Since Soviet Era
Open Letter To Supporters of The Draft-Dodger-In-Chief!
Right-Wing Facebook MEGA-Troll Wall-Of-Shame
Donald Law And Order Trump Encourages People In North Carolina To Vote Twice, Which Is Illegal
Here’s Why No Bankers Go To Jail (#GotBitcoin?)
Cities With Republican Mayors Also Had Protests Which Resulted In Property Damage
Trumponomic’s Furloughs Turn Into Permanent Job Losses (#GotBitcoin?)
Trump White House Commits Multiple Hatch Act Violations In Re-Election Attempt
After Three Years of Attacking L.G.B.T.Q. Rights, Trump Suddenly Tries Outreach
Scrapping Payroll Tax Without Replacement Would Hit Social Security Benefits By 2021 (#GotBitcoin?)
Money Funds Waive Charges to Keep Yields From Falling Below Zero (#Bitcoin?)
Millions of US Jobs To Be Lost For Years, IRS Projections Show (#GotBitcoin?)
Kellyanne Conway To Leave White House As Trump Divisiveness Indeed Hits Close To Home
The US National Debt Has Exceeded The Total Value Of The GDP (#GotBitcoin?)
When The Stock Market And Economy Becomes Disconnected (#Bitcoin?)
Donald Trump, Peter Navarro (Trade Adviser) And A $765 Million Loan To Kodak That Deal Blew Up
Steve Bannon Joins Six Other Criminally Charged Ex-Trump Advisers
Trump Calls For Goodyear Boycott Amid Outrage Over ‘MAGA’ Ban
Trump’s Big Donors From 2016 Want Nothing To Do With Him This Year
State Budgets Hit Hard By Trumponomics Create A Drag On U.S. Recovery
Joe Biden-Kamala Harris Ticket Makes Debut After Historic VP Pick
Biden, Obama Release Campaign Video Applauding Their Achievements
Small Businesses Brace For Prolonged Crisis, Short On Cash And Customers (#GotBitcoin?)
Ultimate Resource For Violations of The U.S. Constitution Including “Money” And Coronavirus
Trump Campaign Forced To Use Tele-Rallies As Coronavirus Cases Surge
Roger Stone Uses Racial Slur In Live Radio Interview With Black Host
The Fed Is Setting The Stage For Hyper-Inflation Of The Dollar (#GotBitcoin?)
The Next Phase Of The Retail Apocalypse: Stores Reborn As E-Commerce Warehouses
Republicans Alarmed By Democratic Senate Hopefuls’ Fundraising Haul
American Airlines Plans To Furlough Up To 25,000 Workers This Fall (#GotBitcoin?)
Consumer Appetite For Cars, Homes Bolsters U.S. Economy
Banks Get Ready For Wave of Recession-Led Loan Defaults (#GotBitcoin?)
32% of U.S. Households Missed Their July Housing Payments
What You Need To Know About The New Small-Business Bankruptcy Laws
Police Wrestle With Surge In Crime In U.S. Cities Amid Defunding Efforts
Here’s An Investment That Perfectly Tracks The Economy
Fed, Treasury Disagreements Slowed Start of Main Street Lending Program
When A Texas Oil Boom Goes Busts
Trump Takes Cognitive Test And Can Identify A Rhino vs A Camel
Don’t Know How Much Stimulus Is Needed? Put It On Autopilot, Some Say
Colorado Police Chief Fires Three Officers Over Reenacted Chokehold Placed On Elijah Mcclain
Republicans Give Trump Labor Day Deadline To Turn Things Around. After That, He’s On His Own
Chapter 11 Business Bankruptcies Rose 26% In First Half of 2020
Chaotic Trump Administration Plus Russian Bounty Intelligence Equals Loss Of American Lives
Supreme Court Orders Restructuring of Consumer-Finance Watchdog
Reddit, Acting Against Hate Speech, Bans ‘The_Donald’ Subreddit
Private Equity’s Trillion-Dollar Piggy Bank Holds Little For Struggling Companies (#GotBitcoin?)
TikTok Teens Overload Trump’s Online Store With Orders Only To Abandon Shopping Cart
Fed Stress Test Finds U.S. Banks Not Healthy Enough To Withstand “Few Quarters” Economic Downturn
Elizabeth Warren Was Right About Whacky Stockmarket Fundamentals (#GotBitcoin?)
Two Of The Latest High-Profile Trump Resignations
US Banks Have Seen A Record $2 Trillion Surge Of Deposits Since The Coronavirus Crisis Began
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.