Joseph R. Biden’s triumph over Donald Trump need not be viewed as a political triumph only. It renews the faith that the people — be it in the United States of America or, hopefully, in India — have the ability to rise above division and antagonism to lend a healing touch to a fractured nation. Little wonder then that Mr Biden — the 46th president of the US — prioritized the importance of unity after winning the crown. Of course, the man he ousted from office can claim credit for deepening many of the existing fault lines. America was never free of social, economic and cultural chasms; Mr Trump exploited them to reach the White House. What was eerie about Mr Trump’s presidency was his cheerful endorsement of a culture that stoked toxicity and fears — more imagined than real — to consolidate his conservative political base. His views on race and ethnicity are a case in point. But this polarization was also a political necessity — as is always the case — to deflect public attention from monumental policy failures. The US has been ravaged by a virus under Mr Trump’s watch; the economy — apparently Mr Trump’s forte — lies in tatters; in foreign policy, the nation has been forced to return to isolationism, adversely affecting the momentum of global multilateralism. Mr Trump’s assault on institutional integrity was also unprecedented, as was evident from his demonization of a critical media. But it is to the US’s credit that unlike in India, institutions that are bulwarks of democracy stood firm.
The people have spoken; it is now Mr Biden’s responsibility to wage battles on multiple fronts. A creaking healthcare system needs attention, as do such issues as race, immigration and a rudderless, quixotic foreign policy. He would have to work harder to return America on the multilateral road, not as a dominant force but as an equal partner. Simultaneously, he must pay attention to the principle of equality because it is embedded discriminations, and their resultant animosities, that lead to the emergence of leaders like Mr Trump. He must remember that Trumpism is yet to be repudiated completely. New Delhi, in spite of its prime minister’s endorsement of Mr Trump, would be fairly certain that the change of guard in the White House would not weaken the foundations of a robust Indo-US relationship. But it would be interesting to see how Mr Biden and his deputy, Kamala Harris — the first woman and the first woman of colour to become vice-president — respond to the situation in Kashmir as well as allegations of religious fundamentalism in India. Ms Harris’s opinion on these matters in the past has not been music to Narendra Modi’s ears.
